Karl Schmitt-Walter
Karl Schmitt -Walter ( born December 23, 1900 in Germersheim in the Rhenish Palatinate, † 14 January 1985 in Kreuth ) was a German opera and lieder singer.
Life
He spent his youth in Würzburg and Nuremberg. At the Nuremberg Conservatory, he began his musical studies. He had studied in Nuremberg and E. Schmidt- Carlen in Dortmund and Wiesbaden in G. Landauer and Hans Reinmar. Continued education in Munich led him to become a master of the song, Richard Trunk. Through him, he got his first relationship with the song singing, which has decisively shaped his whole artistry. His career as a stage singer led him over Oberhausen, Saarbrücken and Dortmund to Wiesbaden. After fourteen years Province Schmitt -Walter was invited for the first time, in Munich to give guest performances at the Staatsoper. He sang the tungsten, he came here under Richard Strauss as Kunrad in Feuersnot on. The Munich State Opera wanted to commit fixed it then, but Berlin was already discovered.
From Wilhelm Rode he was hired in 1935 at the German Opera House in Berlin. In Berlin, he debuted as " Figaro " and soon caught, recommended by Erna Sack at Telefunken, his first records, including song recordings with pianist Michael Raucheisen. His concerts he gave with Ferdinand Leitner, who accompanied him during the recording of Schubert's " Winterreise".
After all, there could also be maintained by guest performance agreements of such relationship to Munich during his engagements at the German Opera House Berlin. In 1941 he joined on the way out as a singer in the Zarah Leander film. The Leander played in the film an opera singer.
The impending international career was interrupted by the war; Schmitt -Walter sang Wehrmacht and front concerts.
The Vienna State Opera saw Schmitt -Walter extended period of time as a guest, as he sang in Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, Ireland and Portugal. At the Salzburg Festival, he was in 1949, Furtwängler Papageno, with Edwin Fischer and Michael Raucheisen he sang in Berlin Winterreise. In 1955, he helped as in German-speaking acclaimed Don Giovanni to open the Staatsoper Berlin rebuilt.
At that time counted Karl Schmitt -Walter of the internationally renowned and popular singers in opera, concert and broadcasting. Numerous recordings with well over 500 recorded tracks testify to his artistic work.
In 1956 the self- designated by Schmitt -Walter as a highlight of his career working with Wieland Wagner at the Bayreuth Festival, the carping in Die Meistersinger, he in Bayreuth in unbroken succession until 1961, inter alia, under Hans Knappertsbusch and next then in Munich, Vienna, Berlin, Lisbon and at other houses sang. He also took over the care of foreign singer in Bayreuth.
Around the same period turned Schmitt -Walter also closer to the training of young singers and the training of already established singers. In 1957 he was appointed professor at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Munich. As director of studies, he worked at the Bayreuth Festival and at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen. This teaching, he also led after the end of his active singing career at the State Opera in Munich continued in 1964.
Karl Schmitt -Walter was a Bavarian and Prussian chamber singers, a professor at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Munich, Knight of the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Bavarian Order of Merit. The King of Denmark awarded him with the Dannebrogorden. The Bavarian State Opera in Munich praised his work by taking a painting in its gallery of portraits of important members of the House that shows him in the role of Don Giovanni.
Karl Schmitt -Walter was buried in the cemetery west of Munich.