HANS BUFF-GIESSEN (GIESSEN, GERMANY, 13 FEBRUARY, 1862 – DRESDEN, GERMANY, 13 SEPTEMBER, 1907)
He was born into a noble family, and his great-aunt was Charlotte Sophie Henriette Buff, famously known as Goethe’s inspiration for Charlotte in Werther. His father served as a counsel at the Supreme Court in Leipzig. Initially, he pursued law at the universities of Giessen and Leipzig before transitioning to music.
He studied voice in Dresden under the vocal pedagogue Gustav Scharfe. From 1888 to 1894, he performed at the Court Theatre of Weimar, where he sang in notable premieres, including P. Cornelius’s Gunlöd (1891) and R. Strauss’s Guntram (1894).
1894–1897: Appeared at the Court Theatre of Wiesbaden.
1897–1898: Sang at the Vienna Court Opera.
1899–1903: Became a member of the Dresden Court Opera and continued to perform there as a guest artist until his untimely death.
Repertoire
He achieved great success as a guest performer, with a stage repertoire that included:
Rossini: Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Arnoldo in Guglielmo Tell.
Bellini: Elvino in La sonnambula.
Donizetti: Tonio in La fille du régiment, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor.
Verdi: Manrico in Il trovatore, Radamès in Aida.
Mozart: Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.
Beethoven: Jaquino in Fidelio.
Wagner: Lohengrin, David in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
He was also a respected concert singer, known for his artistry and technical skill.
Tragic End
After a guest performance in Berlin, he tragically committed suicide by shooting himself in a train compartment on the Berlin-Dresden express.
Recordings
Between 1905 and 1907, he made six recordings for G&T in Berlin, leaving behind a small but valuable legacy of his voice.
Chronology of some appearances
1888-1894 Weimar Court Theatre
1894-1897 Wiesbaden Court Theatre
1897-1898 Vienna Court Opera
1899-1903 Dresden Court Opera
1901 Berlin Court Opera
1901, 1905 Prague German Theatre
1901 West Berlin Opera House
1904 Vienna Volksoper
TRACKLIST
G&T, Berlin 1905
Dame Blanche (Boieldieu): Komm’, o holde Dame 3-42324 185r
G&T, Berlin 1906
Mignon (Thomas): Leb’ wohl, Mignon 3-42701 4643h
Rigoletto (Verdi): Ich seh’ die heissen Zähren 3-42637 4644h
Traviata (Verdi): Ach, ihres Auges Zauberblick 3-42679 4645h
G&T, Berlin 1907
Così fan tutte (Mozart): Wie schön ist die Liebe 3-42817 3068r
Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Sieh’, schon die Morgenröte 3-42818 3070r
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