The Moralt Ring

Rudolf Moralt

Biographical notes:

b Munich, 1902; d  Vienna, 1958  (nephew of Richard Strauss)

Teachers: Studied at the Munich University and with Walter Courvoisier at the Vienna Music Academy.

Career: Debut as répétiteur at the Vienna State Opera in 1919 under Bruno Walter and Hans Knappertsbusch. Kaiserslautern, 1923-1927. Music director at the German Theatre in Brno, 1928-1931. Kaiserslautern, 1932-1933. Braunschweig, 1934-1936. Graz, 1937-1940. Debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1937. Salzburg Festival, 1952. Chief conductor at the Vienna State Opera, 1940-1958 (the year of his early death).

Comment: Rudolf Moralt was an unaffected and deeply understanding conductor who was responsible for a high standard of repertory performances at the Vienna State Opera for almost 20 years. His musical and stylistic competence as well as his profound knowledge about singing achieved many fine performances, especially of works by Mozart, Wagner, Pfitzner and Richard Strauss.

This Ring testifies Moralt’s reputation as a highly gifted conductor who was able to breath with his singers --> CAST

 

Recordings:

Recital (Arias by Beethoven, Wagner, Gounod, Bizet, Offenbach, Mussorgsky, Borodin, Verdi)

Preiser-CO

D’Albert - Tiefland (Moralt 1957/Brouwenstijn, Hopf, Schöffler, Czerwenka, Waechter)

Philips

Mozart - Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Moralt 1957, without dialogues/Schwarzkopf, Loose, Dermota, Klein, Alsen)

Gala

Mozart - Don Giovanni (Moralt 1955/London, Zadek, Jurinac, Simoneau, Berry, Waechter, Sciutti, Weber)

Philips

Mozart - Così fan tutte (Moralt 1955/Stich-Randall, Malaniuk, Sciutti, Kmentt, Berry, Ernster)

Philips

Strauss R. - Salome (Moralt 1952 live/Wegner, von Milinkovic, Szemere, Kmentt, Metternich)

Philips

Wagner - Parsifal (Moralt 1948 live/Treptow, Anny Konetzni, Schöffler, Braun, Weber, Vogel)

Myto

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Moralt 1948/49 live)

Gebhardt Records

 

Ferdinand Frantz

Wilhelm Furtwängler’s favorite Wotan

Biographical notes:

b Kassel, 1906; d Munich, 1959 (married to Helena Braun)

Teachers: Mostly self-trained as a bass (!). From 1943 onwards he switched to “Heldenbariton” roles.

Debut: In 1927 as Hermann Ortel (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) at the Staatstheater Kassel.

Career: Chemnitz, 1932-1937. Hamburg State Opera, 1937-1942. Munich State Opera, 1943-1959. Waldfestspiele Zoppot, 1940-1941. Guest appearances at the Vienna State Opera, Dresden Semper Opera, La Scala. Covent Garden, 1953-1954. Teatro San Carlo, Naples, 1949-1951. Met, 1953-1954. Salzburg Festival, 1948 and 1955. Until his untimely death he remained a member of the Munich State Opera.

Repertoire: King Marke, Rocco, König Heinrich, Daland, Wotan, Hans Sachs, Kurwenal, Pizarro, Morone in Pfitzner’s Palestrina, Orest, Jochanaan, Jupiter in Strauss’ Daphne,Telramund, Title role in Zillig’s Das Opfer, Méphistophélès, Galitsy in Borodin’s Prince Igor. Ferdinand Frantz was also a noted concert and oratorio singer.

