#Zdenka Fassbender

[opera-ghosts]

Zdenka Fassbender Bohemian soprano; b. Děčín, Dec. 12, 1879; d. Munich, March 14, 1954. She studied voice in Prague with Sophie Löwe-Destinn; made her operatic debut in Karlsruhe in 1899; from 1906 to 1919 she was one of the principal singers at the Munich Opera; she also sang at Covent Garden in London (1910, 1913). Felix Mottl married her on his deathbed to sanction their long- standing alliance. She was particularly regarded as an outstanding Wagner interpreter, as Venus in Tannhäuser, Ortrud in Lohengrin, Isolde in Tristan und Isolde], Brünnhilde in Der Ring des Nibelungen and Kundry in Parsifal. She sang other important roles as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, Iphigenia in Gluck's Iphigenie auf Tauris, Alceste by Gluck, as Valentine in Les Huguenots by Meyerbeer, Dido in Les Troyens by Berlioz, Katharina in Der Widerspänstigen Zähmung by Hermann Goetz, Minneleide in Die Rose vom Liebesgarten by Pfitzner, Gundula in Der Bergsee by Julius Bittner and Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio.When Richard Strauss wanted to perform his opera Elektra in Munich in 1909, Faßbender took over the title role at his request. She also appeared in the Munich premieres of the operas Tiefland by Eugen d'Albert (1908, as Martha), Tosca (1909, title role), Der Rosenkavalier (1911, as Marschallin), Der arme Heinrich by Hans Pfitzner (1913, as Hilde) and Mona Lisa by Max von Schillings (1917, title role).Guest appearances took her to the Wiener Hofoper (1904), to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (1909) and often to Stuttgart, to the court theatres of Wiesbaden and Mannheim and to the opera house of Cologne. She also took part in the Wagner-Mozart festival from 1907 to 1910. In 1910 and 1913 she sang Elektra and Isolde under the conduct of Sir Thomas Beecham in London and from 1912 to 1914 she sang in the performances of the Ring cycle at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. In 1924, she announced her retirement from the stage. In 1928, she appeared again at the Munich State Opera as Elektra. She was a member of the Staatsoper until 1931.

[todayclassical]

March 14 in Music History

1623 Birth of composer Adam-Nicolas Gascon.

1681 Birth of German composer Georg Phillip Telemann in Magdeburg. 

1727 Birth of German composer Johann Gottlieb Goldberg in Danzig. 

1734 FP of G. F. Handel's anthem This is the day which the Lord hath made for the wedding of Princess Anne and Prince Willem, the Prince of Orange, at the French Chapel of St. James's Palace, in London.

