Elena Gerhardt
Elena Gerhardt (born November 11, 1883 in Connewitz ; † January 11, 1961 in London ) was a German opera singer ( mezzo-soprano ) who lived in London since 1934. She was one of the most important song interpreters of the first half of the 20th century.
Life
Elena Gerhardt was the daughter of an innkeeper. From 1899 to 1903 she studied singing at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Leipzig . Her teachers were among others Carl Rebling and Marie Hedmondt, to whom she remained connected later. She received the Carl Reinecke grant .
While she was still a student, Arthur Nikisch , who was director of the conservatory from 1902, allowed her to perform publicly in Leipzig and gave her a solo in Liszt's choirs on Herder's unleashed Prometheus . She made her debut at the Leipzig Opera in 1905 as Mignon and as Charlotte in Massenet's Werther , also under Nikisch. She was friends with Nikisch's family, with whom she also went on vacation. This acquaintance gave her access to the highest musical circles.
Her great love was song singing; she sang songs by Schubert , Schumann , Brahms , Hugo Wolf and others. Concert tours took her before and after the First World War throughout Europe and repeatedly to the USA and Canada. The piano accompanists were Hamilton Harty , Paula Hegner and Wilhelm Backhaus . She has performed with many renowned orchestras. Important conductors were Leopold Stokowski , Max Fiedler , Karl Muck and John Barbirolli .
In 1928 Elena Gerhardt met Fritz Kohl, the administrative director of Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk AG (MIRAG), the forerunner of Mitteldeutschen Rundfunk, in Leipzig, and they married in November 1932. After her husband was arrested by the Nazis , she went into exile in October 1934 London. Kohl followed her a few months later after his release. London became her second home; she never returned to Germany after 1934.
Elena Gerhardt now also started teaching. Landon Ronald had given her a job at the Guildhall School of Music . She continued to give concerts, now accompanied by Gerald Moore and Myra Hess . She also brought the latter to her famous midday concerts in the National Gallery during the Second World War .
Her husband died in 1947, and from then on she concentrated only on teaching. In 1953 she published her memoirs under the title Recital , which have now also appeared in German translation.
Web links
- Avis for the series Musikstadt Leipzig (accessed on March 15, 2011)
literature
- Elena Gerhardt: My song life. Memoirs , translated, commented on and edited by Jutta Raab Hansen, Kamprad 2011, ISBN 978-3-930550-86-9
- Ann-Christine Mecke: Radically individual - the song singer from Connewitz . Gewandhausmagazin No. 86, spring 2015, pp. 42–44
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gerhardt, Elena |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German opera singer (mezzo-soprano) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 11, 1883 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Connewitz |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 11, 1961 |
| Place of death | London |