Herbert Alsen

Herbert Alsen (born October 12, 1906 in Hildesheim , † October 25, 1978 in Vienna ) was a German - Austrian opera singer ( bass ).

Life

The architect's son, who played in the episcopal orchestra during his high school years, actually wanted to become a violinist after graduating from high school. But during his music studies at the Music Academy in Berlin , he noticed his singing voice, which he then trained. At the same time he studied theater studies at the Friedrich Wilhelms University .

He got his first engagement as a singer in 1932 in Hagen , where he made his debut as Rocco in Fidelio . Engagements at the stages in Dessau and Wiesbaden soon followed . In 1935 he accepted an offer from the Vienna State Opera . There he sang all the major roles in his field. Herbert Alsen was a permanent member of the Vienna Opera House until 1949. The artist also appeared at the Salzburg Festival. There he sang, for example, Pogner in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg from 1936 to 1938 , Kasper im Freischütz in 1939, and the bass solo in the 9th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1939 and 1941 . He was listed as an important artist on the list of gods given to God in the Third Reich.

His favorite roles were Gurnemanz in Parsifal , Sarastro in the Magic Flute and Osmin in Abduction from the Seraglio . Herbert Alsen, who was appointed Austrian chamber singer in 1947 , sang on the world's major opera stages, in New York , London , Milan , Munich , Salzburg , Berlin, etc.

In retirement, Alsen and his wife retired to a country house on Lake Neusiedl , where they created the Mörbisch Seespiele in 1957 . In March 1959 he was appointed head of Burgenland directorship ordered and took over the management of the existing since 1954 Burgspiele Forchtenstein in its vicinity in 1962 with the Grillparzer forum an international center of Grillparzer research arose from its mid-1963 the suggestion to Foundation Grillparzer Ring came. Before the start of the 1965 season, the two games (including the Grillparzer Forum ) were organizationally combined in the Burgenland Festival for the event and administration - and led by Alsen as their director until his death.

Herbert Alsen, honorary citizen of Mörbisch am See , holder of the Grillparzer-Ring, was buried for the last rest on November 2, 1978 in the Protestant cemetery of Mörbisch. On July 26, 1980 in Mörbisch am See the square behind the Protestant church , combined with the unveiling of a memorial stone, officially became Prof.-Herbert-Alsen-Platz .

The singer was married to the costume designer Gisela Bossert since 1942. From 1957 to 1991 she was responsible for designing the costumes in Mörbisch. She died on March 17, 2012, at the age of 90. The daughter Marina Alsen (* 1942) emerged from the marriage. Since 1958 he was a member of the Friendship Lodge.

An extensive discography documents the great musical spectrum of this artist. A complete recording of the Meistersinger von Nürnberg from the Salzburg Festival in 1937 with Herbert Alsen as Pogner appeared in the Toscanini edition .

Discography

• The Magic Flute (1937), 1988, OBV .
• The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (1944), 1994, OBV .
  

  Gravesite of Herbert and Gisela Alsen
• Polifemo (1944), 1995, OBV .
• The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (1937), 1997, OBV .
• Daphne (1944), 1999.
• Macbeth (1943), 2000, OBV .
• Fidelio (1944), 2001.
• The Abduction from the Seraglio (1945), 2000.
• Documents from a singing career, 2003.
• Salome (1954), 2005, OBV .

Remarks

1. ↑ The Forchtenstein Castle Games were initiated by the communities of Forchtenau and Neustift an der Rosalia (now part of Forchtenstein ) . - See: Heinrich Kunnert: Burgenland's cultural activities. (...) Forchtenstein and Mörbisch. Format and success . In: Burgenland freedom . XXXV. Volume, No. 51/1965, p. 8.
2. ^ A cycle of performances of works by Grillparzer came to an end after ten years of existence in 1969 with A Brotherly Quarrel in the House of Habsburg . - See: Grillparzer cycle in Forchtenstein . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna May 29, 1969, p. 8 , column 1 middle ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized). (Director: Leopold Lindtberg. - See: Fritz Walden: “A brotherly conflict in Habsburg” on Forchtenstein: The word shines in the darkness . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna, June 4, 1969, p. 8 , top left ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized). )
3. ↑ The Grillparzer forum was next to the aligned exclusively to the stage works Grillparzers Burg Forchtenstein games to 1983 annually Forchtenstein held, then it migrated to Vienna. In 1983, the Forchtenstein Castle Games recorded only (more) 30 percent occupancy due to a Grillparzer fatigue determined by the Regional Councilor for Culture, Gerald Mader (* 1926) , which had to be compensated for with state funds of over 1,000 schillings (72.7 euros) for each ticket sold . According to the new concept that became necessary for the Burgenland Festival in 1983 , the Forchtenstein Castle Games , after a break in 1984, were to take place annually from the summer of 1985 (with no focus on Grillparzer ) under the economic and artistic direction of Paul Blaha (1925-2002) accompanied by a symposium related to the content of the stage program . However, in March 1985 the later governor Johann Sipötz announced the decision against the continuation of the Forchtenstein Castle Games . - Please refer:
   • Thoughts on a new concept for the Burgenland Festival . In: Burgenland freedom . LIII. Volume, No. 37/1983, p. 41.
   • Festival and cultural centers . In: Burgenland freedom . LIII. Volume, No. 39/1983, p. 4.
   • The castle games under the sign of peace . In: Burgenland freedom . LIV. Volume, No. 11/1984, p. 3.
   • Hans Sipötz: BF comment . In: Burgenland freedom . LV. Volume, No. 10/1985, p. 2.
4. ↑ The directorship of the plays by Mörbisch and Forchtenstein went to the Burgtheater ensemble member Fred Liewehr (1909-1993) on March 1, 1979 . At the same time, as part of a reorganization , the Burgenland Festival was expanded to include the venues Kobersdorf and Eisenstadt , and Hellmut Andics (1922–1998) was appointed director of the Kobersdorf Castle Games and the Joseph Haydn Days . Realizing that the double directorship had not proven to be appropriate , both directors ended their engagements after two seasons on December 31, 1980. - See:
   • Burgenland Festival: four venues - two directors . In: Burgenland freedom . IL. Volume, No. 10/1979, p. 45.
   • The Burgenland Festival is on a new basis . In: Burgenland freedom . L. year, No. 47/1980, p. 48.
5. ↑ In the online operations of the digital cadastral map, however, there is no traffic area referring to Herbert Alsen. - Queryed on October 2, 2012.

