Franz Egenieff

Franz Egenieff, actually Marian Eberhard Franz Emil von Kley Dorff ( born May 31, 1874 in Niederwalluf, Rheingau, † June 11, 1949 Gmund am Tegernsee ), was by his stage name a famous opera singer ( baritone) and actor.

Origin

Emil von Kley Dorff was the third and youngest son of Prince Emil zu Sayn -Wittgenstein- Berleburg (1824-1878) and his second wife, Camilla von Kley Dorff ( 1840-1902 ). His mother, born Camilla Stefańska, was a Polish ballet dancer humble origin and thus not befitting. Prince Emil had probably met when she had danced in the spring of 1868 in St. Petersburg, Giselle. Grand Duke Ludwig III. of Hesse- Darmstadt, she therefore brought a week before their marriage as Baroness von Kley Dorff to the peerage, so as to allow the prince marriage with her. The descendants of the two bore the new name of the mother.

Life

Emil von Kley Dorff entered into a Prussian hussar regiment and was promoted to lieutenant there, but took his departure in 1900 to devote himself to his artistic interests. Its origin from begütertem home enabled him, his time to study with some of the most renowned voice teachers. He studied at the German opera singer (soprano) and singing teacher Lilli Lehmann ( 1848-1929 ) and the Italian music teacher and composer Alfredo Cairati ( 1875-1960 ) in Berlin, and later at the French baritone and singing teacher Victor Maurel ( 1848-1923 ) in Paris.

After the First World War, his appearances became increasingly rare on the opera stage. Instead, he played in the 1920s in several German film productions, for the first time in the silent films " The skeleton of the Lord Markutius " (1920 ) and " The Tarantula " (1920). This was followed ( 1921), " A Woman's Revenge " and " The False Dmitry " (1922 ). In 1923 he played in the first film adaptation of Thomas Mann's " Buddenbrooks ", directed by Gerhard Lamprecht shipowners Arnoldsen. Finally then followed by roles in " Colibri" (1924 ) and " to be a father is not difficult " ( 1926). In 1927 he sang the role of Klingsor in "Parsifal" at the Bayreuth Festival. 1929-1931 he was again on tour in North America, this time with the " German Opera Company "; while he sang again the Klingsor, the Gunther in " Twilight of the Gods " and the Kurvenal in " Tristan and Isolde ".

After this tour, he retired to his villa in Gmund am Tegernsee, where he died on 11 June 1949.

Marriage and issue

In 1898 he married Paula Busch ( 1877-1962 ), a niece of the American brewer and multimillionaire Adolphus Busch. The marriage sprang three children:

• Anita by Kley Dorff (1899-1987), ∞ Warlimont 1927 Walter ( 1894-1976 )
• Lilli- Alexa by Kley Dorff (1906-1966), ∞ Kitzig 1938 Alfred ( 1902-1964 )
• Ernst- Günther von Kley Dorff (1907-1985), ∞ Anne Foulkrod (1922-1995)