Erna Berger

Erna Berger (* October 19, 1900 in Cossebaude / Saxony, now part of Dresden, † June 14, 1990 in Essen / North Rhine -Westphalia) was a German opera and concert singer in the vocal range soprano.

Biography and artistic work

Erna Berger, married. Wiull belongs next to Elisabeth Grummer, Hilde Güden, Lotte Lehmann, Rita Streich ( which was discovered and promoted by her), Erika Köth, Gundula Janowitz, Elisabeth Rethberg, Erna Sack, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Maria Ivogün an important German sopranos of the 20th century. Your favorite roles were, inter alia, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Violetta in La Traviata, Mimi in La Bohème, Gilda in Rigoletto, as well as Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio. With the latter role she earned an international reputation. Thus, the singer guested for example from 1934 to 1938 at the Covent Garden Opera.

As a child, Berger spent several years in Brazil and Paraguay, where she worked as a clerk and piano teacher later. She returned to Dresden, where he became a vocal studies at. Her teacher was Melitta Hirzel. At 26, she came by Fritz Busch as Opernsoubrette at the Dresden State Opera and had her first success as Hannele in the opera's premiere Hanneles Ascension of Paul Graener.

Later she became a member of the Vienna and the Berlin State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera Charlottenburg and toured Japan, North and South America, Africa and Australia with concerts (especially songs by Hugo Wolf ), with the pianist Sebastian Peschko was her favorite companion.

Erna Berger, who sang on all major national and international opera stages ( in Munich, Paris, Rome, Madrid, New York), also occasionally performed as a singer in films and synchronized actresses with their singing (eg, Ilse Werner, the singer Jenny Lind in the movie The Swedish Nightingale embodied ). In addition, she worked as a singing teacher. As such, they discovered and promoted many talented singers, such as the soprano Rita Streich.

With 54 years Erna Berger took leave of the stage ( Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Salzburg 1954), but was still continued numerous recitals (last recital: February 15, 1968 Cuvilliéstheater Munich). 1959 Erna Berger was appointed to a professorship at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg.

At the age of 80, she sang again in the context of a television portraits of the SWF a Schubert song.

The soprano died in Essen in the 90th year from heart failure. Your final resting place she found in the Viennese central cemetery.

Honors

In 1953 she was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross ( cross slot ) of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In 1970 she was awarded the Johannes-Brahms- Medal of the City of Hamburg.

In 1992, she the Bästleinstraße in Dresden, Erna - Berger-Straße was renamed in honor. In today's town of Dresden and Berlin Cossebaude ( near Potsdamer Platz) also streets were named after the legendary soprano, who retained her youthful voice into old age.

Works

• Berger, Erna: On Wings of Song: Memories of a singer. Atlantis music book -Verl., Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-254-00144-3.