 

Recordings:

Beethoven - Fidelio (Furtwängler 1948 live/Schlüter, Patzak, Alsen, Edelmann, della Casa, Schock)

Melodram (LP)

Pfitzner - Palestrina (Heger 1951 live/Patzak, Hotter, Nentwig, Szabo)

Melodram

Strauss R. - Salome (Schröder 1952 live/Borkh, Klose, Lorenz, Fehringer)

Myto

Strauss R. - Elektra (Schröder 1953 live/Borkh, Kupper, Klose, Bensing)

Golden Melodram

Wagner - Lohengrin (Jochum 1952/Fehenberger, Kupper, Braun, von Rohr)

DGG (LP)

Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Kempe 1951/Aldenhoff, Pflanzl, Böhme, Unger, Lemnitz, Walter-Sacks)

Myto

Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Kempe 1956/Rudolf Schock, Benno Kusche, Gottlob Frick, Gerhard Unger, Elisabeth Grümmer, Marga Höffgen)

EMI

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Moralt 1948/49 live --> see below)

Gebhardt Records

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Furtwängler 1950 live --> see below)

Gebhardt Records

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Furtwängler 1953, broadcast/ Windgassen Konetzni, Frick, Mödl, Cavelti, Suthaus, Patzak, Greindl, Klose, Streich, Poll, Pernetsdorfer, Jurinac)

EMI

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde (Knappertsbusch 1950 live/Treptow, Braun, Schöffler, Klose. Bonus on Gala: Wesendonck-Lieder and several duets with Ferdinand Frantz)

Gala                  Orfeo d’or

Wagner - Die Walküre (Furtwängler 1954/Mödl, Suthaus, Rysanek, Frick, Klose)

EMI

Zoppot - Bayreuth of the North

Preiser-LV

Aus Münchens Operngeschichte

Preiser-LV

Sie sangen im Prinzregententheater München

Preiser-LV

 

Ferdinand Frantz as Wotan

Als junger Liebe Lust mir verblich (Wotan in Die Walküre, Act 2)

 

Helena Braun

A fine and (today) underrated dramatic soprano

Biographical notes:

b Düsseldorf, 1903; d  Sonthofen-Allgäu, 1990 (married to Ferdinand Frantz)

Teachers: Studied in Düsseldorf and Cologne as a contralto. From 1933onwards she switched to high dramatic soprano roles.

Debut: In 1928 at the Stadttheater Koblenz (role not known to me).

Career: Bielefeld, 1930-1931. Wuppertal, 1932. Wiesbaden, 1933-1940. Munich State Opera,  1940. Vienna State Opera, 1939-1949. Waldfestspiele Zoppot, 1939 and 1941. Salzburg Festival, 1941-1942 . Guest appearances at the State operas of Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart as well as at La Scala, Covent Garden, Grand Opéra Paris, Rome, Monte Carlo and the Met.

Repertoire: Donna Elvira, Donna Anna, The Countess, Leonore, Martha (Tiefland), Venus, Brünnhilde, Waltraute, Ortrud, Kundry, Senta, Isolde, Octavian, Johanna (in Wagner-Régeny’s Johanna Balk), Elektra, Herodias, Klytämnestra, The Mother in Hänsel und Gretel, Ariadne, Minneleide in Pfitzner’s Die Rose vom Liebesgarten, Esmeralda in Schmidt’s Notre Dame, Ulrica, Aida, Amneris, Carmen, Santuzza, Yaroslawna in Borodin’s Prince Igor.

 

Recordings:

Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro (Krauss 1942 live/Hotter, Beilke, Kunz, Fischer, Witt)

Preiser

Wagner - Lohengrin (R. Kraus 1951/Anders, Eipperle, Kronenberg, Greindl)

Myto

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Moralt 1949, broadcast --> see below)

Gebhardt Records

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde (Knappertsbusch 1950 live/Treptow, Frantz, Schöffler, Klose). Bonus on Gala: Wesendonck-Lieder and several duets with Ferdinand Frantz

Gala             Orfeo d’or

Four Famous Sopranos (+ Viorica Ursuleac, Hildegard Ranczak and Trude Eipperle)

Preiser-LV

Zoppot - Bayreuth of the North

Preiser-LV

Unvergessene Stimmen der Wiener Staatsoper

Preiser-LV

Aus Münchens Opergeschichte

Preiser-LV

Sie sangen im Prinzregententheater München

Preiser-LV

Grosse Mozartsänger Vol. 1 (1922-1942)

Orfeo d’or

 

As Isolde - one of her greatest achievements

 

As Ortrud

 

So sah ich Siegvater nie (Brünnhilde in Die Walküre, Act 2)

 

Gertrude Grob-Prandl

Truly a “Hochdramatische”

Biographical notes:

Dates: b Vienna, 1917; d  Vienna, 1995

Teachers: Studied at the Vienna Music Academy.

