Description

ERNST KRAUS (ERLANGEN, 8 JUNE, 1863 – WÖRTHSEE, 5 SEPTEMBER, 1941)

 

 

 

 

He studied singing under Anna Schimon-Regan in Munich and later with Cesare Galliera in Milan. He made his debut in 1893 at the Hoftheater in Mannheim as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. He remained with this opera house for three years. In 1894, he made his first guest appearance at the Hofoper in Berlin as Lohengrin. During the 1896-1898 seasons, he was engaged as the leading tenor by the Damrosch Opera Company in North America. In 1898, he returned to the Hofoper in Berlin, where he sang until 1924. He quickly became regarded as one of the leading tenors of his generation.

At the Hofoper in Berlin, he participated in several significant premieres, including Der Bärenhäuter by Siegfried Wagner and Der arme Heinrich by Hans Pfitzner in 1900. On April 9, 1902, he created the role of Heinrich in the world premiere of the opera Der Wald by English composer Ethel Smyth. In 1904, he sang in the Berlin premiere of B. Smetana’s Dalibor, and in 1906, he performed the role of Herodes in the Berlin premiere of Richard Strauss’s opera Salome, a role he reprised at Covent Garden in London in 1910. In 1899, he performed in the Berlin premiere of the opera Mudarra by F. Le Borne.

From 1899 to 1909, he frequently appeared in Richard Wagner’s operas at the Bayreuth Festival. His international guest appearances included Covent Garden in London (1900, 1907, and 1910), La Scala in Milan, the Grand Opéra in Paris, the Vienna Hofoper, the Munich Hofoper, the Dresden Hofoper, the Frankfurt Opernhaus, the Stadttheater in Zurich (1905, 1917, and 1918), and the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels.

During the 1903-1904 season, he sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, debuting as Siegmund and later appearing as Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Tristan, Siegfried, and Florestan in Fidelio. After retiring from the stage, he worked as a pedagogue at the College of Music in Munich from 1924. He was married to actress Margarethe Hofmann, who performed at the Hoftheater in Mannheim. His son, Richard Kraus (1902-1978), became a well-known conductor.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Der Neugierige (Schubert) 042466, 1262s Gramophone, Berlin 1913-11-14
2. Evangelimann (Kienzl) Des Lebens ganzen Leidenskelch 042331 92al Gramophone, Berlin 1911-12-13
3. Evangelimann (Kienzl) Du teurer Mann (w. Kemp) 044284, 901m Grammophon, Berlin 1915
4. Evangelimann (Kienzl) Lasset die Kleinen zu mir kommen (w. Scheele-Müller & chorus) 044197 97½al Gramophone, Berlin 1911-12-15
5. Evangelimann (Kienzl) Selig sind, die Verfolgung leiden 3-42704 9710u G&T, Berlin 1906-11
6. Evangelimann (Kienzl) Was ich gelitten 042332 93al Gramophone, Berlin 1911-12-13
7. Evangelimann (Kienzl) Wer kann sie wiedergeben (w. Scheele-Muller & chorus) 044198 98al Gramophone, Berlin 1911-12-15
8. Evangelimann (Kienzl) Wir halten uns umwunden (w. Kemp & Habich) 044285 900m Grammophon, Berlin 1915
9. Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Bleib’ Senta with Kurt 044201 96al Gramophone, Berlin 1911-12-14
10. Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Fühlst du den Schmerz with Kurt 044202 95al Gramophone, Berlin 1911-12-14
11. Freischütz (Weber) Durch die Wälder 15178 Edison 4-min cylinders, Berlin 1909
12. Freundliche Vision (R Strauss) 4-42554 13279r Gramophone, Berlin 1913-11-12
13. Frühlingsgespenster (Weingartner) 042465 1257s Gramophone, Berlin 1913-11-12
14. Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Blühenden Lebens with Bachmann 044110 94ac Gramophone, Berlin 1909-04-02
15. Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Brünnhilde, heilige Braut 042265 515s Gramophone, Berlin 1910-09-30
16. Götterdämmerung (Wagner) In Leid zu dem Wipfel (w. Habich, Neuendahm & chorus) 044225 280al Gramophone, Berlin 1912-10-11
17. Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Mime hiess ein mürrischer Zwerg (w. Habich) 044224 279al Gramophone, Berlin 1912-10-09
18. Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Vergäss’ ich alles (w. Bachmann) 044109 93ac Gramophone, Berlin 1909-04-02
19. Joseph (Méhul) Du weisst noch nicht, mein Utobal 042193 90ac Gramophone, Berlin 1909-04-01
20. Joseph (Méhul) Kanaan, du Land meiner Väter 042192 89ac Gramophone, Berlin 1909-04-01