literature

including audio and video

• Elvira Ruzicka-Picher (recording) et al. : The dream of a life by Franz Grillparzer, directed by Leopold Lindtberg . Rehearsal excerpts from a production of the Forchtenstein Castle Games in 1972. With statements from Herbert Alsen (Director of the Burgenland Festival), Leopold Lindtberg (director), Karl Eugen Spurny (stage designer). Theatrical Documentaries (NBM / Film), Volume 2. 1 film (16 mm, 47 min.): Color, magnetic sound, original sound. Federal Headquarters for Scientific Cinematography (BHWK) , Vienna 1983, OBV .
• Karl-Josef Kutsch , Leo Riemens : Large singer lexicon . Volume 1: A - L . Francke, Bern / Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-317-01638-8 , column 42.
• Eva Deissen (Red.): Mörbisch - a festival makes operetta history. Accompanying materials: CD. Echomedia-Verlag, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-901761-62-1 .
• Günter K. Kodek: The chain of hearts remains closed. Members of the Austrian Masonic lodges 1945 to 1985. Löcker, Vienna 2014, ISBN 978-3-85409-706-8 , p. 9 .
• News of the day. (...) Chamber singer Alsen drove to a tree . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna June 6, 1959, p. 4 , column 3, above ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
• Herbert Alsen died . In: Burgenland freedom . XLVIII. Volume, No. 44/1978, p. 43.

Web links

• Herbert Alsen - founder of the Mörbisch Seefestspiele ( Memento from February 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). In: seefestspiele-moerbisch.at , accessed on August 19, 2011.
• October 12, 2006: 100th birthday of Herbert Alsen, founder of the Mörbisch Seefestspiele ( memento of October 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). In: seefestspiele-moerbisch.at , accessed on August 19, 2011.
• 50 years of the Seefestspiele (...) Seefestspiel founder Herbert Alsen . In: oesterreich.orf.at , June 6, 2007, accessed on August 19, 2011.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ernst Klee : The culture lexicon for the Third Reich. Who was what before and after 1945 (= The time of National Socialism. Volume 17153). Completely revised edition. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-596-17153-8
2. ↑ From the cultural life in Burgenland . In: Burgenland freedom . XIX. Volume, No. 11/1959, p. 5.
3. ↑ Grillparzer Forum met at Forchtenstein Castle . In: Burgenland freedom . XXXII. Volume, No. 28/1962, p. 5.
4. ↑ Hans Heinz Hahnl : To death Kammersänger Herbert Alsens: Theater founder out of passion . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna October 28, 1978, p. 14 ( Arbeiter-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
5. ^ "Medea" in the moat of Forchtenstein . In: Burgenland freedom . XXXV. Volume, No. 51/1965, p. 9.
6. ↑ Burgenland Festival 1965 . In: Burgenland freedom . XXXV. Volume, No. 14/1965, p. 7
7. ↑ Chamber singer Herbert Alsen has died . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna October 26, 1978, p. 10 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
8. ↑ Waldi's snapshots . In: Burgenland freedom . XLVIII. Volume, No. 45/1978, p. 18.
9. ↑ Grillparzerforum met at Forchtenstein . In: Burgenland freedom . XXXVII. Volume, No. 27/1967, p. 15.
10. ↑ (caption :) A large mourning community (...) . In: Burgenland freedom . XLVIII. Volume, No. 45/1978, p. 10.
11. ^ Mörbisch: Professor Alsen was erected a memorial . In: Burgenland freedom . L. year, No. 31/1980, p. 17.
12. ↑ Gisela Alsen died . In: ORF -Burgenland, March 21, 2012, accessed on March 21, 2012.
13. ↑ Looking back in love: How it all began… . In: Deissen: Mörbisch , p. 08_09. - Text online (PDF; 249 kB), accessed on September 30, 2012.
14. ↑ ^{a b} Documents from a singing career - Herbert Alsen ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: preiserrecords.at , accessed on August 19, 2011. 
15. ↑ Preiser Records, ISRC ATP139523700 ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
16. ↑ Preiser Records, ISRC ATP139419500 ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
17. ↑ Admission by Rudolf Moralt (1945) in the discography of Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Operadis.

predecessor	Office	successor
-	Director of the Mörbisch Seefestspiele from 2018	Fred Liewehr