Debut: In 1939 as Satuzza at the Vienna Volksoper (then Opernhaus der Stadt Wien)

Career: Vienna Volksoper, 1939-1945. Zurich, 1945-1947. Vienna State Opera, 1947-1964. Guest appearances in Italy (Naples, Rome, Florence, La Scala) where she was particularly admired. Guest appearances at Covent Garden, Buenos Aires and Barcelona. Salzburg Festival, 1949. From 1954 onwards she became a member of the Berlin State Opera as well as of the Vienna State Opera. Opera of San Francisco, 1953. Arena di Verona, 1954. Hamburg State Opera, 1961-1964. She completed her career in 1972.

Repertoire: Santuzza, Amelia, Elisabetta, Aida, Tosca, Ariadne, Martha in d’Albert’s Tiefland, Donna Anna, Rosalinde, Isolde, Brünnhilde, Turandot, Donna Anna, First Lady (Die Zauberflöte).

 

Recordings:

Recital (R. Strauss, Schumann, Wagner, Weber)

Myto

Mozart - Idomeneo (von Zallinger/G. Hopf, Taubmann, Menzel, Handt)

Vox

Mozart - Don Giovanni (Swarowsky 1950/Stabile, H. Konetzni, Handt, Pernerstorfer, Poell, Czerwenka)

Preiser

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (Furtwängler 1949 live/Seefried, Ludwig, Schmitt-Walter, Lipp, Greindl)

Arlecchino

Puccini - Turandot (Capuana 1953 live/Ferrari-Ongaro, Srpuzzola-Zola, Scott, Rossi)

Melodram

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Moralt 1949, broadcast --> see below)

Gebhardt Records

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde (de Sabata 1951 live/Lorenz, S. Nilsson, Björling, Cavelti) --> to be released in near future!

Gebhardt Records

 

In her debut role as Santuzza

Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht! with Günther Treptowas Siegfried (Brünnhilde in Siegfried, Act 3)

 

Günther Treptow

“Heldentenor” admired by Clemens Krauss

Biographical notes:

Dates: b Berlin, 1907; d  Berlin, 1981

Teachers: He trained as a baritone at the Musikhochschule Berlin, further studies with the Italian bass Giovanni Scarmeo. He changed to a tenor before his debut in 1939.

Debut: In 1939 as Italian Singer in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin.

Career: Deutsche Oper, Berlin, 1936-1942. Vienna Volksoper (Opernhaus der Stadt Wien), 1938. Zoppot Waldfestspiele, 1939. State Opera Munich, from 1940. Vienna State Opera, 1947-1955. La Scala Milan, 1950. Covent Garden, 1953. Guest appearances in France, Spain, Russia and Switzerland. Met, 1950-1951. Bayreuth Festival, 1951-1952/1961/1963-1964/1968. Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, 1954. Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels, 1954-1955. Berlin State Opera, 1955-1961. Deutsche Oper Berlin, 1962-1972.

Repertoire: Italian singer (Rosenkavalier), Otello, Max, Rienzi, Florestan, Tannhäuser, Siegmund, Rienzi, Stolzing, Balthasar Zorn, Ulrich Eisslinger, Siegfried, Pedro, Evangelimann, Max, Aegisth, Stewa, Canio, Tristan, Parisfal, Jörg in Bittner’s Der Bergsee, Aminta La Rocca (his last stage appearance in Henze’s Der junge Lord).

