Description

JOSEPH SCHWARZ (RIGA, LATVIA, 10 OCTOBER, 1880 † BERLIN, GERMANY, 10 NOVEMBER, 1926)

 

 

 

 

He was born into a Jewish family as the eldest of eight children and grew up in difficult circumstances. Like his father, he initially learned the tailoring craft. He first became a member of the Riga Choral Synagogue, and his musical education was later financed by a wealthy Russian nobleman. He studied under Alexander Heinemann in Berlin and subsequently at the Vienna Conservatory. His stage debut took place in 1900 at the Stadttheater of Linz (Danube) as Amonasro in Aida. He then sang with small opera troupes and made guest appearances in 1901 in his hometown of Riga. After a guest performance at the Court Opera in St. Petersburg, he became a member of the Volksoper in Vienna during the 1906-1909 seasons.

In 1909, he was engaged by the Vienna Hofoper, making his debut as Count di Luna in Il Trovatore. In 1915, he joined the Berlin Hofoper, where he appeared in the premieres of Leo Blech’s Rappelkopf (1917) and Franz Schmidt’s Notre Dame (1918). During World War I, he frequently performed as a guest artist in Scandinavian countries. He was engaged by the Chicago Opera for the 1920-1921 and 1924-1925 seasons, where he performed roles such as Rigoletto, Germont in La Traviata, Jago in Otello, and Tonio in Pagliacci. With the Chicago Opera ensemble, he also performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1921, he gave successful concerts in New York.

In 1924, he performed at Covent Garden in London as Rigoletto. He also made appearances in Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and at the Grand Opera in Paris, where he performed as Rigoletto. In 1924, he accepted an engagement with the Staatsoper in Berlin but fell ill shortly afterward. In 1925, he gave a song recital at the Salzburg Festival. He performed in “Hebrew Evenings” in Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, and Wrocław. In 1926, he appeared in San Francisco in the premiere of the opera Fay-Yen-Fah by Joseph Redding, which had a libretto written by an American multimillionaire.

Shortly before his death, he appeared with great success in Berlin as Rigoletto. He died at the age of 46 following an operation.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1900 Linz Stadttheater

1901 Riga Opera

1906-1909 Vienna Volksoper

1909 Vienna Hofoper

1915 Berlin Hofoper

1917 Berlin Hofoper

1918 Berlin Hofoper

1920-1921 Chicago Opera

1921 New York Concert

1923 Paris Grand Opera

1924 London Covent Garden

1924-1925 Chicago Opera

1926 San Francisco Opera

1926 Berlin Hofoper

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Ich bin das Faktotum P333 2-1672 Parlophon, Berlin 1913
2. Demon (Rubinstein) Kind, weine nicht P334 2-1676 Parlophon, Berlin 1913
3. Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Sohn, knie nieder P332 2-1670 Parlophon, Berlin 1913
4. Hérodiade (Massenet) Vision fugitive P336 2-1678 Parlophon, Berlin 1913
5. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prolog P7011 O-7011 Parlophon, Wien 1911
6. Rheingold (Wagner) Abendlich strahlt P337 2-1675 Parlophon, Berlin 1913
7. Rigoletto (Verdi) Ach, ich weine! P7048 O.7048 Parlophon, Wien 1911/1912
8. Rigoletto (Verdi) Ha! Bald schlägt sie (w. Francillo-Kauffmann) P379 O.7044 Parlophon, Wien 1911/1912
9. Rigoletto (Verdi) Weine, o weine (w. Francillo-Kauffmann) P379 O.7043 Parlophon, Wien 1911/1912
10. Roi de Lahore (Massenet) O casto fior P336 2-1677 Parlophon, Berlin 1913
11. Traviata (Verdi) Hat dein heimatliches Land P330 O-7012 Parlophon, Wien 1911
12. Trovatore (Verdi) Befreit, o welche Seligkeit (w. Francillo-Kauffmann) P380 O.7050 Parlophon, Wien 1911/1912
13. Trovatore (Verdi) Sieh’ meiner heißen Tränen Flut (w. Francillo-Kauffmann) P380 O.7049 Parlophon, Wien 1911/1912
14. Wintermärchen (Goldmark) O Menschenglück P334 O.7045 Parlophon, Wien 1911/1912
15. Zar und Zimmermann (Lortzing) Sonst spielt’ ich mit Zepter P332 2-1671 Parlophon, Berlin 1913