German Soprano Frieda Hempel ~ Auf dem Wasser zu singen (1935)

German soprano Frieda Hempel (1885-1955) / Auf dem Wasser zu singen (Schubert) / Piano: Bruno Seidler-Winkler / Recorded: 1935 --

FRIEDA HEMPEL (June 26, 1885, Leipzig - October 7, 1955, Berlin). She studied at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin with Selma Nicklass-Kempner and made her debut (1905) in Breslau; she then sang in Schwerin (1905-07). As early as 1905 she appeared in the Bayreuth Festival. In 1907 she was engaged by the Berlin Imperial Opera, where she had great success. After 1907 she made brilliant guest appearances at Convent Garden. In 1912 she went to the Metropolitan Opera where she remained until 1920. There she sang the Marschallin in the first New York performance of Der Rosenkavalier in 1913; in 1916 she was highly admired in Elisir de L'Amore opposite Enrico Caruso. Guest appearances in Berlin, London, Hamburg and Paris brought her the greatest success. In 1920-21 she sang at the Chicago Opera. Thereafter she dedicated herself entirely to concert work and became famous for her "Jenny Lind" concerts in which she sang in costume and with the repertory of the unforgettable Swedish singer; she made these appearances in all the important centers of American musical life, as well as in England, France, Belgium and Holland. Her memoirs were published under the title Mein Lebem dem Gesang (Berlin, 1955). Her coloratura soprano was admired for its virtuoso management, for the clarity of tonal production, and for the musical maturity of her conceptions. (A Concise Biographical Dictionary of Singers / K.J. Kutsch & Leo Riemens / translated by Harry Earl Jones / Chilton Book Company / 1969)

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• German
• Soprano
• Frieda
• Hempel
• Schubert
• 78RPM
• MayaTatyana
• CurzonRoad

[mutewoman]

Very very very lovely indeed - those recordings have something like a supplementary dimension to them, a kind of depth, which might be connected to "time". Maybe people in those days were more aware of and alive in the very moment in time they were living in, and not so eager to get onwards and ahead. And maybe it's just a question of recording technique...

[dutchbaritone08]

so beautiful

[francesca7564]

Jolie voix ...

Merci Doug

[meltzerboy]

One of Hempel's great later recordings. She began making records at a very young age, twenty-one, I believe. But it is in these electrical discs that the beautiful warmth and lyricism of her voice comes through most clearly, while the earliest discs display her incomparable virtuosity. Hempel and Galli-Curci were rivals, and records such as this show why. Thanks for sharing, Doug.

[racheleleeba]

Lovely. Thank you.

[AulicExclusiva]

Just so beautiful. A flawless lyric voice. This performance also shows her perfect attack (rare in a German), lovely enunciation and elegant musicianship.

[cantorandopera]

She was a terrific singer and her technique needs no apologies for the age of the recordings. There are many great examples of her on youtube, and this just adds to the big list of her vocal prowess. Rowna

[Bivolari]

As limpid and clear as a pristine brook.

[gmmix]

The diction manifested in all of Hempel's lieder recordings is sheer perfection. There's an electric Diamond Disc of a a lieder selection that is mesmerizing in its elegance.

[stuartliff]

Perfection! What more can be said? I doubt they sang better than this when the composer was still alive. Thank you Doug for another heart warming few minutes. Vivian