Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
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Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf DBE (b. 9 December, 1915), a German opera singer who later took British citizenship, is one of the leading sopranos of the post-World War II period, much admired for her performances of Mozart and Strauss. She is the aunt of the United States General in the Gulf War, Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
Christened Olga Maria Elisabeth Frederike Schwarzkopf in Jarotschin in Prussia (now part of Poland), Schwarzkopf showed an interest in music from the very beginning. She performed in her first opera in 1928, as Eurydice in a school production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in Magdeburg, Germany. In 1934, Schwarzkopf began her musical studies at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik, initially as a mezzo-soprano, however when her mother objected, she switched teachers for another one who trained her as a coloratura soprano.
Schwarzkopf made her professional debut at Berlin's Berlin State Opera on 15 April, 1938, as the Second Flower Maiden (First Group) in Act II of Richard Wagner's Parsifal. She sang in Berlin for four years, during which time she became a member of the Nazi Party (a decision which later caused her to be boycotted in the United States for several years). However, she was always welcomed and acclaimed in countries other than the United States.
After the war, she joined the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, where her roles included Mimi in Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème and Violetta in Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata. From 1947 to 1948, Schwarzkopf made a European tour with the Vienna State Opera, performing at London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden on 16 September, 1947 as Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni and at La Scala on 28 December, 1948, as the Marschallin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, which became one of her signature roles.
Schwarzkopf later made her official debut at the Royal Opera House on 16 January, 1948, as Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and at La Scala on 29 June, 1950 singing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. On 11 September 1951, she appeared as Anne Trulove in the world premiere of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Schwarzkopf made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera on 13 October, 1964, as the Marschallin.
In March 1946, Schwarzkopf was invited to audition for Walter Legge, a classical music producer. She sang Hugo Wolf's Lied "Wer rief dich denn?" and Legge signed her to an exclusive contract with EMI. They began a close partnership and Legge subsequently became Schwarzkopf's manager and companion. They were married on 19 October, 1953, in Epsom, England. Schwarzkopf would divide her time between lieder recitals and opera performances for the rest of her career.
In the 1960s, Schwarzkopf concentrated nearly exclusively on five operatic roles: Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Countess Madeleine in Strauss' Capriccio, and the Marschallin. She also was well received as Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff (opera). However, on the EMI label she made several "champagne operetta" recordings like The Merry Widow and The Gypsy Baron.
Schwarzkopf's last operatic performance was as the Marschallin on 31 December, 1971, in Brussels. For the next several years, she devoted herself exclusively to lieder recitals.
On 17 March, 1979, Legge suffered a severe heart attack. He disregarded doctor's orders to rest and attended Schwarzkopf's final recital 2 days later in Zürich. Three days later, he died.
Since retiring, Schwarzkopf has been teaching and giving master classes. She is well-known for being an extremely demanding, exacting teacher. Some have even called her methods unnecessarily harsh. After living in Switzerland for many years, she now resides in Vorarlberg, Austria.
During her career, Schwarzkopf was much admired for her artistry and for her timeless beauty.
Quotes
- (after being asked about Peter Sellars) "There are names I do not want mentioned in my home. Do not say that name in my presence. I have seen what he has done, and it is criminal. As my husband used to say, so far no one has dared go into the Louvre Museum to spray graffiti on the Mona Lisa, but some opera directors are spraying graffiti over masterpieces." — Newsweek interview, 15 October, 1990
- "Many composers today don't know what the human throat is. At Bloomington, Indiana, I was invited to listen to music written in quarter tones for four harps and voices. I had to go out to be sick." — Newsweek interview, 15 October, 1990
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