Description

EMMY BETTENDORF (FRANKFURT, 16 JULY, 1895 – BERLIN, 20 OCTOBER, 1963)

 

 

 

 

She was born in Frankfurt and began studying singing at an early age. At just under 15 years old, she auditioned for the opera house in Frankfurt, where she was offered a two-year contract in 1914. She made her debut in the role of Gabriele in Kreutzer’s Nachtlager in Granada. In 1916, she secured an engagement with the opera house in Schwerin, which lasted for four years. During this period, she expanded her repertoire, tackling both lyric and lyric-dramatic roles. Some of her notable performances included Amelia, Leonore, the Countess, Myrtocle in d’Albert’s Die toten Augen, Agathe, Brünnhilde in Siegfried, Eva, the Marschallin, Santuzza, Elisabeth, and Donna Anna.

In 1920, a series of guest appearances at Berlin’s State Opera led to a permanent engagement there. However, in 1924, she moved to the Städtische Oper of Berlin, where she stayed for five years, performing in both operas and operettas. She also made appearances at the Waldoper in Zoppot, as well as in Holland, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Unfortunately, due to illness, she retired from the stage in 1928, though she became a prolific recording artist until 1936. After 1937, she only occasionally sang in concerts. With the death of her husband in 1938, she was forced to return to the concert stage during World War II, performing for soldiers in Poland, Russia, and Greece.

During the war, she lived in Garmisch (Austria), where she ran a guest house. After the war, at the recommendation of the famous bass Michael Bohnen, she began teaching at the Musikhochschule Berlin, a position she held until 1952.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Ungeduld (Schubert) Odeon O-7962
2. Nozze di Figaro (Mozart): O säume länger nicht (Rosenarie) Homokord B8219 51134
3. Trovatore (Verdi): Hab’ Erbarmen (Miserere) (w. Zohsel & chorus) Parlophon P1452
4. Trovatore (Verdi): In deines Kerkers tiefe Nacht Parlophon P1452
5. Trovatore (Verdi): Hab’ Erbarmen (Miserere) (w. Tauber & chorus) Odeon 80964
6. Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Geliebter, spare den Zorn (w. Bohnen, Lüders & Öhman) Odeon Parlophon O-8708
7. Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Jerum! Jerum! (w. Bohnen, Schützendorf & Öhman) Parlophon O-8708
8. Ein Deutsches Requiem (Brahms): Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit, pt 1 Odeon O-6882
9. Ein Deutsches Requiem (Brahms): Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit, pt 2 Odeon O-6882
10. Der Abend naht, Canzonetta, pt 1 (Tchaikovsky) (w. chorus) Homokord B12253
11. Der Abend naht, Canzonetta, pt 2 (Tchaikovsky) (w. chorus) Homokord B12253
12. Caro mio ben (Giordani) Parlophone 21690
13. Nozze di Figaro (Mozart): Heil’ge Quelle Homokord B8219 51135
14. Mariä Wiegenlied (Reger) Parlophon P1222
15. Stille Nacht (Gruber) Parlophon P1222
16. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach): Schöne Nacht (w. Jaeger-Weigert) Parlophon 2-5553
17. Peer Gynt (Grieg): Solveigs Lied Parlophon 2-5748
18. Mignon (Thomas): Kennst du das Land? Parlophon 2-5843
19. Caro mio ben (Giordani) Parlophon 2-5720
20. Ave Maria (Schubert) Parlophon 2-5721
21. Xerxes (Händel): Ombra mai fu Parlophon 2-5722
22. Frühlingslied (Gounod) Parlophon 2-7592
23. Liebesfeier (Weingartner) Parlophon 2-7593
24. Lohengrin (Wagner): Einsam in trüben Tagen Parlophon 2-8014
25. Lohengrin (Wagner): Euch Lüften Parlophon 2-8015