Hertha Töpper
Encyclopedia
Hertha Töpper is an Austrian contralto
opera
singer.
Töpper, the daughter of a music teacher, began her singing studies at the Graz Conservatorium while still at high school. In 1954, she began her career at the Graz Opera
in the role of Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera
. The first Bayreuth Festival
after World War II invited her in 1951 for Wagner's Ring Cycle
. The same year, her first performance at the Bavarian State Opera
followed as Octavian in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier
. One year later, she became a a contracted member there and was in 1957 part of the world premiere of Hindemith's oper Die Harmonie der Welt
.
Her significant roles include Dorabella in Così fan tutte
, Fricka in Das Rheingold
, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde
, Judith in Bluebeard's Castle
, the title role in Carmen
. She sang in all the great opera house of the world, including London, Vienna, Milan, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rome, Zurich. High points of her career were engagements at the Salzburg Festival
and at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York.
Besides opera, Töpper was a highly reputed concert singer of lied
er and oratorio
s; her collaboration with Karl Richter in the interpretation of works by Johann Sebastian Bach
became reference works.
In 1949, Töpper married the composer Franz Mixa (1902–1994). She was a professor for singing from 1971 until 1981 at the Munich Music College (today Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
) where Elisabeth von Magnus
was among her students.
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer.
Töpper, the daughter of a music teacher, began her singing studies at the Graz Conservatorium while still at high school. In 1954, she began her career at the Graz Opera
Graz Opera
Graz Opera is an opera house and opera company in Graz, Austria.-History:Opera had been performed in Graz since the 17th century, originally in a converted coach house on the Hapsburg royal estates...
in the role of Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The libretto is loosely based on an 1833 play, Gustave III, by French playwright Eugène Scribe who wrote about the historical assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden...
. The first Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
after World War II invited her in 1951 for Wagner's Ring Cycle
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
. The same year, her first performance at the Bavarian State Opera
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
followed as Octavian in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
. One year later, she became a a contracted member there and was in 1957 part of the world premiere of Hindemith's oper Die Harmonie der Welt
Die Harmonie der Welt
Die Harmonie der Welt is an opera in five acts by Paul Hindemith. The German libretto was by the composer....
.
Her significant roles include Dorabella in Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
, Fricka in Das Rheingold
Das Rheingold
is the first of the four operas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen . It was originally written as an introduction to the tripartite Ring, but the cycle is now generally regarded as consisting of four individual operas.Das Rheingold received its premiere at the National Theatre...
, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
, Judith in Bluebeard's Castle
Bluebeard's Castle
Duke Bluebeard's Castle is a one-act opera by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The libretto was written by Béla Balázs, a poet and friend of the composer. It is in Hungarian, based on the French fairy tale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault...
, the title role in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
. She sang in all the great opera house of the world, including London, Vienna, Milan, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rome, Zurich. High points of her career were engagements at the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
and at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York.
Besides opera, Töpper was a highly reputed concert singer of lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s; her collaboration with Karl Richter in the interpretation of works by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
became reference works.
In 1949, Töpper married the composer Franz Mixa (1902–1994). She was a professor for singing from 1971 until 1981 at the Munich Music College (today Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater München is one of the most respected traditional vocational universities in Germany specialising in music and the performing arts. The seat of the Hochschule is the former Führerbau of the NSDAP, located at Arcisstraße 12, on the eastern side of the Königsplatz...
) where Elisabeth von Magnus
Elisabeth von Magnus
Elisabeth von Magnus is an Austrian classical mezzo-soprano.- Family :...
was among her students.
Honours
- 1955 Bavarian KammersängerKammersängerKammersänger , abbreviation: "Ks.", literally means "Chamber singer." It is a German honorific title for distinguished singers...
- 1962 Bavarian Order of MeritBavarian Order of MeritThe Bavarian Order of Merit is the order of merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria and the Bavarian people"....
- 1985 Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Officer's Cross (Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse)
- 1988 Great Cross of Honour of Styria
- 1995 Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and ArtBavarian Maximilian Order for Science and ArtThe Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art was first established on 28 November 1853 by King Maximilian II. von Bayern. It is awarded to acknowledge and reward excellent and outstanding achievements in the field of science and art...
- 2009 Mastersinger Medal (Meistersinger-Medaille), Bavarian State Opera
Sources
- Walter Herrmann, Adrian Hollaender: Legenden und Stars der Oper. Von Gigli über Callas bis Domingo und Netrebko. Leykam, Graz 2007, ISBN 978-3-7011-7571-0.
External links
- Profile, bach-cantatas.com
- Profile with Joseph KeilberthJoseph KeilberthJoseph Keilberth was a German conductor who specialized in opera.He started his career in the State Theatre of his native city, Karlsruhe. In 1940 he became director of the German Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague. Near the end of World War II he became principal conductor of the Dresden...