Description

OTTO TAMINI (BORN OTTO HASSELBAUM; MANNHEIM, 9 FEBRUARY, 1875 – WILDWOOD, NEW JERSEY, 1947)

 

 

 

 

Otto Tamini was a German-born tenor who later became a British citizen. He was the son of Ludwig Hasselbaum (born 1834 in Offenbach), a bank clerk, and Anna Katharina Foltz (born 1841 in Edenkoben, Rhineland-Palatinate).

Originally employed as a bank clerk, he later pursued a career in singing. He made his operatic debut in 1908 at the Vienna Volksoper, where he remained until 1910. His earliest documented appearance in the United Kingdom was a concert at Queen’s Hall in London on 25 January 1909, where he performed with Thomas Beecham and the Beecham Orchestra, alongside the violinist Kathleen Parlow.

In 1911 he toured the Netherlands with a German opera company, appearing among other places at the Rembrandt Theatre in Amsterdam. The same year he returned to England for a series of concerts with Thomas Beecham, his orchestra, and Kathleen Parlow, including performances in London, Manchester, and Glasgow. In 1912 he gave a solo recital at Queen’s Hall in London.

In 1914 Tamini settled permanently in England and later acquired British citizenship. Despite his successful artistic career, he experienced financial difficulties and was declared bankrupt in 1918. Little is known about the following decade of his life. Around 1928 he married the Danish-born Methilde Laurine Johansen in New York. The couple had four children and later settled in Wildwood, New Jersey, where Otto Tamini died of heart failure in 1947.

Although his operatic career was relatively short and incompletely documented, Tamini was active as a concert tenor and appeared with several prominent musicians of his time, including Thomas Beecham and Kathleen Parlow.

 

 

ALFRED LANGE

 

 

 

Alfred Lange does not appear to have had a stage career, at least not as a soloist. The available references mention him exclusively as a concert singer, and all documented appearances date from a relatively short period. On 16 December 1921 he gave a Lieder recital at the Schwechten Saal in Berlin, accompanied by Bruno Seidler-Winkler at the piano.

 

 

 

FRITZ BLANKENHORN (KARLSRUHE, 5 MARCH, 1889 – MÜLLHEIM (BADEN), 8 DECEMBER, 1954)

 

 

 

 

He received his musical training in his native city of Karlsruhe and made his stage debut in 1914 at the Stadttheater in Bern, Switzerland. Later in his career he also appeared as an operetta singer.

His principal roles included the Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Manrico in Il trovatore, Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera, Alvaro in La forza del destino, Radamès in Aida, the title role in Otello, Canio in Pagliacci, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Don José in Carmen, and Lohengrin.

He was married to the soprano Trude Bornholt.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1914-1920 Bern Stadttheater

1921-1928 Hannover Landestheater

1928-1929 Berlin Großen Schauspielhaus

1930-1931 Mellini-Theater Hannover

1931-1932 Stuttgart Staatsoper

1932-1933 Dortmund Stadttheater

1935-1936 Berlin Plazatheater

1936-1937 Magdeburg Stadttheater

 

 

WILLY STÖRRING (HAGEN, 11 APRIL, 1896 – DÜSSELDORF, 29 OCTOBER, 1979)

 

 

 

 

He initially worked as a blacksmith before studying voice with Fritz Remond in Cologne. In 1927 he made his operatic debut at the Cologne Opera as Manrico in Verdi’s Il trovatore and remained a member of the company until 1930. From 1930 to 1932 he sang at the Düsseldorf Opera.

In 1932 General Intendant Heinz Tietjen brought him to the Berlin State Opera, where he enjoyed a successful career as a Heldentenor until 1935, performing both in the Italian repertoire and as a Wagnerian singer. In 1933–1934 he appeared at the Bayreuth Festival in minor roles. In 1935 he sang the title role in Wagner’s Rienzi at the Zoppot Festival. He also made a guest appearance at the Vienna State Opera in 1940.

From 1936 to 1944 he was a member of the National Theatre in Weimar. After the Second World War he returned to the theatre of his native city, Hagen, where he sang from 1947 to 1952. In 1952 he gave his official farewell performance there as Canio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, although he continued to appear as a guest in Hagen as late as 1972. From 1953 onward he was based in Düsseldorf, where he worked as a vocal teacher.

His recordings include a scene from d’Albert’s Tiefland with Liselotte Enck (BASF, 1943) and the “Forge Song” from Wagner’s Siegfried (Telefunken).

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Otto Tamini Lohengrin (Wagner) O Elsa! Nur ein Jahr an deiner Seite 042189 2790f Gramophone, London 1909-01-21

Otto Tamini Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Vesti la giubba 2-52682 9518e Gramophone, London 1909-01-21

Otto Tamini Walküre (Wagner) Winterstürme 042190 2786f Gramophone, London 1909-01-21

Alfred Lange Tannhäuser (Wagner) Pilgerchor I. Akt und Hirtenszene (II) with Else Knepel Parlophon P. 1336-II 5711

Alfred Lange Tannhäuser (Wagner) Pilgerchor; 1. Akt (III) Parlophon P. 1337-I 5712

Fritz Blankenhorn Casanova (Strauss-Benatzky) Ich hab’ dich lieb (w. Frind) EG948 BLR4425 Electrola Berlin 1928-08-18

Willy Störring Aida (Verdi) Querschnitt 2. Teil (w. Wieber & Klose) E 1475 019327 Telefunken

Willy Störring Aida (Verdi) Querschnitt Erster Teil (w. Wieber & Klose) E 1475 019326 Telefunken

Willy Störring Siegfried (Wagner) Nothung! Nothung! F 1361 19001 Telefunken

Willy Störring Siegfried (Wagner) Schmiede, mein Hammer F 1361 19002 Telefunken