Alexander Kipnis

Alexander Kipnis (* 1 February ^{. Jul} / 13. February 1891 ^greg. In Zhytomyr , volhynian governorate , Russian Empire ; † 14. May 1978 in Westport , Connecticut , United States ) was a Ukrainian-American opera singer ( bass ).

Life

Kipnis studied in Warsaw and Berlin . 1915–1918 he sang in Wiesbaden , where he made his debut as a hermit in the Freischütz , 1919–1930 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin , 1932–1935 at the Berlin State Opera , 1940–1952 at the Metropolitan Opera . Since 1924 he has already given guest performances at the world's largest operas and major festivals, both in serious ( Sarastro , Boris Godunow , Golaud ) and in buffalo parts ( Leporello ). From 1927 (including König Marke in Tristan and Isolde with Gunnar Graarud as Tristan under the direction of Karl Elmendorff ) until 1933 he also sang regularly in Bayreuth ; After the " seizure of power " Kipnis belonged to the Vienna State Opera , after the "Anschluss" of Austria he had to emigrate and then made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1940, where he worked until 1946. After retiring as a singer (1947), he taught singing in New York . Kipnis is also regarded as an excellent song interpreter, especially of works from the late Romantic period ( Johannes Brahms , Hugo Wolf ).

evaluation

Alexander Kipnis was without a doubt a superstar among the basses of his time. His powerful yet finely nuanced voice and his talent for foreign languages allowed him to cultivate a huge repertoire. "Kipnis had one of the most beautiful and expressive bass voices that can be heard on records. Its range ranged from the low D to the (baritone) F sharp."

Audio samples

Alexander Kipnis-Sarastro, Julia Osváth-Queen of the Night, Jarmila Novotná - Pamina, Helge Rosvaenge - Tamino, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender - Papageno, Dora Komarek - Papagena, Alfred Jerger - speaker, William Wernigk - Monostatos (live July 30, 1937 Salzburg Festival)

Alexander Kipnis sings Schubert's Der Lindenbaum on YouTube

literature

Alfred Frankenstein [biography] and James FE Dennis [discography]: Alexander Kipnis. In: The Record collector Volume 22, Issue 3 and 4 (1974). Ipswich (UK)
Jürgen Kesting : The great singers, Volume 1, The great singers . 3 volumes. Claasen, Düsseldorf 1986, p. 671ff
Horst Seeger : Opernlexikon , 4th, through. Edition Henschelverlag Art and Society, Berlin 1989.

Web links

Alexander Kipnis in the Lexicon of Persecuted Musicians of the Nazi Era (LexM)
Alexander Kipnis at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
Entry on allmusic (English)
Works by and about Alexander Kipnis in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Jürgen Kesting, The Great Singers, Volume 1, p. 672f.

personal data
SURNAME	Kipnis, Alexander
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Ukrainian-American opera singer (bass)
DATE OF BIRTH	February 13, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH	Zhytomyr , Volyn Governorate , Russian Empire
DATE OF DEATH	May 14, 1978
Place of death	Westport , Connecticut , United States

[kest672-1] Jürgen Kesting, The Great Singers, Volume 1, p. 672f.