Louis Treumann

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louis Treumann

Louis Treumann (born March 3, 1872 in Vienna as Alois Pollitzer , † March 5, 1943 in the Theresienstadt ghetto ) was an Austrian operetta singer ( tenor ) and actor .

Life

The singer and actor Louis Treumann, born in Vienna as the son of Jewish merchants under the name Alois Pollitzer, was one of the big stars around Franz Lehár . In 1905 he changed his name to Treumann.

After he had to do some work backstage at the beginning of his career, his first roles at smaller theaters in Germany and Austria quickly followed . The big breakthrough in 1902 was his engagement at the Carltheater in Franz Lehár's " Rastelbinder " at the side of Mizzi Günther .

A steep climb began. A milestone in his career was the world premiere of The Merry Widow (1905), where he sang the role of Danilo. Then Louis Treumann moved to the Johann Strauss Theater . Later there were also appearances in Germany. But Vienna remained the center of his work. Here he was seen mainly in pieces by Lehár.
At the end of the 20s, engagements for a number of films followed: Der Rastelbinder (1927), Escape to the Foreign Legion (1929), Spiel um den Mann (1929), Trust der Thieves (1929), Katharina Knie (1929) and The Warschauer Zitadelle ( 1930).

But the 30s were the turning point for Treumann. As a Jew, the opportunities to perform in Germany and Austria became increasingly difficult. His last performance was in 1935 with "Maja", after which he was no longer allowed to work.
In 1942 he was arrested and taken to a collection camp. The actor colleague Theo Lingen was able to get a release from prison at short notice. But the freedom was short-lived. Soon after, Louis Treumann was arrested again.

What followed were years of uncertainty. Again and again he was planned for transports to a concentration camp.
But it was always influential friends who held a protective hand over him. Franz Lehár also tried several times to use his influence to prevent a transport.

But on July 28, 1942, the 70-year-old Treumann was finally deported to Theresienstadt with his wife Stefanie. She died just two months later, and her death plunged Louis Treumann into a deep depression. On March 5, 1943, he also died in the Theresienstadt concentration camp .

In 1955 Treumanngasse in Vienna- Hietzing was named after him.

Trivia

  • Louis Treumann was well aware of his talent as a singer and performer as well as his enormous popularity. His starry airs often stood in his way. The scandal occurred when he asked for a song specially composed for him for the Lehár piece The Man with the Three Women . When he was refused, he was promptly reported sick. Whereupon the theater management of the Theater an der Wien accused him of breach of contract and even had him arrested. The result was tumultuous riots by his mostly female fans who wanted to prevent the arrest.
  • On the cover of the score of the merry widow, which Franz Lehár gave Hitler with a personal dedication, the portrait of the Jew Louis Treumann as Danilo was emblazoned. The merry widow was Hitler's favorite operetta.

Audio samples

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b IKG Vienna Birth Book E, Nro. 2983
personal data
SURNAME Treumann, Louis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pollitzer, Alois (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian operetta singer (tenor) and actor
DATE OF BIRTH March 3, 1872
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH March 5, 1943
Place of death Theresienstadt ghetto