 

Recordings:

Bittner - Der Bergsee (Prohaska 1953 live/H. Konetzni, Patzak, Waechter)

Myto

Henze - Der junge Lord (von Dohnány  1967 live/Mc Daniel, Little, Sardi, Krebs, Hesse, Mathis)

DGG

Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Jochum 1949 live/Hotter, Kusche, Proebstl, Kuen, Kupper, Michaelis)

Myto

Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Knappertsbusch 1951/Schöffler, Dönch, Edelmann, Dermota, Güden, Schürhoff)

Decca

Wagner - Parsifal (Moralt 1948 live/A. Konetzni, Schöffler, Weber)

Myto

Wagner - Rienzi (Zillig 1950 live/Eipperle, Gonszar, Schlüter)

Melodram

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Moralt 1949, broadcast --> see below)

Gebhardt Records

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Furtwängler 1950 live --> see below)

Gebhardt Records

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Keilberth 1952 live/Uhde, Witte, Neidlinger, Weber, Windgassen, Hotter, Varnay, Aldenhoff, Lorenz)

Arlecchino

Wagner - Tannhäuser (Schröder 1949/Eipperle, Joesten, Schlusnus, von Rohr)

Gebhardt Records

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde (Knappertsbusch 1950 live/Braun, Schöffler, Frantz, Klose)

Gala             Orfeo d’or

Recital (Arias of Wagner, Goldmark, Kienzl, Leoncavallo, Puccini, Lehár)

Preiser-LV

Zoppot - Bayreuth of the North

Preiser-LV

Aus Münchens Operngeschichte

Preiser-LV

Sie sangen im Prinzregententheater München

Preiser-LV

 

Siegmund (and Siegfried)

Ein trauriges Kind rief mich zum Trutz (Siegmund in Die Walküre, Act 1)

 

Hilde Konetzni (Konerczny)

“Wiener Kammersängerin”

Biographical notes:

b Vienna, 1905; d  Vienna, 1980. Her sister Anny Konetzni was a highly acclaimed dramatic soprano.

Teachers: Studied with Rudolf Nilius at the Vienna Music Academy and in Prague with Ludmila Prohasková-Neumannová.

Debut: In 1929 as Sieglinde at the Stadttheater Chemnitz (to her sister’s Brünnhilde)

Career: German Theatre, Prague, 1932-1935. Vienna State Opera, from 1936-1973! Salzburg Festival, 1936. Covent Garden, 1938/1947/1955. Zurich, 1946.

Repertoire: Sieglinde, Gutrune, Leonore (Il Trovatore), Agathe, Elisabeth, Donna Elvira, Chrysothemis, Färberin, Kaiserin, Rezia, Leonore, Rosalinde, Elisabetta, Amelia, Marschallin,  Title role in Fried Walter’s Königin Elisabeth, Yaroslavna in Borodin’s Prince Igor, title role in Hans Sutermeister’s Niobe. Many smaller character parts after 1970.

 

Recordings:

Beethoven - Fidelio (Böhm 1944/Seefried, Ralf, Klein, Schöffler, Alsen)

Preiser

Bittner - Der Bergsee (Prohaska 1953 live/Treptow, Patzak, Waechter)

Myto

Giordano - Andrea Chénier (von Matacic 1960 live/Tebaldi, Corelli, Bastianini, Höngen)

Melodram

Mozart - Don Giovanni (Swarowsky 1950/Stabile, Grob-Prandl, Handt, Pernerstorfer, Poell, Czerwenka)

Preiser

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (Toscanini 1937 live/Novotná, Roswaenge, Domgraf-Fassbaender)

Melodram

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (Böhm 1944 live/Reining, Anders, Piltti, Poell, Weber)

Myto

Smetana - The Bartered Bride (Beecham 1939 live/Tauber, Krenn, Tessmer, Rothmüller, Kalter)

Melodram

Verdi - Macbeth (Böhm 1944/Höngen, Ahlersmeyer)

Preiser

Verdi - Otello (Böhm 1944 live/Ralf, Schöffler, Nikolaidi, Witt)

Preiser

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Moralt 1949, broadcast --> see below)

Gebhardt Records

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Furtwängler 1950 live --> see below)

Gebhardt Records Urania

Recital - Arias of Wagner, Beethoven, Puccini, Mozart, Smetana, Verdi, R. Strauss

Preiser-LV

Four Austrian Sopranos of the Past (+ Berta Kiurina, Luise Helletsgruber, Maria Reining)

