Erika Wedekind
Erika Wedekind , actually Frida Marianne Erica Wedekind , also Erika Oschwald , (born November 13, 1868 in Hanover , † October 10, 1944 in Zurich ) was a German opera singer ( soprano ). She came from the Wedekind zur Horst family . Her brothers were the writers Frank Wedekind and Donald Wedekind . She was married to the Kgl since 1898. Saxon. Privy Councilor Walter Oschwald.
Live and act
Erika Wedekind grew up in Lenzburg Castle in the Swiss canton of Aargau , which her father, a general practitioner, had bought . Although she was already celebrated by the local press as a young girl in Lenzburg and Aarau for her successful stage appearances, her father denied her vocal training and forced her to train as a teacher. Only after his death did she complete her vocal studies from 1891 to 1894 at the Dresden Conservatory, initially with Gustav Scharfe (until his death in 1892) and with the famous soprano and music teacher Aglaja Orgeni .
Erika Wedekind debuted in 1894 (as Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai ) and received her first engagement at the same year Dresden Court Opera (now the Semper Opera House), where they celebrated a to 1909 coloratura soprano was. Due to her great success, which also led her to international stages, she received the official title of "Royal Saxon Chamber Singer ".
Erika Wedekind took part in the world premiere of the opera Die Schönen von Fogaras by Alfred Grünfeld , as well as in the Dresden premiere of the opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck . After she had left the Dresden Court Opera in 1909, she mainly performed as a concert singer. Her brothers, the writers Donald and Frank Wedekind, who at that time had not yet had any professional success, occasionally received financial support from their sister.
Erika Wedekind was one of the first coloratura sopranos in Germany and was an outstanding representative of her subject. She performed more than a thousand appearances in Germany, Prague, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Budapest, Stockholm, Paris and London before becoming an internationally sought-after singing teacher between 1914 and 1930. From 1930 she lived in seclusion in Switzerland, where she died in Zurich in 1944.
She carried the Order for Art and Science of Mecklenburg-Strelitz .
literature
- Ludwig Eisenberg : Erika Wedekind . In: Large biographical lexicon of the German stage in the XIX. Century. Paul List, Leipzig 1903, p. 1097 ( daten.digitale-sammlungen.de ).
- Anatol Regnier : Frank Wedekind: A tragedy for men. Knaus, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8135-0255-8 .
- Karl-Josef Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Large singer lexicon . 4th edition. KG Saur, 2003, ISBN 3-598-11598-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Brief résumé of Erika Wedekind
- ↑ Report on the graduation ceremony at the Dresden Conservatory, spring 1892: Erika Wedekind received an oral commendation and Gustav Scharfe was given as the teacher "(Class Scharfe)". Neue Zeitschrift für Musik , 1892, Volume 59, Volume 88, ( p. 221 - Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wedekind, Erika |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wedekind, Frida Marianne Erica (real name); Oschwald, Erika |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German opera singer (soprano) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 13, 1868 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hanover |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 10, 1944 |
| Place of death | Zurich |