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. Otello (Verdi): Ave Maria Parlophon 2-8035
2. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Gruber) Parlophon 2-8309
3. O du fröhliche (trad) Parlophon 2-8310
4. Undine (Lortzing): O kehr’ zurück (w. Hüsch & chorus) Odeon O-25095
5. Traum durch die Dämmerung (R Strauss) Odeon O-26262
6. Lohengrin (Wagner): Das süße Lied verhallt (w. Melchior) Parlophon 2-8880
7. Lohengrin (Wagner): Wie hehr erkenn’ ich (w. Melchior) Parlophon 2-8881
8. Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Selig, wie die Sonne (w. Bohnen, Öhman, Lüders & Gombert) Parlophon 2-8907
9. Lohengrin (Wagner): Atmest du nicht (w. Melchior) Parlophon 2-8882
10. Lohengrin (Wagner): Höchstes Vertrau’n (w. Melchior) Parlophon 2-8883
11. Faust (Gounod): Es ist schon spät, lebt wohl! (w. Groh) Odeon O-11938
12. Faust (Gounod): Ewig dein (w. Groh) Odeon O-11938
13. Mondnacht (Schumann) Parlophon 2-20281
14. Der Lindenbaum (Schubert) Parlophon 2-20282
15. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Gruber) Parlophon 2-20318
16. O du fröhliche (trad) Parlophon 2-20319
17. Martha (Flotow): Letzte Rose Parlophon 2-20285
18. Boccaccio (Suppé): Hab’ ich nur deine Liebe Parlophon 2-20286
19. Allerseelen (Lassen) Parlophon 2-20283
20. Ich hatte einst ein schönes Vaterland (Lassen) Parlophon 2-20284
21. Wiegenlied Guten Abend, gut’ Nacht (Brahms) Parlophon 2-20207
22. Wiegenlied (Flies, attr Mozart) Parlophon 2-20208
23. Oberon (Weber): Ozean, du Ungeheuer! Parlophon 2-8950
24. Oberon (Weber): Wolkenlos strahlt dann die Sonne Parlophon 2-8951
25. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach): Schöne Nacht (w. Branzell) Parlophon 2-21102