Frida Leider

Frida Leider ( born April 18, 1888 in Berlin, † June 4, 1975 ibid ) was a highly dramatic soprano and one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century.

Life

Frida Leider came from quite a humble background, her father was a carpenter. Nevertheless, they initially received a good education. The more training but failed due to the early death of his father, which is why they first had worked as a bank teller and was able to take singing lessons with various teachers only in their spare time.

Her first engagement was in 1915 at the Municipal Theatre of Halle ( Saale), where she made her debut as Venus in Tannhäuser. In the years that led her over Rostock and Konigsberg at the Hamburg State Opera, where she was a permanent member of 1919-23. During this time she was known, made their first recordings and developed a wide repertoire (including the Donna Anna in Don Giovanni by Mozart, Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio, Norma by Bellini, the Aida by Verdi, but especially the great Wagnerian - roles such as Isolde and Brünnhilde ).

In 1921 she appeared for the first time as Isolde at the Staatsoper in her hometown of Berlin, which was their headquarters from 1923 and remained closely linked throughout their careers it. From Berlin they now led regular appearances at the major opera houses of the world, including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London ( 1924 to 1938 each year ) at the Vienna State Opera (from 1924), La Scala ( 1927 ), the National Theatre Munich, the Paris Opera, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Chicago, Zurich, Stockholm, etc. Also at the Metropolitan Opera in New York ( first role: Isolde ) she appeared in the season 1933/34, in 20 performances of five Wagner rolls on.

She also sang at the Wagner Festival in Sopot Forest Opera (1924, 1925, 1927) and the Bayreuth Festival ( 1928-1938 ).

During this time, it was considered most sought Wagner singer in the world.

In Germany, however their situation during the 1930s was more difficult because her husband, the concertmaster of the Berlin State Opera, Professor Rudolf Deman ( 1880-1960 ), was a Jew, and the singer, despite ever-increasing political pressure divorce refused.

1938 Deman could just escape to Switzerland. Unfortunately himself remained in Germany, but suffered greatly from the separation and stood in 1942 for the last time on the opera stage. After that, they were only recitals.

After the war, the singer certainly had had the opportunity to sing again on stage, she decided against it and instead took from 1945 to 1952 the management of the vocal studios of the State Opera. She also began to direct, among others in 1945 Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel and 1947 in a conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler 's production of Tristan and Isolde.

From 1948 to 1958, she had also been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Music.

On January 16, 1946 Frida entered Unfortunately Admiralspalast in Berlin together with the contralto Margarete Klose for the last time publicly.

1959 published the singer her memoirs under the title: "This was my part - Memories of an opera singer ." After that she withdrew from the public largely back. On October 23, 1968, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit 1st class. She is in a grave of honor at the cemetery military road in the Berlin district of Westend, close to the Olympic site, buried.

Today, Frida Leider society cares headquartered in Berlin to the artistic estate of the singer.

Importance

Frida Leider is still regarded as one of the most highly dramatic sopranos of all time. Special features of their representations are their particular tension and impact, and the soft, vibrant sound of her voice with her quick, light vibrato.

Unfortunately, even repeatedly emphasized that they actually have no typical Wagner 's voice, but an Italian vocal technique. This could not only sing Wagner, but a very large and wide -ranging repertoire, which you can control by their numerous recordings obtained, on which she sings stylishly and convincingly Mozart, Beethoven and Verdi.

Writings

• Frida Leider: That was my part - memories of an opera singer. Berlin: Herbig 1959 ( autobiography).
• Frida Leider: A Prussian Isolde. In: Josef Müller- Marein and Hannes Reinhardt: The musical self-portrait. Hamburg, Nannen 1963
• Frida Leider: Playing my part. London, Calder and Boyars 1966. ( English translation of the autobiography, discography )
• Frida Leider: That was my part. Berlin (GDR), Henschel 1981. ( Slightly abridged edition with an additional text Leiders From the estate of 1973, Discography )