Christel Goltz
Encyclopedia
Christel Goltz was a German opera
tic soprano
. One of the leading dramatic soprano
s of her generation, she possessed a rich voice with a brilliant range and intensity. She was particularly associated with the operas of Richard Strauss
, especially Salome
and Elektra
, and with contemporary operas.
Born in Dortmund
, she studied in Munich
with Ornelli-Leeb and with Theodor Schenk, whom she later married. After singing small roles, she made her official debut in Fuerth, as Agathe
, in 1935. She sang one season in Plauen
, before joining the roster of principal sopranos at the Staatsoper Dresden through the invitation of Karl Böhm
in 1936. She remained at that house until 1950. She began appearing at both the Berlin State Opera
and the Stadtische Oper Berlin in 1947, and at the Munich State Opera and Vienna State Opera
in 1950. Beginning in 1951, she also made guest appearances in Salzburg
, Milan
, Rome, Brussels, Paris, London, Buenos Aires, and sang at the New York Metropolitan Opera
in 1954.
Besides Salome and Elektra, her greatest successes included; the title role in Jenůfa
, Marie in Wozzeck
, Die Farberin in Die Frau ohne Schatten
, Leonora in Fidelio
, Elettra in Idomeneo
. She created the title role in Carl Orff
's Antigone
and Rolf Liebermann
's Penelope.
An intense singing-actress with a clear and powerful voice of great range, she also tackled a few Italian roles, notably Turandot
.
She died in Baden, Austria, aged 96.
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 soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
. One of the leading dramatic soprano
Dramatic soprano
A dramatic soprano is an operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually mean less agility than lighter voices but a sustained, fuller sound. Usually this voice has a lower tessitura than...
s of her generation, she possessed a rich voice with a brilliant range and intensity. She was particularly associated with the operas of Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
, especially Salome
Salome (opera)
Salome is an opera in one act by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by the composer, based on Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde. Strauss dedicated the opera to his friend Sir Edgar Speyer....
and Elektra
Elektra (opera)
Elektra is a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal...
, and with contemporary operas.
Born in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, she studied in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
with Ornelli-Leeb and with Theodor Schenk, whom she later married. After singing small roles, she made her official debut in Fuerth, as Agathe
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
, in 1935. She sang one season in Plauen
Plauen
Plauen is a town in the Free State of Saxony, east-central Germany.It is the capital of the Vogtlandkreis. The town is situated near the border of Bavaria and the Czech Republic.Plauen's slogan is Plauen - echt Spitze.-History:...
, before joining the roster of principal sopranos at the Staatsoper Dresden through the invitation of Karl Böhm
Karl Böhm
Karl August Leopold Böhm was an Austrian conductor. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century.- Education :...
in 1936. She remained at that house until 1950. She began appearing at both the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
and the Stadtische Oper Berlin in 1947, and at the Munich State Opera and Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
in 1950. Beginning in 1951, she also made guest appearances in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Rome, Brussels, Paris, London, Buenos Aires, and sang at the New York 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 1954.
Besides Salome and Elektra, her greatest successes included; the title role in Jenůfa
Jenufa
Jenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
, Marie in Wozzeck
Wozzeck
Wozzeck is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was composed between 1914 and 1922 and first performed in 1925. The opera is based on the drama Woyzeck left incomplete by the German playwright Georg Büchner at his death. Berg attended the first production in Vienna of Büchner's...
, Die Farberin in Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917...
, Leonora in Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
, Elettra in Idomeneo
Idomeneo
Idomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante is an Italian language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco from a French text by Antoine Danchet, which had been set to music by André Campra as Idoménée in 1712...
. She created the title role in Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
's Antigone
Antigone (opera)
Antigonae , written by Carl Orff, was first presented on 9 August 1949 under the direction of Ferenc Fricsay in the Felsenreitschule, Salzburg, Austria. Antigonae is in Orff's words a "musical setting" for the Greek tragedy by Sophocles of the same name...
and Rolf Liebermann
Rolf Liebermann
Rolf Liebermann , was a Swiss composer and music administrator born in Zurich, and associated with several different musical genres. His output included chansons, classical, and light music. His classical music often combines myriad styles and techniques, including those drawn from baroque,...
's Penelope.
An intense singing-actress with a clear and powerful voice of great range, she also tackled a few Italian roles, notably Turandot
Turandot
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...
.
She died in Baden, Austria, aged 96.
Recordings
- Salome - Christel Goltz, Inger Karen, Bernd AldenhoffBernd AldenhoffBernd Aldenhoff was a German Heldentenor.He was born in 1908 in Duisburg and was raised in an orphanage in the Rhineland....
, Josef HerrmannJosef HerrmannJosef Herrmann was a German baritone, notable for his performances in the operas of Richard Wagner.He was born in Darmstadt and made his professional debut at Kaiserslautern...
- Saxon State Orchestra, 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...
- Oceana (1950) - Turandot — Christel Goltz, Hans HopfHans HopfHans Hopf was a German operatic tenor, one of the leading heldentenors of the immediate postwar period....
, Teresa Stich-RandallTeresa Stich-RandallTeresa Stich-Randall was a European-based American soprano opera singer.-Biography:Teresa Stich-Randall was born in New Hartford, Connecticut in 1927 and studied at The Hartt School in West Hartford....
, Wilhelm Schirp - Cologne Radio Chorus and Orchestra, Georg SoltiGeorg SoltiSir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
- Cantus Classics (1956) sung in German