GERTRUDE FÖRSTEL (LEIPZIG,
4 DECEMBER, 1876 (ALTERNATIVELY 21 DECEMBER, 1880) – BAD GODESBERG, 7 JUNE,
1950)
Förstel, the daughter of Gewandhaus Orchestra violinist Eduard
Förstel, was originally intended to become a pianist. She studied at the
Leipzig Conservatory from 1891 to 1897, where her teachers included Oscar Paul
and Adolf Ruthardt. In 1897, she made her public debut as a pianist in Werdau.
Angelo Neumann, however, recognized her vocal talent and arranged for
her training—at his own expense—in Berlin with Bertha Niklas-Kempner and in
Dresden with Aglaja Orgeni. She made her operatic debut on September 1, 1900,
at the Prague State Theatre as “Amina” in Bellini’s La Sonnambula (The
Nightwalker).
On April 11, 1905, she appeared as a guest at the Vienna Court Opera,
singing Sulamith in Goldmark’s Die Königin von Saba (The Queen of
Sheba). From September 1, 1906, to January 31, 1912, she was a member of
the Vienna Court Opera ensemble, making her house debut on September 4, 1906, as
Mignon. Between 1904 and 1912, she was also a frequent performer at the
Bayreuth Festival.
From 1912 until the end of her stage career, she devoted herself
exclusively to concert singing, later teaching voice at the Cologne University
of Music. She was particularly admired for her interpretation of the soprano
solo in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony.
Gertrude Förstel made recordings for G&T (Prague, 1903 and 1906;
Bayreuth, 1904), Pathé (Vienna, 1909), and Grammophon (Berlin, 1925).
TRACKLIST
Carmen (Bizet) Ich sprach, dass ich furchtlos mich fühle 43519, 1952x
G&T, Praha 1903/1904
Die Nachtigall (Alabieff) 43501 1902x G&T, Praha 1903/1904
Faust (Gounod) Ha! welch Glück 43504, 1903x G&T, Praha 1903/1904
Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Frau Sonne sendet lichte Strahlen (w. Paalen
& Pohlner) 51186, 51187, Pathé, Wien 1909
Lohengrin (Wagner) Du Ärmste (w. Langendorff) 2-44118 3679L G&T,
Praha 1906-03
Mignon (Thomas) Kam ein armes Kind von fern (Styrienne) 43551 1926x
G&T, Praha 1903/1904
Norma (Bellini) Sieh'. O Norma (w. Siems) 2-44095 3677L G&T, Praha
1906-03
Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) Sollt' einst die Gräfin zur (w. Zador)
2-44106 3660L G&T, Praha 1906-03
Rigoletto (Verdi) Liebe ist Seligkeit (w. Aranyi) 44267 1898x G&T,
Praha 1903/1904
Tannhäuser (Wagner) Frau Holda kam aus dem Berg hervor (Lied des
Hirtenknaben) 43576 BAY1121e G&T, Bayreuth 1904-07/08
Wiegenlied (R Strauss) 66151 (B24275) 804az Grammophon, Berlin
1925 (Spring)
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