Adolf Krössing
Encyclopedia
Adolf Krössing was a Czech
opera
tic tenor
, stage director, and actor of both the stage and film. Possessing a smaller voice, Krössing impressed audiences not with his vocal prowess but with his dramatic gifts. A master of improvisation and comic timing, he excelled in character roles. He is particularly remembered for creating roles in several world premieres by Bedřich Smetana
and Antonin Dvořák
.
, the son of a German father and a French mother. He was brought up in an entirely German environment, being schooled by German tutors and speaking primarily German at home. His father wanted Krössing to become a lawyer, but his own proclivities lay towards the theatre. Under the advice of a friend, he began taking singing lessons with František Vogl in Prague. Shortly thereafter he began appearing in stage plays in that city.
Krössing made his first singing appearances in concerts at the Pilsen Theatre. His performances attracted the attention of František Saak, the director of the Provisional Theatre
in Prague. Saak offered him an opera contract and in December 1870 Krössing made his professional opera debut in Gaetano Donizetti
's Lucrezia Borgia
. In September of that same year he played Wenzel in the premiere of the final version of Bedřich Smetana
's opera The Bartered Bride
, a role which he would repeat often throughout his career. His portrayal in this production impressed Smetana, and Krössing was soon invited to join his group of artists that would later be established at the Prague National Theatre
.
Krössing performed with Smetana's group of artists at the Nové České Divadlo (New Czech Theatre) up until 1881 when the National Theatre opened. He continued to appear at that house in operas, operettas, plays, and even the occasional ballet up until 1914. While there he portrayed over 300 roles, both large and small, in well over 4,000 performances. He was also active as a stage director for plays and operas at the theatre from 1890 until his retirement.
Krössing notably appeared in several world premieres during his career. He sang in two premieres of operas by Smetana, singing Skřivánek in The Secret
(1878) and Michǎlek in The Devil's Wall
(1882). He also sang in the premiers of five operas by Antonin Dvořák
; the roles of Jean in The Cunning Peasant
(1878), Toník in The Stubborn Lovers
(1881), Benda in The Jacobin
(1889), the Gamekeeper in Rusalka
(1901), and Sven in Armida
(1904). He also portrayed the role of Adam Ecl in the first production of Karel Kovarovic
's The Dogheads on 24 April 1898.
In his advanced age, Krössing performed in five Czech silent film
s. His first role was of one of his signature stage roles, Wenzel in The Bartered Bride, for a silent film version of the opera. He also worked as a voice teacher both during his opera career and after. His most famous pupil was soprano Růžena Maturová
. By his early 80s, Krössing was seriously ill with a severe case of diabetes. The disease caused his death in 1933 at the age of 85. He is buried at the Vyšehrad cemetery
in Prague.
. He recorded selections from Les Huguenots
, Eugene Onegin
, and The Bartered Bride
.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
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...
tic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, stage director, and actor of both the stage and film. Possessing a smaller voice, Krössing impressed audiences not with his vocal prowess but with his dramatic gifts. A master of improvisation and comic timing, he excelled in character roles. He is particularly remembered for creating roles in several world premieres by Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
and Antonin Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
.
Biography
Krössing was born in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, the son of a German father and a French mother. He was brought up in an entirely German environment, being schooled by German tutors and speaking primarily German at home. His father wanted Krössing to become a lawyer, but his own proclivities lay towards the theatre. Under the advice of a friend, he began taking singing lessons with František Vogl in Prague. Shortly thereafter he began appearing in stage plays in that city.
Krössing made his first singing appearances in concerts at the Pilsen Theatre. His performances attracted the attention of František Saak, the director of the Provisional Theatre
Provisional Theatre (Prague)
The Prague Provisional Theatre was erected in 1862 as a temporary home for Czech drama and opera until a permanent National Theatre could be built. It opened on 18 November 1862 and functioned for 20 years, during which time over 5,000 performances were presented. Between 1866 and 1876 the theatre...
in Prague. Saak offered him an opera contract and in December 1870 Krössing made his professional opera debut in Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
's Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (opera)
Lucrezia Borgia is a melodramma, or opera, in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after the play by Victor Hugo, in its turn after the legend of Lucrezia Borgia. Lucrezia Borgia was first performed on 26 December 1833 at La Scala, Milan with...
