Josef Witt

Josef Witt ( born May 17, 1901 in Munich, † 3 January 1994 in Vienna ) was an Austrian tenor at the Vienna State Opera and vocal coach.

He studied in Munich at the Royal Academy of Music and debuted in 1920 at the Munich State Opera, where he was committed as a volunteer until 1923. Josef Witt appeared in numerous German cities, such as in Szczecin (1923-1924), Breslau (1924-1927), Karlsruhe (1927-1929), Dortmund (1928-1929), Cologne (1929-1934) and Brunswick (1934 - 1938)

Important roles and premieres to 1938

He played in 1923 in Dusseldorf as a coolie Yang starred in Hans Gál's opera " The Holy Duck " In 1927, he appeared in the premiere of Bertolt Brecht's didactic play about Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic in the composition of Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith on. In 1929 he sang the role of " fallers " in the lesson by Hindemith and Brecht. In 1930, he sang as a guest of the Frankfurt Opera Calaf in Puccini's Turandot with the famous Eva Turner. In 1934 he appeared in the premiere of Stravinsky's Persephone. In addition to classical opera roles Josef Witt of New Music was particularly committed.

Engagement at the Vienna State Opera

1937 Josef Witt was hired at the Vienna State Opera. His repertoire was Hans Pfitzner's opera Palestrina, as directed by Otto Erhart 1937 at the State Opera, where he da Palestrina ( heroic tenor ) sang the role of Giovanni Pierluigi. In 1956 he staged the opera itself in the ball room. In 1947 he played Robespierre in Gottfried von Einem's Danton's Death. He appeared in The Magic Flute and staged several operas, such as Salome in 1953 at the Theater an der Wien. Until 1955 he worked at the State Opera, where he was most recently heard as the first priest in Mozart's Magic Flute. 1971 Josef Witt was appointed honorary member of the Staatsoper.

Guest performances

Josef Witt toured during his time in Vienna in prestigious homes and at international festivals. At the Salzburg Festival he performed regularly. So he brought in 1942 and 1948, Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro to be heard, in 1947 Robespierre in the world premiere of the opera Danton's Death of Gottfried von Einem. In Milan's La Scala, he sang Aegisthus in the opera Elektra by Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal ( libretto ). With a guest performance by the Vienna Opera in 1953 at the Opéra National de Paris, he sang again the Don Basilio.

Teaching

He taught singing at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts, now the " University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna ." Successful students were about Norman Bailey ( bass-baritone ), Walter Berry ( bass - baritone), Mimi Coertse, soprano, first internationally successful opera singer from Africa, Ernst Gutstein (baritone ), William Blankenship and Hans van Heerden.

Recordings

  • Great Mozart Singers Vol 1 ( opera arias 1922-1942 ), The Marriage of Figaro with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Audio CD (4 July 1995) Label: Orfeo d'Or
  • Verdi: Macbeth ( complete recording ) (Vienna 1943), Label: Preiser; Performers: Ahlers Meyer, Mathieu (Macbeth ). Alsen, Herbert ( Banquo ). Höngen, Elizabeth (Lady Macbeth). Boettcher, Else ( maid ). Witt, Joseph ( MacDuff ). Franter, Willi ( Malcolm ). Vienna State Opera / Choral. Vienna State Opera / Orchestra. Böhm, Karl (Dir )
  • Verdi: Othello ( German Gesamtaufnahme 1944), Audio CD (January 1, 1997) Label: Preiser, conducted by Karl Böhm, artist Ralf, Torsten ( Othello ). Schöffler, Paul ( Jago ). Witt, Joseph ( Cassio ). Konetzni, Hilde ( Desdemona ). Nikolaidi, Elena (Emilia ). Klein, Peter ( Rodrigo ) ... Vienna State Opera / Choral. Vienna State Opera / Orchestra. Böhm, Karl (Dir )
  • Edition Wiener Staatsoper Live, Vol 8: Giuseppe Verdi: Un ballo in maschera / Aida / Falstaff, Audio Double CD (23 June 1994), conductor: Karl Böhm, Vittorio Gui, Clemens Krauss, Label: Koch International, with the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, chorus of the Vienna State Opera
  • Edition Wiener Staatsoper Live Vol 21, Audio Double CD (February 23, 1995) Label: Koch International
  • Karajan Edition ( Karajan in Vienna Vol 1-9 and bonus CD ), Audio CD (16 May 1997), 10 CDs, Label: EMI
  • Richard Strauss, Salome, Edition Wiener Staatsoper Live Vol 3, Double - Audio CD (20 April 1994), Label: Koch International, with the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera
  • Pfitzner: Palestrina, with the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, conducted by Rudolf Moralt
  • Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg ( total intake 1944), Audio CD (January 1, 2000), 4 CDs, Label: Preiser, conducted by Karl Böhm, Interpr. Schöffler, Paul ( Sachs). Alsen, Herbert ( Pogner ). Dermota, Anton ( birdsong ). Madin, Viktor (Nightingale / night watchman ). Kunz, Erich (Beck diameter). Krenn, Fritz ( Kothner ). Maikl, Georg ( anger ). Wernigk, William ( Moser ). Muzzarelli, Alfred ( Ortel ). Witt, Joseph ( Eißlinger ). Jerger, Alfred ( Black). Rus, Marjan ( Foltz ). Seider, August ( Stolzing ). Klein, Peter (David). Seefried, Irmgard (Eva ). Schürhoff, Else (Magdalena ). Vienna State Opera Chorus. Ross Mayer, Richard ( Choreinstud ). Vienna Philharmonic.

Publication

  • Josef Witt: My way to Mozart. Mozart City of Vienna 1913 - 1963, Vienna 1964, Volume / Source: Vienna Mozart Society 1913-1963, pp. 164ff.
Bavarian State Opera Giacomo Puccini Palestrina (opera) Dantons Tod Salome (opera) Walter Berry (bass-baritone) Integrated Authority File
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