Forgotten Opera Singers

Forgotten Opera Singers

Aug 8, 2024

GERMAN TENOR JULIUS LIEBAN (1857-1940) CDR

 


JULIUS LIEBAN (BŘECLAV, CZECH REPUBLIC, 19 FEBRUARY, 1857 – BERLIN, GERMANY, 1 FEBRUARY, 1940)

 

 

 

He was the son of a Jewish cantor who worked, among other places, at the synagogue in Brno. Three of his brothers—Adalbert, Adolf, and Siegmund Lieban—also became singers. At the age of 14, he ran away from home, initially playing violin in a Gypsy band, and later in the orchestra of the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Eventually, he studied singing with Joseph Gänsbacher in Vienna.

In 1878, he made his stage debut at the Opera House in Leipzig, where he remained until 1881. In 1879, he took part in the premiere of Viktor Nessler's opera Der Rattenfänger von Hameln. He initially sang baritone roles in Leipzig, such as Rigoletto and Count di Luna in Verdi's Il Trovatore. He also appeared as Leporello at the Berlin Court Opera in 1910 but became internationally renowned as a tenor buffo.

From 1882 to 1883, he participated in a grand European tour with Angelo Neumann's traveling Wagner theater, earning great acclaim for his portrayal of Mime in Der Ring des Nibelungen. During a concert in Bologna with Angelo Neumann’s Wagner Ensemble, he was honored by Queen Margherita of Italy. Richard Wagner himself regarded him as the best Mime he had ever heard, though curiously, he was never invited to the Bayreuth Festival.

In 1882, he was engaged by the Berlin Court Opera, where he remained a celebrated tenor buffo until 1912. At the Berlin Court Opera, he participated in the 1892 premieres of Moritz Moszkowski's Boabdil, Franz von Weingartner's Genesius, and Wilhelm Kienzl’s Don Quixote. In 1899, he performed in the posthumous premiere of Albert Lortzing's Regina, and in 1902 in Kienzl's Heilmar, der Narr. On December 15, 1904, he sang in the (unsuccessful) world premiere of Ruggiero Leoncavallo's Roland von Berlin. In 1907, he took part in the Berlin premiere of Puccini's Madame Butterfly.

At the Salzburg Mozart Festival in 1910, he performed the role of Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte. From 1912 to 1915, he was engaged at the Städtische Oper in Berlin, where in 1914, he appeared in the premiere of Ignatz Waghalter's Mandragola. In 1915, he became a soloist at the Berlin Court Opera, later known as the Staatsoper. After his retirement, he taught singing in Berlin, with students including Ejnar Forchhammer, Peter Cornelius, Albert Reiss, and Mafalda Salvatini.

He was married to soprano Helene Lieban-Globig (1866-1916), who was a soloist at the Berlin Court Opera. On his 75th birthday, he returned to the Berlin Staatsoper to perform his legendary Mime once more. Despite being Jewish, he managed to survive the Nazi era.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Siegfried (Wagner) Er sinnt und erwägt (w. Kraus) 044288 850m Gramophone, Berlin 1915-0506

2. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Sieh' schon die Morgenröte 116 Lyrophon, Berlin 1905

3. Boccaccio (Suppé) Wie Gott will, ich halt still 942760 18623L Gramophone, Berlin 1916-07

4. Carmen (Bizet) Halt, zwischen den Felsen vergilt (w. Destinn, Nast, Dietrich, Parbs, Jörn, Bachmann, Krasa & chorus) 044103 0839v Gramophone, Berlin 1908-10-17

5. Carmen (Bizet) Hola, Carmen, hola (w. Destinn, Dietrich, Parbs, Jörn, Krasa, Dahn & chorus) 044100 0844v

6. Carmen (Bizet) Kommt herein (w. Metzger, Dietrich, Parbs & Krasa) 044098 900i Gramophone, Berlin 1908-11-17

7. Chanson de Fortunio (Offenbach) Was ich so tief und heimlich trage 8558 Beka, Berlin 1906-09

8. Der Schweinehirt (Schwedisches Volkslied) 2-42533 1509x G&T, Berlin 1903

9. Fledermaus (Strauss) Dialog, act 1 (w. Herzog) 41971, 3037r G&T, Berlin 1907-0507

10. Fledermaus (Strauss) Glücklich ist, wer vergisst (w. Herzog) 2-44213 3012r G&T, Berlin 1907-0507

11. Fledermaus (Strauss) Ich stehe voll Zagen (w. Herzog & Philipp) 2-44220, 3015r G&T, Berlin 1907-0507

12. Fledermaus (Strauss) Mein schönes grosses Vogelhaus (w. Herzog & Arnold) 2-44215 3014r G&T, Berlin 1907-0507

13. Hans Sachs (Lortzing) Die Schusterzunft bleibt immer noch 3-42792 2962r G&T, Berlin 1907-0507

14. Mikado (Sullivan) Bachstelzenlied 3-42820, 2959r G&T, Berlin 1907-0507

15. Orphée aux Enfers (Offenbach) Als ich einst Prinz war von Arkadien 3-42819 2958r G&T, Berlin 1907-0507

16. Schäfers Sonntagslied (Kreutzer) (w. Adalbert, Siegmund & Adolf Lieban, as Lieban Quartett) 679 Lyrophon, Berlin 1905

17. Siegfried (Wagner) Sieh', du bist müde (w. Kraus) 044289, 851m Gramophone, Berlin 1915-0506

18. Undine (Lortzing) Im Wein liegt Wahrheit (w. Adolf Lieban) 3-44101 1584ak Gramophone, Berlin 1912-10-08

19. Undine (Lortzing) Was mag das für ein Ding wohl sein 3-42793, 2961r G&T, Berlin 1907-0507

20. Zar und Zimmermann (Lortzing) Sonst spielt' ich mit Zepter 253 a Lyrophon


GERMAN TENOR JULIUS LIEBAN (1857-1940) CDR

No comments:

Post a Comment