Elly Ameling

Elly Ameling (1983)

Elisabeth Sara Ameling (born February 8, 1933 in Rotterdam ) is a Dutch opera singer ( soprano ) who became world famous with her natural voice and special interpretation of the art song. She was awarded the Order of Orange-Nassau by the Dutch Queen in 1971 as a knight and the Order of the Dutch Lion in 2008 .

Life

Raised in a music-loving family in Rotterdam - her father was a watchmaker - she took singing lessons with Jo Bollekamp, Sem Dresden and his wife Jacoba Dresden-Dhont, Bodi Rapp and Pierre Bernac in Paris . As a young singer in the Netherlands, she had many appearances in oratorios and Bach passions. In 1956 she won first prize at the international singing competition in 's-Hertogenbosch and in 1958 first prize at the Concours International de Musique in Geneva , both times with special distinction. Her large repertoire includes music from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

Artistic work

Elly Ameling developed into one of the most important song and oratorio singers of the second half of the 20th century, based on constant worldwide concert activity, very strongly in the USA , where she made the art song popular and because of her numerous recordings ( Philips , Decca , EMI , Deutsche Harmonia Mundi / Sony BMG and others).

Her active singing career lasted from about 1953 until her farewell concert on January 29, 1996 in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam . Today her master classes are in demand, where she teaches singers and pianists . Her credo is that musicians should serve music and not the other way around. Many of their recordings have set high standards and are being re-released. The first publication of live radio recordings from 1957 to 1991 (5 CDs ), including the Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss under Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam from 1983 and the Mirroir de Peine by Hendrik Andriessen with Albert de Klerk on the organ, Mussorgski's nursery , Alban Bergs Wein , Dallapiccola Sex Carmina Alcaei , songs by Mahler , Richard Strauss, Ravel , Fauré , Debussy and arias by Mozart .

Elly Ameling is a specialist in German ( Schubert , Schumann , Brahms , Wolf ) and French songs. She was a particularly sought-after interpreter of the great oratorios, cantatas and masses by Bach , Beethoven , Cimarosa , Handel , Haydn , Mendelssohn , Monteverdi , Mozart, Telemann , Vivaldi and of great orchestral works by Berlioz , Grieg , Britten , Menotti and Frank Martin , in whose Mystère de la Nativité she sang Maria in the first performance. It was also dedicated to the Dutch composers Hendrik Andriessen , Bertus van Lier , Robert Heppener and Constantijn Huygens .

The role of Ilia in Mozart's Idomeneo was her operatic debut. In 1974 in Amsterdam and at the Mozart Festival in Washington, DC , she seldom sang operas, then mostly in concerts, e.g. B. by Mozart, Haydn ( Orlando paladino ) and the lesser known operas by Schubert. She sang the soprano part from Mahler's 4th Symphony under Rafael Kubelík in Salzburg and made her debut in 1968 at New York's Lincoln Center . With Gérard Souzay and Dalton Baldwin at the piano, she made the first complete recording of the songs by Fauré . She made further complete recordings with songs by Poulenc , Debussy, Haydn and Mozart. Her excursions into light popular music were sovereign: together with the jazz pianist Louis van Dijk , she interpreted George Gershwin , Cole Porter and Duke Ellington .

She has worked with the most famous international orchestras and conductors, such as Ernest Ansermet , Benjamin Britten , Edo de Waart , Carlo Maria Giulini , Bernard Haitink , Eugen Jochum , Josef Krips , Rafael Kubelík , Seiji Ozawa , Neville Marriner , Kurt Masur , Karl Münchinger , André Previn , Kurt Sanderling and Wolfgang Sawallisch .

Her most important partners at the piano were Felix de Nobel, Herman Uhlhorn, Jörg Demus , Irwin Gage , Graham Johnson and, for many years, Dalton Baldwin and Rudolf Jansen. She has made guest appearances at renowned music festivals around the world.

Elly Ameling has also worked as a singing teacher for many decades. a. annually at the Franz Schubert Institute Baden near Vienna .

Awards

Elly Ameling was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in 1971 and was awarded the Order of the Dutch Lion on Queen Beatrix's 75th birthday . Her recordings have received several awards, including four times with the " Edison " and a fifth time for the complete works, three times with the " Grand Prix du Disque " and with the " Prize of the German Record Critics ." For their services to music Elly Ameling four honorary doctorates in the USA and Canada (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 1981; Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 1985; Cleveland Institute of Music, USA, 1987; Shenandoa University, Washington DC, USA , 1988). Hugo Wolf Medal , International Hugo Wolf Academy , Stuttgart, 2015. In the Netherlands, the Elly Ameling Prize and the Elly Ameling Ring are awarded to singers.

Quotes

“Elly Ameling's voice has a very intense charisma. As you could already see from her records, she belongs to the crowd of those few female singers whose voices are so perfectly trained that their singing sounds completely natural. The voice is as pure as it is beautiful and is carried by a technique that makes everything completely effortless ... Diction and phrasing are flawless ... "

- Robert T. Jones, New York Times , April 13, 1969

“The Dutch soprano is unique today. On the lieder scene today you can't hear any better singing, no naturally more beautiful voice, and you have to go back a long way - perhaps to Elisabeth Schumann , as one expert put it - to find a proper comparison. "

- San Francisco Chronicle , July 31, 1969

“As a Bach, Mozart and Schubert interpreter, Elly Ameling is one of the outstanding singers thanks to an exemplary lean, controlled voice, sparkling clean intonation and precise phrasing ... Elly Ameling is not a singer for the headlines, not an opera star with whims, not a diva Scandals. The reputation and status that she has earned come solely from her musical achievements, from the purity and naturalness of her singing. She embodies the type of artist, which has become so rare today, in whom achievement and fame correspond to the point of congruence. "