. In September of that same year he played Wenzel in the premiere of the final version of Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
's opera The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
, a role which he would repeat often throughout his career. His portrayal in this production impressed Smetana, and Krössing was soon invited to join his group of artists that would later be established at the Prague National Theatre
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
.
Krössing performed with Smetana's group of artists at the Nové České Divadlo (New Czech Theatre) up until 1881 when the National Theatre opened. He continued to appear at that house in operas, operettas, plays, and even the occasional ballet up until 1914. While there he portrayed over 300 roles, both large and small, in well over 4,000 performances. He was also active as a stage director for plays and operas at the theatre from 1890 until his retirement.
Krössing notably appeared in several world premieres during his career. He sang in two premieres of operas by Smetana, singing Skřivánek in The Secret
The Secret (opera)
The Secret is a comic opera in three acts by Bedřich Smetana. The libretto was written by Eliška Krásnohorská. The premiere took place September 18, 1878 at the Nové České Divadlo in Prague.-Background:...
(1878) and Michǎlek in The Devil's Wall
The Devil's Wall
The Devil's Wall is a comic-romantic opera in three acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana and libretto by Eliška Krásnohorská, in their third operatic collaboration...
(1882). He also sang in the premiers of five operas by Antonin Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
; the roles of Jean in The Cunning Peasant
The Cunning Peasant
The Cunning Peasant is an opera by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech-language libretto is by Josef Otakar Veselý.-Composition and reception:...
(1878), Toník in The Stubborn Lovers
The Stubborn Lovers
The Stubborn Lovers , Op. 17, is a one-act comic opera in 16 scenes by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. It was written in 1874 to the libretto of the Czech lawyer and writer Dr. Josef Štolba...
(1881), Benda in The Jacobin
The Jacobin
The Jacobin is an opera in three acts by Antonín Dvořák to an original Czech libretto by Marie Červinková-Riegrová. Červinková-Riegrová took some of the story's characters from the story by Alois Jirásek, "At the Ducal Court", but devised her own plot around them. The first performance was at the...
(1889), the Gamekeeper in Rusalka
Rusalka (opera)
Rusalka is an opera by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová. Rusalka is one of the most successful Czech operas, and represents a cornerstone of the repertoire of Czech opera houses...
(1901), and Sven in Armida
Armida (Dvorák)
Armida is an opera by Antonín Dvořák in four acts, set to a libretto by Jaroslav Vrchlický that was originally based on Torquato Tasso's epic La Gerusalemme liberata...
(1904). He also portrayed the role of Adam Ecl in the first production of Karel Kovarovic
Karel Kovarovic
Karel Kovařovic was a Czech composer and conductor.-Life:From 1873 to 1879 he studied clarinet, harp and piano at the Prague Conservatory. He began his career as a harpist...
's The Dogheads on 24 April 1898.
In his advanced age, Krössing performed in five Czech silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s. His first role was of one of his signature stage roles, Wenzel in The Bartered Bride, for a silent film version of the opera. He also worked as a voice teacher both during his opera career and after. His most famous pupil was soprano Růžena Maturová
Růžena Maturová
Růžena Maturová was a Czech operatic soprano whose international career began in the late 1880s and continued through the first decade of the 20th century....
. By his early 80s, Krössing was seriously ill with a severe case of diabetes. The disease caused his death in 1933 at the age of 85. He is buried at the Vyšehrad cemetery
Vyšehrad cemetery
Established in 1869 on the grounds of Vyšehrad Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, the Vyšehrad cemetery is the final resting place of many composers, artists, sculptors, writers, and those from the world of science and politics...
in Prague.
Filmography
- Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride), 1913 - Vašek
- Legionář, 1920 - Count Otto Rosenberk
- Píseň života (Song of Life), 1924 - Conrad the beggar
- Vdavky Nanynky Kulichovy, 1925 - the role of neuvedena
- Svéhlavička, 1926 - gardener
Recordings
Krössing made a number of recordings of opera arias between 1906 to 1907 on the Gramophone recordGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. He recorded selections from Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots is a French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, one of the most popular and spectacular examples of the style of grand opera. The opera is in five acts and premiered in Paris in 1836. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps....
, Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin (opera)
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
, and The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
.