Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber remains, for many, the quintessential Viennese operetta tenor. As well as a performer, he was a composer, his works displaying his understanding of the operetta and song genres if not the genius of a Lehár or Johann Strauss, Jr. He did not have a perfect voice; his Bs and Cs were labored and his habit of using falsetto to reach the rest of the upper range, while producing some ravishing results, could become mannered and overly applied. That said, his graceful charm of expression and lyrical warmth made him one of the most beloved singers of his time.
He was the son of an actor and theater director and an actress, and was raised by his father after the age of seven, thus increasing his exposure to music and the theater. His early studies at the Frankfurt Conservatory focused on conducting and composition, his voice studies instead taking place at Freiburg under Carl Beines. He made his opera debut at the Chemnitz Neues Stadt-Theater in March, 1913, as Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute. He was almost immediately given a five-year contract by the Dresden Opera where he became the established lyric tenor. As his career continued to develop throughout Germany, he was strongly associated with Mozart; when he appeared as Tamino, Mozart's opera was often jokingly renamed Die Tauberflöte. Astonishingly, however, his 1915 Berlin Opera debut was as Bacchus in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos (a role that many heroic tenors find incredibly taxing), sung with 48 hours' notice and only one rehearsal! Tauber became known for his fast learning and musicianship, and was often called upon for such emergencies. He once took over as conductor for a tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the 1920s, he began to specialize in operetta and song, and became best known for those roles and for recitals, recordings, and film work. Lehár wrote the operettas Paganini, Der Zarewitsch, Friederike, and The Land of Smiles with him in mind, and in each, made sure to include a showpiece (soon known as the Tauberlied) for his talents. In 1931, he made his debut in England at the Drury Lane Theater in Lehár's The Land of Smiles, and he remained in England for fear of Nazi persecution (he was of Jewish extraction), becoming a naturalized citizen in 1940. Like most singers, his career was interrupted by the war, but he made his operatic farewell in 1947 as Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Though already seriously ill with the lung cancer that was to kill him the next year, according to critics and documented by air check recordings, it would have been a creditable performance for a singer in the best of health.
Tauber owed much of his fame to his then-prodigious 725 recordings; rivaled only by the recorded output of John McCormack. Tauber's catalog unquestionably displays the most variety, including songs by Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin, arias and duets from Verdi's Il trovatore and Aida, Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, German lieder, and even the Neapolitan and Irish songs in which Caruso and McCormack were the main exponents. He also appeared in several movies, including a film of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Blossom Time, Heart's Desire, and Forbidden Music. Today, his operetta Old Chelsea (which he wrote to celebrate his naturalization as an English citizen) is still sometimes performed.
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The Richard Tauber Collection, Vol. 11: Opera Scenes and Opera in Film (1928-1946)
Classical - Released by Jube Classic on 4 Jun 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Richard Tauber Collection, Vol. 15: Operetta Scenes (1924-1933) (Richard Tauber)
Opera - Released by Jube Classic on 1 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of Richard Tauber (2003 Remaster)
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 24 Mar 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Gentleman Tenor
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 7 Sep 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lebendige Vergangenheit - Richard Tauber
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on 28 Aug 2006
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The Legendary Richard Tauber
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 10 Feb 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Very Best of Richard Tauber
Classical - Released by Musical Concepts on 29 Nov 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schöne and Tauber in Operetta
Opera - Released by Prima Voce on 1 Nov 1996
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The Richard Tauber Collection, Vol. 24: German & International Popular Songs, Vol. 3 (Recordings 1927-1932)
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Jube Classic on 5 Aug 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Richard Tauber Collection, Vol. 22: English Songs & Ballads III (Recorded 1937-1943)
Richard Tauber, Artist Unknown, George Walter, Henry Geehl
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Jube Classic on 3 Jun 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Tauber singt Lehár (Inspiration)
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Warner Classics International on 3 Jan 2014
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The Very Best Operatic Arias
Maria Cebotari, Jussi Björling, Richard Tauber
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 2 May 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glück, Das Mir Verblieb (Berlin Recordings of 1924 - 1925)
Classical - Released by Casta Diva on 31 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tauber & Lehár
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 11 May 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Richard Tauber Collection: Vol. 9 - Early Opera Scenes II
Classical - Released by Jube Classic on 4 Jun 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Tauber - Champagner-Operette
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 27 Jun 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
TAUBER, Richard: Opera Arias (1919-1926)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 24 Jul 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár & Co
Richard Tauber, Vera Schwarz, Carlotta Vanconti, Jarmila Novotna
Operettas - Released by Preiser Records on 19 Jun 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Im Traum Hast Du Mir Alles Erlaubt! (Berlin Recordings of 1931 - 1932)
Richard Tauber, Odeon-Künstler Orchester, Frieder Weissmann, Odeon-Opern-Orchester, Orchestra Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Paul Dessau
Classical - Released by Casta Diva on 31 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön (Berlin Recordings 1920 - 1922)
Richard Tauber, Orchestre, Elisabeth Rethberg
Classical - Released by Casta Diva on 31 May 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
18 Favourites (1927-1939)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 8 Mar 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo