Forgotten Opera Singers

Forgotten Opera Singers

Oct 21, 2016

John Brownlee (Baritone) (Geelong, Victoria 7 January 1900 – New York 10 January 1969)




His real name was Donald Mackenzie Brownlee. During the First World War he served as naval cadet, then studied at the Geelong College and became an auditor. In 1924 his voice was discovered by Nellie Melba, when during the second Australian tour in Melbourne he sang the part of Baßsolo in ‘’Messiah’’. Then he continued his education in Paris under the famous baritone Dinh Gilly. He made his second debut in 1926 at the Théâtre Trianon-Lyrique in Paris in ‘’Lakmé’’ of L. Delibes. The same year he appeared opposite Nellie Melba at the London Covent Garden. In the 1927-1936 seasons he worked at the Grand Opéra in Paris (debut: Athanaël in ‘’Thaïs’’ of J. Massenet). During this time he made guest appearances in London, Brussels (1939), Antwerp, Buenos Aires (1931) and in Rio de Janeiro. In 1929, as a member of Nellie Melba’s opera troupe, he sang again in Australia. At the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden he appeared between 1930 and 1949 as Mercutio in ’’Roméo et Juliette’’, Golo in ‘’Pelléas et Mélisande’’, Jago in ‘’Otello’’, Amonasro in ‘’Aida’’ and as Scarpia in ‘’Tosca’’. In 1935 he performed there in the English première of the opera ‘’Koanga’’ by Delius. In the 1949-1950 season he had at Covent Garden a huge success as Papageno in ‘’Zauberflöte’’. In 1930 he made guest appearances at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo as Athanaël, Rigoletto, Peter in ‘’Quo vadis?’’ bt Nouguès, Escamillo in ‘’Carmen’’, Valentin in ‘’Faust’’ and as Wolfram in ‘’Tannhäuser’’. From 1935 to 1939 seasons he appeared at the Glyndebourne festival as Don Giovanni, Alfonso in ‘’Così fan tutte’’, Speaker in ‘’Zauberflöte’’ and as Count in ‘’Figaros Hochzeit’’. In 1947 he again sang there in ‘’Figaros Hochzeit’’, in 1949 in ‘’Così fan tutte’’. In the 1948-1949 season he appeared at the Edinburgh festival. In the 1937-1957 seasons he was a member of the New York Metropolitan Opera. Here he made his debut as Rigoletto and sang in 1948 in the première of the opera ‘’Peter Grimes’’ of B. Britten.At the Metropolitan Opera his repertoire included Count in ‘’Figaros Hochzeit’’, Don Giovanni, Alfonso in ‘’Così fan tutte’’, Papageno, Kothner in ‘’ Meistersingern’’, Escamillo in ‘’Carmen’’, Marcello in ‘’La Bohème’’. In the 1937-1938 and 1945 seasons he was to be found at the Chicago Opera, in the 1940-1950 seasons almost annually at San Francisco Opera. In 1957 he retired from the stage and since 1960 he was a president of the Manhattan Institute of Music. From 1953 to 1967 he was a president of the American Guild of musical Artists. Later he became a respected vocal pedagogue (among other things teacher of Ezio Flagello and Johanna Meier).

Chronology of some appearances

Marcello 3/9/1937, Il marito 3/3/1938, 3/8/1938, Lescaut 12/13/1938, Il marito 1/11/1939, Valentin 1/2/1940, Il conte d’Almaviva 12/3/1940, Sharpless 3/4/1941, Pan 1/20/1942, Golaud 3/21/1944, Marcello 1/16/1945, Dottor Malatesta 1/22/1946, La père 1/6/1948, Captain Balstrode 2/17/1948, Il conte d’Almaviva 1/18/1949, Marcello 12/20/1949, Herr von Faninal 1/9/1951, Dr. Falke 4/3/1951, Don Alfonso 1/27/1953, Fritz Kothner 2/14/1956, Sharpless 2/14/1957 (in Filadelfia).

RECORDINGS FOR SALE









HMV, 6-3-29
Hamlet (Thomas): Comme une pâle fleur 2-032154 D1654
Hamlet (Thomas): Le vin dissipe la tristesse 2-032153 D1654
Invictus (Huhn) 6-2618 E 442

HMV, 1925-12-17
Traviata (Verdi): Dite alla giovine with Nellie Melba  DB987 Cc 9550

Columbia, 1935-12-09
Bohème (Puccini): Oh! Come e belle e morbide with Lisa Perli (Dora Labbette), Stella Andreva, Heddle Nash, Robert Alva and Robert Easton LX 526 CAX 7690


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Oct 19, 2016

Robert Leonhardt (Baritone) (Linz, Austria 1877 – New York City February 2, 1923)



He made his debut in 1898 at the Theater in Linz (Donau) and in the 1899-1900 season he was engaged by the Theater des Westens in Berlin. In the 1900-1903 seasons he appeared at the Theater in Teplitz-Schönau (Teplice). In the 1904-1905 season he again sang at the Theater des Westens. In the 1905-1909 seasons he was a member of the Deutschen Theater in Prague. Here among other things in 1905 he performed in the premieres of the operas "Flauto solo" by Eugen d'Albert and "Zierpuppen" of Anselm Goetzl. In the 1909-1911 seasons he stayed at the Opernhaus in Brünn (Brno), in the 1911-1913 seasons he joined to the Volksoper in Wien. In 1909 he appeared as a guest at the Hofoper in Wien. In 1910 he was active at the Gura-Sommer-Oper in Berlin, where he sang the parts of Beckmesser in "Meistersingern" and Alberich in Nibelungenring. At the Volksoper in Wien he sang in 1911 the part of Minstrel in the Viennese première of "Königskinder" by E. Humperdinck. On 23. 11. 1911 he appeared there in the premiere of the opera "Der Kuhreigen" by W. Kienzl. In 1913 he was engaged by the  Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he made his debut as father in ‘’Hansel und Gretel’’ by E. Humperdinck. Here on 25. 2. 1915 he performed in the premiere of the opera ‘’Madame Sans-Gêne’’ of U. Giordano.  In 1917 he participated in the premiere of the opera "The Canterbury Pilgrims" by R. de Koven. By the entry of the USA into the First World War he changed the manner of writing of his name into Robert Leonard, but in 1918 forced to retire from the stage, because of his Austrian nationality. In 1920, shortly before his death, he again joined to the same opera house. On 19. 11. 1921, as a partner of Maria Jeritza, he sang there the part of Fritz in the première of the opera "Toten Stadt" by Korngold. At the Metropolitan Opera he sang for the last time in the 1922-1923 season in G. Puccini’s ‘’Tosca’’.

Chronology of some appearances

1898 Linz Theater
1899-1900 Berlin Theater des Westens
1900-1903 Teplitz-Schönau Theater
1904-1905 Berlin Theater des Westens
1905-1909 Prague Deutschen Theater
1909 Wien Hofoper
1909-1911 Brünn Opernhaus
1910 Berlin Gura-Sommer-Oper
1911-1913 Wien Volksoper
1913-1923 New York Metropolitan Opera

RECORDINGS FOR SALE









Zonophone, Berlin 1904-08/09
Zauberflöte (Mozart): Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Papageno with Runge X-24064

G&T, Berlin 1905-01
Zauberflöte (Mozart): Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja 3-42167 2660L

Homokord, Berlin 1907-07-26
Don Giovanni (Mozart): Reich mir die Hand with Runge 1501
Trovatore (Verdi): Befreit, o welche Seligkeit! with Runge 1507

Homokord, Berlin 1907-07-29
Zauberflöte (Mozart): Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja 1214

Homokord, Berlin 1909-07-03
Don Giovanni (Mozart): Treibt der Champagner 11364

Homokord, Berlin 1909-07-05
Contes d'Hoffmann (Offenbach): Leuchte, heller Spiegel, mir 11367
Tannhäuser (Wagner): Blick' ich umher  11369

Homokord, Berlin 1909-07-23
Alessandro Stradella (Flotow): An dem linken Strand der Tiber with Lichtenstein 11388
Zar und Zimmermann (Lortzing): Darf ich wohl den Worten trauen with Lichtenstein 11389

Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-04
Bohème (Puccini): Will ich allein des Abends in Paris mich ergeh'n with Runge 944244 15572b
Mignon (Thomas): Ihr Schwalben in den Lüften with Runge 944245 15573b


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Oct 12, 2016

Pavel Andreev (Baritone) (1874, 25/2 (9/3), Osimin, St Petersburg - 1950, 15/9, Leningrad)




                                                                         Demon


                                                                         Demon

In 1903 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Here he studied under S. Gabel. The same year he made his debut as Demon at the St. Petersburg National House. In this same year he made his debut on the opera stage. Beginning in 1907 (for approximately 40 years) Andreev was a performer at the Mariinskii Theater (since 1920 known as the Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet). His roles included Ruslan (Glinka’s ‘’Ruslan and Liudmila’’), Prince Igor (Borodin’s ‘’Prince Igor’’), Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky’s ‘’Boris Godunov’’),the Demon (Rubinstein’s ‘’The Demon’’), Holofernes (Serov’s ‘’Judith’’), Petr (Serov’s ‘’Enemy Force’’), Mizgir’ (Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘’The  Snow Maiden’’), Tomskii (Tchaikovsky’s ‘’The Queen of Spades’’), Escamillo (Bizet’s ‘’Carmen’’), and Peter 1 (Lortzing’s ‘’The Tsar and the Carpenter’’). Andreev also appeared in concert recitals, performing operatic arias, art songs, and Russian folksongs. Andreev’s voice was resonant, with a beautiful timbre, and distinguished by a wide range. He performed baritone roles as well as bass parts. His most successful roles were those of the Russian repertoire, especially the epic ones. From 1919 he engaged in teaching, and, beginning in 1926, was a professor at the Leningrad Conservatory. He was awarded the Order of Lenin.

Chronology of some appearances

1903 St. Petersburg National House
1904-1905 St. Petersburg Lyric Opera
1906  St. Petersburg New Oper
1907 St. Petersburg National House
1907-1930's St. Petersburg Mariinskii Theater