Description

BENNO ZIEGLER (MUNICH, 8 JANUARY, 1887 – MUNICH, 18 APRIL, 1963)

 

 

 

 

The son of opera singer Wilhelm Ziegler (1857-1931), he trained at the Academy of Music and studied under Paul Bender in Munich. His operatic debut came in 1909 at the Augsburg City Theater as Silvio in Pagliacci. By 1910, he was performing at the Karlsruhe Court Theater, where he appeared in the premiere of Siegfried Wagner’s Schwarzschwanenreich. His career spanned various theaters, including the Dortmund City Theater (1911-1913), Stuttgart Court Opera (1913-1916), and a return to the Karlsruhe Court Theater (1917-1920), where he premiered Albert Noelte’s François Villon in 1920.

In 1920, he joined the Berlin State Opera and was part of German radio history, singing Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly during Germany’s first complete opera broadcast on June 8, 1921. He made two notable tours in North America, performing with the German Opera (1923-1924). In 1925, he joined the Frankfurt Opera House, where his wife, soprano Else Gentner-Fischer, also performed. Highlights of his time in Frankfurt included the world premiere of Schönberg’s Von heute auf morgen (1930), the title role in Ernst Křenek’s jazz opera Jonny spielt auf (1927), and Kolenaty in the German premiere of Janáček’s The Makropulos Affair (1929).

Despite a successful career, he was forced to leave the Frankfurt Opera in 1934 due to Nazi persecution. Until 1937, he performed in Jewish Cultural Association events in Frankfurt, including stage performances. In 1939, he fled to England, where he took on work as a hatter and locksmith. Returning to Germany in 1947, he spent his final years in a Jewish retirement home in Munich. Known for his rich baritone, especially in Italian roles and parts like Papageno, Beckmesser, and Don Alfonso, he also excelled in operetta.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Aus der Jugendzeit (Radecke) AA55047 xxBo8332 Odeon, Berlin 1923/1924
2. Ave Maria (Plüddemann) XX80840 xxB6637 Odeon, Berlin 1921-01/03
3. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Schon allein der Glanz (w. Tauber) XX80974 xxB6748 Odeon, Berlin 1922-04
4. Du bist ein Kind (Weingartner) AA55045 xxBo8333 Odeon, Berlin 1923/1924
5. Forza del destino (Verdi) In dieser feierlichen Stunde (w. Tauber) XX81932, xxB6750 Odeon, Berlin 1922-04
6. Hans Heiling (Marschner) An jenem Tag Rxx80820 xxB6623 Odeon, Berlin 1921-01/03
7. Les deux Journées (Cherubini) Ach segne, Gottheit, mein Bestreben Rxx80819 xxB6622 Odeon, Berlin 1921-01/03
8. Martha (Flotow) Wie das schnattert (w. Tauber) XX81930, xxB6749 Odeon, Berlin 1922-04
9. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Silvio! Zu dieser Stunde! (w. V Schwarz) XX80823 xxB6638 Odeon, Berlin 1921-01/03
10. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Tot ist deine Liebe (w. V Schwarz) XX80824, xxB6666 Odeon, Berlin 1921-04/08
11. Traviata (Verdi) Hat dein heimatliches Land AA55062, xxB6576 Odeon, Berlin 1920-10/12
12. Trovatore (Verdi) Ihres Auges himmlisch Strahlen XX80839 xxB6676 Odeon, Berlin 1921-04/08