Description

ALFRED KASE (STETTIN, 28 OCTOBER, 1877 – STETTIN, 13 JANUARY, 1945)

The son of an engraver, he first learned the trade of copperplate engraving. He later decided to study singing and music under Emanuel Kroupa at the Munich Academy of Music. In 1902, he made his debut at the Court Theatre in Kassel, where he remained until 1907. From 1907 to 1920, he enjoyed a highly successful career at the Leipzig Opera, where he later continued to appear as a guest. Beginning in 1907, he also appeared frequently at the Berlin Court Opera, including in 1910 in L’elisir d’amore alongside Enrico Caruso and Frieda Hempel. Guest appearances took him to the Court Theatres in Kassel (1908) and Hanover (1915), the Vienna Court Opera (1911), the Basel City Theatre (1920), the Dresden Court Opera, the Antwerp Opera, and the City Theatres in Hamburg and Zurich. In 1925, he undertook a concert tour through Italy.

From his repertoire, the following roles are particularly notable: Papageno in The Magic Flute, Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, the Minister in Fidelio, Wolfram in Tannhäuser, Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger, Amfortas in Parsifal, Hans Heiling in Marschner’s opera of the same name, Agamemnon in Gluck’s Iphigenia in Aulis, the title roles in Rossini’s William Tell and Verdi’s Falstaff, the Regent in C. Kreutzer’s Das Nachtlager von Granada, Count Eberbach in Lortzing’s Der Wildschütz, the Minstrel in Humperdinck’s Die Königskinder, Dietrich in Pfitzner’s Der arme Heinrich, Orest in R. Strauss’s Elektra, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Marcello in La Bohème, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. Later, he also undertook bass roles, such as Pogner in Die Meistersinger and King Marke in Tristan und Isolde.

In 1918, he participated in the premiere of Eugen d’Albert’s opera Der Stier von Olivera in Leipzig. He was also a valued concert and oratorio soloist. Married to the actress Ella Kase-Ellmenreich (1873–1933), he worked in music education in Leipzig after concluding his stage career. His expressive baritone can be heard on recordings for Odeon, Polyphon, and Pathé.

TRACKLIST

Carmen (Bizet) Torerolied 3406 Polyphon, Leipzig 1909-09

Der Hidalgo (Schumann) 205 Polyphon, Leipzig 19041905 (Brown celluloid)

Faust (Gounod) Valentins Gebet 3407 342Wtr Polyphon, Leipzig 1909-09

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prolog 209 Polyphon, Leipzig 19041905 (Brown celluloid)

Tannhäuser (Wagner) Lied an den Abendstern 3514 436 Polyphon, Leipzig 1909-10

Undine (Lortzing) Es wohnt am Seegestade 3554 1891 Polyphon, Berlin 1910-07

Undine (Lortzing) O kehr’ zurück 3553 1890 Polyphon, Berlin 1910-07

Zar und Zimmermann (Lortzing) Einst spielt’ ich 3513 432 Polyphon, Leipzig 1909-10