Alfredo Corda
Alfredo Corda (born December 17, 1922 as Alfred Koller in Zurich ; † March 28, 1978 in Salzburg ) was a Swiss opera singer ( tenor ).
Life
He grew up in simple circumstances in the Waldegg at the foot of the Uetliberg . His father Heinrich Koller was a chestnut roaster and a seller of tropical fruits near the pier on Bürkliplatz in Zurich. Alfred Koller had a younger sister, Rosa Koller-Wüst, and an older brother, Robert Koller. After completing a commercial apprenticeship, Alfred Koller initially worked for ten years as a property manager at Schäppi and Co in Zurich. During this activity he studied piano playing and composition with Max Kuhn, as well as singing with Hans Bernhard and Max Sauter Falbriard. He also attended masterclasses with Paul Lohmann in Lucerne, and later with Helge Rosvaenge in Munich.
In 1955 he married Liselotte Ruetz, who originally came from Tyrol. The children Esther Koller-Büchi and Manuel Koller came from this marriage. This marriage ended in divorce in 1972. In 1977 he married Ingeborg Ringl from Salzburg.
Career
In 1959 his actual stage career began with the role of Pinkerton in Puccini's opera “ Madame Butterfly ” as part of the “Stagione d'Opera Italiana” in the Kongresshaus Zurich . This successful performance paved the way for his first major engagements at the Saarbrücken State Theater (1964–1967). Then he was engaged at the Staatstheater Kassel (1967–1969).
He sang at the Berlin Operetta Theater, the Raimund Theater in Vienna , at the operetta stages in Hamburg and Bad Ischl , the Theater an der Rott in Eggenfelden, the Theater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich , the Landestheater Salzburg and repeatedly took on roles in operas. He was heard in Basel as Belmonte in the comedy Die Entführung aus dem Serail , as Cassio in Verdi's Otello and as Hans in The Bartered Bride . First and foremost in his repertoire were tenor roles in operettas by Johann Strauss , Carl Millöcker , Franz von Suppè , Jacques Offenbach , Emmerich Kálmán , Franz Lehár , Paul Abraham , Leon Jessel and Nico Dostal . He has made guest appearances in Bern, Lucerne and St. Gallen, Wiesbaden, Luxembourg and at the Bregenz Festival . He gave numerous concerts in which he also considered the upscale entertainment song. He performed with concert programs in Vienna and Salzburg, in Berlin and Frankfurt a. M., in Strasbourg, Milan, Copenhagen and Oslo and again and again in Switzerland.
He also had success as a radio and TV singer in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Luxembourg. ( Three times nine with Wim Thoelke , Dalli Dalli with Hans Rosenthal , Zum Blauen Bock (1973), What am I? With Robert Lembke , Teleboy with Kurt Felix etc.). He published the book "Caruso in der Westentasche, Schmunzeleien einer Tenor" (Darmstadt, 1977) and records on Pick-Records "Lieder von Tosti" and "Alfredo Corda sings immortal melodies, arias and songs" and on Telefunken "The Radiant Voice" with a similar program.
Works (selection)
- Books
- Caruso in the vest pocket. Chuckles e. Tenors; Short stories and anecdotes . Bläschke, Darmstadt 1977, ISBN 3-87561-764-9 .
- Music
- Eloquence. Operetta highlights by Johann Strauss , Lehár , Kálmán . Philips 1998 (audio CD).
- The radiant voice . Telefunken, 1965
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Corda, Alfredo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Koller, Alfred (birth name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss opera singer (tenor) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 17, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zurich |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 28, 1978 |
| Place of death | Salzburg |