Preiser-LV

Richard Wagner on Record

Preiser-LV

Unvergessene Stimmen der Wiener Staatsoper

Preiser-LV

Aus Münchens Operngeschichte

Preiser-LV

Wiener Opernlieblinge seinerzeit

Preiser-LV

Stars der Wien Oper Vol. 1

ORF

Richard Strauss accompanies Anton Dermota, Hilde Konetzni and Alfred Poell

Preiser

 

    Agathe                                               Elsa

Hinweg! hinweg! flieh’ die Entweihte (Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Act 2)

 

Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Conductor

Rudolf Moralt                                       Die Wiener Symphoniker, Vienna          --> broadcast, concert performances

Wilhelm Furtwängler                   Orchestra della Scala, Milan                    --> Opera performances

Das Rheingold:

1948 (without interval)

4 March, 1950

Wotan

Ferdinand Frantz

Ferdinand Frantz

Fricka

Elisabeth Höngen

Elisabeth Höngen

Alberich

Adolf Vogel

Alois Pernerstorfer

Loge

Dr. Julius Pölzer

Joachim Sattler

Donner

Alfred Poell

Angelo Mattiello

Froh

Willy Friedrich

Günther Treptow

Freia

Ilona Steingruber

Walburga Wegener

Erda

Rosette Anday

Margret Weth-Falke

Mime

William Wernigk

Peter Markwort

Fasolt

Marjan Rus

Ludwig Weber

Fafner

Herbert Alsen

Albert Emmerich

Woglinde

Ester Rethy

Magda Gabory

Wellgunde

Martha Rohs

Margherita Kenney

Flosshilde

Sieglinde Wagner

Sieglinde Wagner

Die Walküre:

1949  (one act at a time)

9 March, 1950

Wotan

Ferdinand Frantz

Ferdinand Frantz

Fricka

Rosette Anday

Elisabeth Höngen

Brünnhilde

Helena Braun

Kirsten Flagstad

Sieglinde

Hilde Konetzni

Hilde Konetzni

Siegmund

Günther Treptow

Günther Treptow

Hunding

Herbert Alsen

Ludwig Weber

Schwertleite

Alice Ostrowsky

Polly Batic

Helmwige

Ilona Steingruber

Ilona Steingruber

Siegrune

Gertrude Burgstaller-Schuster

Margherita Kenney

Gerhilde

Judith Hellwig

Walburga Wegener

Ortlinde

Ester Rethy

Karen Marie Crkall

Waltraute

Rosette Anday

Dagmar Schmedes

Grimgerde

Dagmar Hermann

Sieglinde Wagner

Rossweisse

Else Schürhoff

Margret Weth-Falke

Siegfried:

1949 (one act at the time)

22 March, 1950

Siegfried

Günther Treptow

Max Lorenz

Brünnhilde

Gertrude Grob-Prandl

Kirsten Flagstad

Der Wanderer (Wotan)

Ferdinand Frantz

Josef Herrmann

Mime

William Wernigk

Peter Markwort

Erda

Rosette Anday

Elisabeth Höngen

Alberich

Adolf Vogel

Alois Pernerstorfer

Fafner

Herbert Alsen

Ludwig Weber

Waldvogel

Ruthilde Boesch

Julia Moor

Götterdämmerung:

1949  (one act at the time)

4 April, 1950

Siegfried

Günther Treptow

Max Lorenz

Brünnhilde

Gertrude Grob-Prandl

Kirsten Flagstad

Gunther

Karl Kamann

Josef Herrmann

Gutrune (Act 1/2)

Hilde Konetzni

Hilde Konetzni

Gutrune (Act 3)

Judith Hellwig

Hilde Konetzni

Waltraute

Rosette Anday

Elisabeth Höngen

Alberich

Adolf Vogel

Alois Pernerstorfer

Hagen

Ludwig Weber

Ludwig Weber

Erste Norn

Rosette Anday

Margret Weth-Falke

Zweite Norn

Georgine von Milinkovic

Margherita Kenney

Dritte Norn

Hilde Konetzni

Hilde Konetzni

Woglinde

Elisabeth Rutgers

Magda Gabory

Wellgunde

Martha Rohs

Margherita Kenney

Flosshilde

Sieglinde Wagner

Sieglinde Wagner