- Blurb, EA sings Schubert-Lieder ( EMI ), between 1974 and 1978

Discography (selection)

• Elly Ameling 80 jaar, live concertopnames 1967–1990 , (5CD), 2013, radio recordings. Songs among others, by Brahms, Schubert, Schumann “Frauenliebe und -leben”, Berg, Obradors, Turina, Ravel, Chausson, Debussy, Poulenc, Kosma, Wolf, as well as Berlioz “Les Nuits d'été” with Nederlands Kamerochest, Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Van Omnium Heartselling
• Elly Ameling, The Dutch Nightingale (8CD), Icon Series, 2012, EMI Classics
• Elly Ameling 75 jaar, live concertopnames 1957–1991, Nederlandse Omroep (5CD), 2008, radio recordings 1957–1991, a. a. with Strauss' “Four Last Songs”, Van Omnium audiovisueel, GW 80003.
• The Artistry of Elly Ameling (5CD), Philips (Universal).
• Elly Ameling, After Hours ... , songs by Gershwin, Porter, Prévert and others. a .; EA, Louis van Dijk, Philips (Universal).
• Elly Ameling, Sentimental Me , songs by Porter, Ellington, Sondheim a. a .; EA, Louis van Dijk, Polygram Classics.
• Elly Ameling, Sweet Was The Song , international Christmas carols, EMI.
• Elly Ameling, The Early Recordings (4CD), DHM (Sony BMG).
• Bach, arias from cantatas for soprano, oboe and BC , EA, Han de Vries (oboe), Albert de Klerk (organ), Richte van der Meer (cello), EMI.
• Bach, farmer, coffee, wedding cantata , Non sà che sia dolore , EA, G.English, S.Nimsgern, Collegium Aureum, DHM (Sony BMG).
• Bach, cantatas, A solid castle, Jauchzet Gott, Wachet auf , English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard, Dt. Bach soloists, Helmut Winschermann, Philips (Universal).
• Bach, Cantata: My Heart Swims in Blood , German Bach Soloists, Helmut Winschermann, Philips
• Bach, St. John Passion , Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Karl Münchinger, Decca (Universal).
• Bach, St. Matthew Passion , Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Karl Münchinger, Decca (Universal).
• Bach, Magnificat / Easter Oratorio , Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Karl Münchinger, Decca (Universal).
• Bach, Christmas Oratorio , Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Karl Münchinger, Decca (Universal).
• Berlioz, Les Nuits d'été , Atlanta SO, Robert Shaw, Telarc.
• Brahms, Lieder , EA, Rudolf Jansen, Hyperion.
• Fauré, Lieder, Complete Songs (4CD), EA, Gérard Sozay, Dalton Baldwin, Brilliant (Joan Records).
• Fauré, Requiem , Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet, Philips (Universal).
• Grieg, Peer Gynt , San Francisco SO, Edo de Waart, Philips (Universal).
• Handel, cantatas, Silete venti, Crudel tiranno amor, E pur so in un giorno piangerò la sorte mia , English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard, Philips (Universal).
• Handel, Messiah , St Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, Decca.
• Haydn, The Creation , Vienna Philharmonic, Karl Münchinger, Decca.
• Haydn, Orlando Paladino , Orchester de Chambre de Lausanne, Antal Dorati, Philips (Universal).
• Haydn, Complete Songs , EA, Jörg Demus, Philips (Universal).
• Mahler, Symphony No. 2 & Symphony No. 4 , Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, Philips (Universal).
• Martin, Le mystère de la nativité , Orchester de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet, Cascavelle.
• Martin, Frank Martin interprète Frank Martin , EA a. a., Frank Martin, Jecklin Disco.
• Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Elias , Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Philips (Universal).
• Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Lieder , EA, Rudolf Jansen, Sony BMG.
• Mozart, Requiem , Vienna Philharmonic, Istvan Kertesz, Decca.
• Mozart, Schubert, opera and concert arias , Rotterdam PO, Edo de Waart, Pentatone.
• The complete Mozart Edition Vol. 24 (Lieder, Notturni) , Philips (Universal).
• Poulenc, Edition du centenaire 1899–1963 (melodies and songs) , EMI Classics.
• Ravel, Mélodies-Lieder, Shéhérazade , EA, Rudolf Jansen, Erato (Warner).
• Schubert, Lieder (4CD), EA, Dalton Baldwin, Rudolf Jansen, Philips (Universal).
• Schubert, Schumann, Lieder, Elly Ameling, Jörg Demus , DHM (Sony BMG).
• Schubert, Duette-Terzette-Quartette , EA, Janet Baker, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Peter Schreier, Gerald Moore, Deutsche Grammophon.
• Schumann, Frauenliebe- und Leben , EA, Dalton Baldwin, Pentatone.
• Vivaldi, Famous sacred choral works, Nulla in mundo pax , English Chamber Orchestra, Vittorio Negri, Philips (Universal).
• Vivaldi, Juditha Triumphans , Kammerorchester Berlin, Vittorio Negri, Philips (Universal).
• Wolf, Italian songbook, Goethe and Keller songs , EA, Tom Krause, Irwin Gage, Rudolf Jansen, GLOBE.
• Wolf, Spanish songbook , EA, Rudolf Jansen (piano), Hyperion.

DVD

• To the Heart of Art Song with Elly Ameling in Masterclass , Stichting Elly Ameling Fonds (NL), 2003

literature

• Janny de Jong: Elly Ameling, vocaal avontuur . 104 pages, Unieboek / De Gooise Uitgeverij, Bussum (NL) 1978, ISBN 90-269-8404-9 .