Description

LUISE HELLETSGRUBER (WIENERHERBERG, 30 MAY, 1901 – SATTLEDT, 5 JANUARY, 1967)

 

 

 

 

She began her stage career in 1922 at the Vienna State Opera, making her debut as the Shepherd Boy in Tannhäuser, and remained with the company throughout her career. Her first major success there was as Cupid in Gluck’s Orpheus. She was admired primarily as a Mozart singer, but also won acclaim in other roles, including Mimì in La Bohème, Liù in Puccini’s Turandot, Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust, and Eva in Die Meistersinger.

In 1934, she appeared at the Vienna State Opera in the world premiere of Julius Bittner’s Das Veilchen. From 1926 to 1938, she was a frequent performer at the Salzburg Festival, where she sang Marzelline in Fidelio (1928–1936), Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (1930–1931, 1934–1938), the Naiad in Ariadne auf Naxos (1926–1931), the First Lady in The Magic Flute (1928–1933), Artemis in Gluck’s Iphigenie in Aulis (1930–1933), as well as smaller roles in Richard Strauss’s Die Ägyptische Helena (1933–1934) and Elektra (1934–1937). In the concert hall, she was also heard as soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in 1928.

In 1926, she created the role of Liù in the Vienna premiere of Puccini’s Turandot, and in 1933 she sang Zdenka in Strauss’s Arabella. From 1934 she was a member of the Glyndebourne Festival ensemble, where, until 1938, her Mozart portrayals delighted audiences—among them Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro.

She remained with the Vienna State Opera until 1942 and in 1943 was engaged for a season at the Neues Lustspielhaus in Berlin. Later, she lived in Laxenburg near Vienna.

Recordings of her voice were issued on Parlophon and HMV, including complete Glyndebourne performances of Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte. On Danacord, she can be heard as one of the Three Ladies in The Magic Flute (Radio Copenhagen, 1931), while Koch/Schwann has released numerous archive recordings from the Vienna State Opera, preserving fragments of her stage performances.

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Bohème (Puccini) Man nennt mich jetzt Mimi P9382 2-21261 Parlophon, Berlin 1929-03-08

Bohème (Puccini) Will ich allein (Walzer) P9386 2-21265 Parlophon, Berlin 1929-03-08

Carmen (Bizet) Ich sprach, daß ich furchtlos mich fühle P9382 2-21264 Parlophon, Berlin 1929-03-08

Faust (Gounod) Es war ein König in Thule… Hah, welch ein Glück P9384, P9384, 2-21262, 2-21263 Parlophon, Berlin 1929-03-08

Figaros Hochzeit (Mozart) Ich weiß nicht was ich tue B. 120 060-I 37218 Parlophon

Figaros Hochzeit (Mozart) Ihr, die ihr Triebe des Herzens kennt B. 120 060-I 37219 Parlophon

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Wie flammte auf sein Auge P9386 2-21268 Parlophon, Berlin 1929-03-09

Turandot (Puccini) Höre mich an, Herr P9385 2-21266 Parlophon, Berlin 1929-03-09