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
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