1755 Birth of composer Pierre-Louis Couperin.

1795 Birth of composer Rubert Lucas Pearsall.

1796 Birth of tenor Anton Haizinger in Lichtenstein. 

1804 Birth of Austrian composer Johann Strauss Sr. in Vienna. 

1815 Birth of German-American composer Josephine Lang. 

1821 FP of Weber's Preciosa in Berlin.

1824 FP of Franz Schubert's String Quartet in a, D. 804. Schuppanzigh Quartet in Vienna. 

1826 Birth of American composer William Fiske Sherwin in Buckland, MA. 

1831 Birth of composer Leon Leopold Lewandoski.

1835 Birth of composer Manuel Fernandez Caballero.

1845 Birth of German composer August Bungert.

1847 FP of G. Verdi's opera Macbeth at the Teatro della Pergolain Florence.

1852 FP of Schumann's Manfred with Franz Liszt conducting in Weimar.

1857 Birth of bass Eduard Aschenbrenner in Jicin.  

1859 Death of tenor Nicola Tacchinardi.

1861 Birth of Boston piano craftsman Alexander Steinert. Founder of Steinert Concert Hall. 

1865 Death of tenor Carlo Negrini. 

1871 Birth of Swedish-American soprano Olive Fremstad in Stockholm. 

1871 Birth of bass Vladimir Kastorsky in Moscow. 

1875 Birth of tenor Piero Schiavazzi in Cagliari.

1875 Birth of composer Norman Houstoun O'Neill.

1877 Birth of tenor Paul Reimers in London. 

1884 Birth of American composer Wintter Watts. 

1885 FP of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera Mikado at the Savoy Theater, London.

1886 Birth of baritone Stepan Chodounsky in Prague. 

1887 Birth of English composer and conductor Sir Laurence Collingwood.

1893 Birth of tenor Ferdinando Ciniselli in Mortara. 

1893 Birth of tenor Franco Lo Giudice in Paterno. 

1894 Birth of composer Josef Schelb.

1904 Birth of soprano Iris Adami Corradetti in Milan. 

1905 Death of tenor Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky. 

1906 Birth of composer Ulvi Cemal Erkin.

1908 Birth of composer Nikolay Petrovich Rakov.

1913 Birth of composer Witold Rudzinski.

1914 Birth of composer Jiri Reinberger.

1914 Birth of soprano Sari Barabas in Hungary. 

1915 Birth of composer Alexander Brott.

1915 Birth of bass-baritone Josef Pollak in Vienna. 

1926 Birth of composer Francois d'Assise Morel.

1929 Feodor Chaliapin gave his final performance in Boris Godunov, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

1930 Birth of German vicar and composer Dieter Schnebel.

1932 Birth of bass Marius Rintzler in Bucharest. 

1932 Death of photo pioneer George Eastman, founded Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

1934 Birth of bass-baritone Carl Allen Schultz in Los Angeles. T

1935 Birth of Dutch composer Jo van den Booren in Maastricht.

1938 Conductor Bruno Walter resigns as conductor of the Vienna Opera after Nazi's take Austria. Forced to leave country with property confisgated.

1940 Birth of tenor Adolf Dallapozza in South Tyrol.

1941 Birth of soprano Rachel Mathes in Atlanta. 

1954 Birth of Welsh baritone Philip Joll in Merthyr Tydfil. 

1954 Death of soprano Zdenka Fassbender. 

1963 FP of Robert Simpson's Symphony No. 3, in Birmingham, England. 

1966 Death of baritone Dennis Noble. 

1967 Birth of Argentinian conductor and composer Alejandro Rutty.

1972 Birth of American composer and violinist Keeril Makan.

1974 Birth of American composer Ariel Blumenthal.

1975 FP of Ulysses Kay's Quintet Concerto for five brass solists and orchestra in New York.

1976 FP of Paul Creston's Hyas Illahee for chorus and orchestra, in Shreveport, LA.

1986 FP of Harrison Birtwistle's Earth Dances for orchestra. Peter Eotvos conducting the BBC Symphony, at Royal Festival Hall in London.

1996 FP of Leo Ornstein's Piano Sonata No. 6. Marvin Tartakat, pianist, at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, CA.

2000 FP of David Maslanka's Wind Quintet No. 3. Missouri Quintet, in Columbua, Mo. 

2001 FP of Richard Danielpour's Cello Concerto No. 2 Through the Ancient Valleyat Lincoln Center, by soloist Yo-Yo Ma with the New York Philharmonic;

2002 FP of Andre Previn's Violin Concerto, commissioned by the Boston Symphony for soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter, with her future husband, Previn, conducting.

2003 FP of Jim Mobberley's Vox Inhumana for live and prerecorded sounds. NewEar ensemble in Kansas City, MO.

[opera-ghosts]

"Stark ruft das Lied; kräftig reizt der Zauber." SIEGFRIED - R. WAGNER Here some Siegfrieds, Mimes, Wanderers and Brünnhildes.

Henny Borchers as Brünnhilde; Breslau, ca. 1900

Francisque Delmas as Wanderer; Paris, 1902

Louise Grandjean as Brünnhilde; Paris, 1902

Pierre-Emil Engel as Mime; Brussels, 1902

Fritz Remond as Siegfried; Karlsruhe, 1904

Fritz Feinhals as Wanderer; Munich, 1906

Zdenka Fassbender as Brünnhilde; Munich, 1906(?)

Marianna Tcherkasskaya as Brünnhilde; Milan, 1909

Paul Kuhn as Mime; Munich, 1912

Julius Lieban as Mime; Berlin, 1912

Hans Breuer as Mime; Bayreuth, 1914

Eduard Habich as Alberich; Bayreuth, 1914

Albert Reiss as Mime; New York, 1916

Karl Koss as Mime; Graz, 1919

Rudolf Bockelmann as Wanderer; Hamburg, 30s

Erich Zimmermann as Mime; Bayreuth, 1930

August Seydel as Mime; Munich, 30s(?)

Anny Konetzni as Brünnhilde and Josef Kalenberg as Siegfried; Vienna, 1934

Karl Kamann as Wanderer; Vienna, 1938

Jaro Prohaska as Wanderer; Bayreuth, 1941

[opera-ghosts]

"Nun zäume dein Ross, reisige Maid!" DIE WALKÜRE - R. WAGNER (2 act) Here some Brünnhildes

Rosa Sucher as Brünnhilde; Berlin, 1899(?)

