Hermann Jessen

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Peter Johann Hermann Jessen (born December 11, 1869 in Vienna-Mariahilf ; † January 7, 1942 in Graz ) was an Austrian opera singer ( baritone ).

Life

Jessen was the son of the teacher Asmus Jessen from Hürup in Holstein and his wife Louise, nee. Newe. He was trained at the Vienna Conservatory and made his debut in Opava in 1898 . He came to Graz in 1899, where his first role was "Tell". He was a baritone player who, according to Ludwig Eisenberg, had a splendid, pleasant and excellently trained organ. According to Eisenberg, his voice had a dark tonal color and made him appear particularly suitable for confident, serene roles, indeed he often performed perfectly in such roles. His style of presentation was noble, he spurned everything that was calculated for effect and, as Eisenberg wrote at the beginning of the 20th century, "never" failed to arouse the conviction in the audience that one was dealing with a promising singer with a promising future have. Of his achievements, Eisenberg highlighted the "Wotan", "Hans Sachs", "Nevers", the "Jäger" in "Nachtlager" and "Lothario" in "Mignon".

Jessen stayed at the Graz Theater until 1903, then moved to the Riga Opera House . In 1904 he returned to Graz.

At the end of May 1907, Jessen was still working in Graz, but was called to a performance in Vienna after the singer Weidemann fell ill. He also had a guest appearance at the Zurich City Theater in 1907.

In 1908 he was mentioned in the magazine Die Musik as the "Grazer Heldenbaritone" after he had performed in Klagenfurt at a composition evening by Eduard Bornschein . From 1907 to 1911 he also had guest appearances at the Vienna Court Opera, and from 1910 to 1911 another engagement in Graz.

At song recitals in Graz, he performed works by the young composers Joseph Marx and Ludwig Frischenschlager, among others . With Martha Winternitz-Dorda he sang the Adam and Eve duet at a performance of Joseph Haydn's Creation, according to Viktor Pessiak, "with adorable, lovable warmth". In 1912 he gave recitals with the pianist Ernst Décsey .

Hermann Jessen still lived in Graz in 1920 and performed occasionally.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Baptismal register of the evangelical parish AB Vienna-Innere Stadt 1870, No. 63.
  2. ↑ Death register of the Graz registry office No. 114/1942.
  3. ↑ a b c d Karl-Josef Kutsch, Leo Riemens: Jessen, Hermann, baritone . In: Large song dictionary . tape 3 : Franc – Kaidanoff . Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / Boston 2003, ISBN 3-598-11598-9 , pp. 2251 ( books.google.com ).
  4. ^ Henry-Louis de La Grange: Gustav Mahler . tape 3 : Vienna: Triumph and Disillusion (1904–1907) . Oxford University Press, Oxford / New York 1995, ISBN 0-19-315160-X , pp. 650 .
  5. ↑ The music . Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1908, p. 189.
  6. ^ Julius Schuch: Graz. In: New magazine for music. 78, 1911, p. 113 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
  7. ↑ Viktor Pessiak: Report of the Philharmonic Society in Laibach on their 207th year of association from October 1, 1908 to September 30, 1909. Laibach 1909, p. 25.
  8. ↑ The music . Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1912, p. 186.
personal data
SURNAME Jessen, Hermann
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jessen, Peter Johann Hermann (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian opera singer (baritone)
DATE OF BIRTH December 11, 1869
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna-Mariahilf
DATE OF DEATH January 7, 1942
Place of death Graz