Lilli Lehmann

-
Lilli Lehmann was German soprano of phenomenal versatility. Across the span of her career, she performed 170 different parts in a total of 119 German, Italian and French operas as well as 600 lieder (songs). She left her legacy as a singer in recordings made later in her life as well as her book on vocal study: Meine Gesangskunst (1902; My Art of Singing).

Лилли Леман (Lilli Lehmann) | Classic-music.ru
(1848 - 1929)
Image source

Listen to a recording of Lilli Lehmann singing Verdi, aged circa 58:

Her first singing teacher was her mother, who had been a prima donna at the Cassel opera. After singing small parts on stage, Lehmann made her proper debut in 1870 (aged circa 22) in Berlin. She sang in the first Bayreuth Festival in 1876. The Bayreuth Festival Theatre is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, built by the composer Richard Wagner and dedicated solely to the performance of his stage works. Lehmann was coached by Wagner in the parts of one of the Rhinemaidens and the Forest Bird for the first performances of his cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. She subsequently became so successful that she was appointed an Imperial Chamber Singer for life in 1876. 

Listen to her singing Wagner here:

She performed in London in 1884 and appeared at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1885-1899, helping to popularise Wagner's music in America. She remained in America beyond the leave she was granted by the Berlin Opera - she therefore faced a ban following her return to Germany. The emperor intervened personally and the ban was lifted. In 1905, she sang at the Salzburg Festival, of which she later became the artistic director. 

As a renowned voice teacher, Lehmann founded the International Summer Academy at the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1916. The academy's curriculum concentrated on voice lessons at first but it was extended later to include a wide variety of musical instruction. 

Listen to Lehmann sing Mozart: 

This blog is intended to be educational and to share knowledge about music. Daily Hit of Music does not claim to own anything contained in this post and declares its sources openly. 
The following sources were used for this blog post: Mahler Foundation, Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica
Image sources can be found in the image captions. 
Recordings can be found on YouTube by clicking the 'DHM YouTube Playlist' links.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

O-Daiko

-
Image
Daily Hit of Music's 100th post! Thank you for reading our posts on Daily Hit of Music. We hope you're enjoying them and here's to the next 100! Eitetsu Hayashi is an acclaimed Japanese musician best known for his solo performance work in taiko. Taiko are a broad rang of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside of Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called wadaiko . The process of constructing taiko varies between manufacturers, and the preparation of both the drum body and skin can take several years depending on the method.  Eitetsu Hayashi performing in 2001 Image source   In feudal Japan, taiko were often used to motivate troops, call out orders or announcements, and set a marching pace; marches usually being set to six paces per beat of the drum.  Watch Ei-tetsu Hayashi's exhilarating performance on a huge o-daiku barrel drum. He performs alongside the Shamisen master, Sh
Read more

Vivaldi: Vedrò con mio diletto

-
Image
As well as being the prototype of the modern violin virtuoso - expanding the technical possibilities of the instrument - Antonio Vivaldi also wrote some beautiful vocal music.  Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741) Image source The aria "Vedrò con mio diletto", has became a famous concert piece to sing, especially for countertenors, but was originally intended to be sung by the character  Anastasio in Vivaldi's opera 'Giustino'.  Listen to it here: DHM YouTube Italian (original) Text: Vedrò con mio diletto L'alma dell'alma mia Il core del mio cor pien di contento. E se dal caro oggetto lungi convien che sia Sospirero penando ogni momento... Text translation:  I will see with joy, the soul of my soul heart of my heart full of content. And if from my dear object I be far away I will sigh, suffering every moment...  This blog is intended to be educational and to share knowledge about music. Daily Hit of Music does not claim to own anything contained in this post and
Read more

Reform: Infelix Ego

-
Image
Infelix ego  ("Alas, wretch that I am") is a Latin meditation on the opening section of the Expositio upon Psalm 51, Miserere mei Deus , written by the Italian Christian preacher, reformer and martyr, Girolamo Savonarola. He was renowned for his conflict with tyrannical rulers and a corrupt clergy. After the overthrow of the Medici in 1494, Savonarola was the sole leader of Florence, successfully setting up a democratic republic.  Girolamo Savonarola (1452 - 1498) Image source Savonarola's triumph was too great and too sudden not to give rise to jealousy and suspicion. He wrote this text once he eventually found himself in prison, after being tortured on the rack. The victim's ankles were fastened to one roller and the wrists to another. As the interrogation from the corrupt authorities progressed, a handle gradually increased the tension on the chains, inducing excruciating pain. This rack would strain the ropes until the sufferer's joints were dislocated and eve
Read more