Sofie Sedlmair as Brünnhilde; Vienna, 1900

Felia Litvinne as Brünnhilde; Brussels, 1901

Thila Plaichinger as Brünnhilde; Berlin, 1901

Elise Beuer as Brünnhilde; Hamburg, 1902

Therese Malten as Brünnhilde; Dresden, 1904

Erna Denera as Brünnhilde; Berlin, 1907

Louise Grandjean as Brünnhilde; Paris, 1909

Leonida Balanovskaya as Brünnhilde; Moscow, ca. 1910

Zdenka Mottl-Fassbender as Brünnhilde; Munich, 1910

Lina Boeling as Brünnhilde; Cologne, 1911

Ellen Gulbranson as Brünnhilde; Bayreuth, 1914

Melanie Kurt as Brünnhilde; Berlin, 1914

Cäcilie Rüsche-Endorf as Brünnhilde; Leipzig, 1916

Martha Leffler-Burkhardt as Brünnhilde; Berlin, 1916

Olga Blome as Brünnhilde; Bayreuth, 1924

Anna Scheffler as Brünnhilde; Hamburg, 1925(?)

Gertrude Kappel as Brünnhilde; Vienna, 1928

Lotte Burck as Brünnhilde; Bologna, 1929

Sabine Offermann as Brünnhilde; Munich, 1930

Maria Jeritza as Brünnhilde; Vienna, 1930

Elisabeth Delius as Brünnhilde; Zurich, ca. 1930

Narcissa Coli-Kolihova as Brünnhilde(?); Prag, ?

[opera-ghosts]

„GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG“ R. WAGNER „Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort…!“ Brünnhilde's immolation scene

Felia Litvinne as Brünnhilde; Brussels, 1902(?)

Louise Grandjean as Brünnhilde; Paris, 1902

Minna Tube as Brünnhilde; Graz, 1920

Ellen Gulbranson as Brünnhilde; Bayreuth, 1914

Josephine Reinl as Brünnhilde; Berlin, ?

Henny Borchers as Brünnhilde; Breslau, ?

Zdenka Fassbender as Brünnhilde; Munich, ?

Gertrud Rünger as Brünnhilde; Munich, ?

Lilly Hafgren-Waag (-Dinkela) as Brünnhilde; Milan, 1927

Margot Kaftal as Brünnhilde; Rome, ?

Jeanne Paquot D'Assy as Brünnhilde; Brussels, ?

Paula Florentin-Weber as Brünnhilde; Magdeburg, ?

Marta Fuchs as Brünnhilde, Bayreuth, ?

Lotte Burck as Brünnhilde; Milan, 1936

Anny Konetzni as Brünnhilde; Vienna, 1937

Fanny Wahrmann-Schöllinger as Brünnhilde; Hannover, 1926

[opera-ghosts]

"Rette mich, Maid! Rette die Mutter!" DIE WALKÜRE - R. WAGNER (2 act) "Loge, hör! Lausche hieher!" DIE WALKÜRE - R. WAGNER (3 act)

Here some Walküres, Brünnhildes, Wotans, Siegmunds, Sieglindes and Loges

Thila Plaichinger as Brünnhilde; Berlin, ?

Dr. Otto Briesemeister as Loge; Berlin, 1906

Olga Band-Agloda as Helmwiege; Bayreuth, 1911

Elsa Riess as Schwertleite; Bayreuth, 1911

Zdenka Fassbender as Brünnhilde; Karlsruhe, ?

Berta Morena as Brünnhilde (print) ; München, ca. 1910

Dr. Paul Kuhn as Loge; Munich, ?

Olga Blome as Brünnhilde, Lauritz Melchior as Siegmund and Emmy Krüger as Sieglinde; Bayreuth, 1924

Adolf Lussmann as Siegmund; Dresden, ?

Paul Hochheim as Loge; New York, ?

Walter Grossmann as Wotan and Anny Konetzni as Brünnhilde; Vienna, 1936

? and ? (no information about the singers or location) (the photo came in a convolute)

[opera-ghosts]

„SIEGFRIED“ R. WAGNER / third ACT

„HEIL DIR, SONNE! HEIL DIR, LICHT“

Some Brünnhildes and Siegfrieds.

A bright new year to All!!!

1.Melanie Kurt as Brünnhilde and Walther Kirchhoff as Siegfried; Berlin, ?

Maria Gembarzewska / Maryla von Falken as Brünnhilde; Dresden, 1910

Josef Schöffel as Siegfried; Karlsruhe, ?

Zdenka Fassbender as Brünnhilde; Munich, ? 5.Louise Grandjean as Brünnhilde; Paris, 1902

Richard Schubert as Siegfried; Hamburg, ?

Ellen Gulbranson as Brünnhilde; Bayreuth, 1914

Nanny Lársen-Todsen as Brünnhilde; Bayeuth, 1927

Heinrich Knote as Siegfried; Munich, 1907

Jeanne Paquot D'Assy as Brünnhilde; Brussels, 1903

Nicolas Reinfeld as Siegfried; Munich, ?

Felicitas Hallama as Brünnhilde; Berlin, ?

Maud Perceval Allen as Brünnhilde; London, ?

Rudolf Ritter as Siegfried; Stuttgart, ?

Fanny Wahrmann-Schöllinger as Brünnhilde; Hannover, 1926(?)