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. Caro mio ben (Giordani) 052438 1267m Grammophon, Berlin 1918
2. Die Ehre Gottes in der Natur (Beethoven) 4-42632 19197L Grammophon, Berlin 1918
3. Elias (Mendelssohn) Es ist genug 042563, 1268m Grammophon, Berlin 1918
4. Faust (Gounod) Valentins Gebet 042577 1408s Grammophon, Berlin 1919
5. Forza del destino (Verdi) Solenne in quest’ora (w. Jadlowker) 2-054056, 1389s Grammophon, Berlin 1919
6. Guarda che bianca luna (Campana) (w. Jadlowker) 70711 14075r Grammophon, Berlin 1919
7. Hans Heiling (Marschner) An jenem Tag 042564 1407s Grammophon, Berlin 1919
8. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prolog 042529, 1406s Grammophon, Berlin 1919
9. Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Des Tempel Brahmas (w. Jadlowker) 044315, 1387s Grammophon, Berlin 1919
10. Rigoletto (Verdi) Sprich nie mit einem Armen (w. Dux) 044314, 1187m Grammophon, Berlin 1918
11. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Blick’ ich umher 042538 1404s Grammophon, Berlin 1919
12. Tannhäuser (Wagner) O du mein holder Abendstern 042539 1405s Grammophon, Berlin 1919
13. Zazà (Leoncavallo) Zazà, piccola zingara 052439, 1409s Grammophon, Berlin 1919