Elisabeth Schärtel | |
|---|---|
 Schärtel in 1955 | |
| Born | (1919-10-06)6 October 1919 Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Germany |
| Died | 24 August 2012(2012-08-24) (aged 92) Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Germany |
| Occupations |
|
| Organizations | |
Elisabeth Schärtel (6 October 1919 – 24 August 2012) was a German operaticmezzo-soprano andcontralto. A member of theCologne Opera from 1959 to 1967, she performed leading parts at major European opera houses and regularly at theBayreuth Festival.
Born inWeiden in der Oberpfalz, she studied withAnna Bahr-Mildenburg in Munich and withHenny Wolff in Hamburg. She made her debut in 1942 at theStadttheater Gießen. From 1959 to 1967 she was a member of the Cologne Opera. In 1965, she appeared there as the mother of Stolzius in the premiere of Bernd Alois Zimmermann'sDie Soldaten.[1] She performed in opera recordings by the broadcasterWestdeutscher Rundfunk, such as Verdi'sFalstaff withMario Rossi conducting, where she sang Meg Page alongsideDietrich Fischer-Dieskau in the title role.[2]
Schärtel performed at the Bayreuth Festival from 1954 to 1967, singing leading parts in Wagner's music dramas as well as minor parts. In 1954 and 1955 she appeared as Mary inDer fliegende Holländer, in 1958 to 1961 every year as Magdalene inDie Meistersinger von Nürnberg, in 1962 as Erda inDas Rheingold and Ortrud inLohengrin.[1]
She was a guest in European opera houses and at festivals. In 1961 she appeared at theMaggio Musicale Fiorentino as Adelaide inArabella by Richard Strauss.[1] In 1962 she was a guest at theHamburg State Opera as the Nurse inDie Frau ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss, staged byOscar Fritz Schuh and conducted byWolfgang Sawallisch, alongsideFranz Crass andHelga Pilarczyk, among others.[3] In 1966, she appeared as Brangäne in Wagner'sTristan und Isolde at theVienna State Opera.[4] She performed Magdalene in Lisbon, and Kundry in Wagner'sParsifal at theDeutsche Oper Berlin.[1]
Schärtel was a voice teacher at theMusikhochschule Nürnberg.[1] She died in her home town and was buried on the municipal cemetery on 29 August 2012.[5]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
