Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Some critics commented that "his heart felt every word he sang", later also a conductor. He owed much of his fame to his prodigious 725 recordings, rivaled only by the recorded output of John McCormack.
Born out of wedlock to the soubrette Elisabeth Seifferth and
the actor Richard Anton Tauber, Richard was initially fostered by a childless
couple in Linz, where in 1897 he began school before leaving the following year
to live with his father in Graz. In 1900 they moved: first to Prague, where he
attended the German School; then after a short spell in Berlin to Wiesbaden in
1903, where during 1906 Tauber received music lessons from the future conductor
Artur Rother. During the following year he decided to become a singer, which persuaded
his father to enrol him from 1908 at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt to
study conducting, composition and piano. In 1911 he moved to Freiburg,
attending the Basle Conservatory and becoming a pupil of voice teacher Carl
Beines.
Immediately before the outbreak of World War I Tauber sang
Max at the Zoppot Waldoper opposite Lotte Lehmann; he first sang at the Berlin
Staatsoper in 1915 as a very late replacement as Bacchus / Ariadne auf Naxos
with the composer Richard Strauss conducting. In Dresden he continued to
develop his repertoire and in 1916 was appointed a Kammersänger.
Following further guest appearances in Berlin, Tauber made
his Viennese debut in 1920, initially at the Volksoper and then at the
Staatsoper, standing in for Alfred Piccaver as Rodolfo / La Bohème. This was
followed by further guest appearances there during the autumn of 1921 as well
as performances at the Salzburg Festival in 1922. He became a member of the
Vienna State Opera from the autumn of 1922 onwards, expanding his repertoire
still further.
From 1923 Tauber began to sing across Germany and abroad,
for instance in Munich and Hamburg, as well as in Dresden, Berlin and with the
Vienna State Opera on tour in Paris, while maintaining a frequent recording
schedule. Further roles. In Berlin he
appeared in the local premiere of Franz Schreker’s Der ferne Klang in 1925. By
the later 1920s Tauber had become a European star of the first magnitude,
appearing in Vienna, Berlin, France, Holland and Hungary, recording intensely
and from 1926 onwards often appearing in operettas especially composed for him
by Lehár. During 1931 he made his English debut in the London premiere of The
Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns), followed later in the year by his first
concert tour of America.
After the advent of Hitler’s National Socialist government
in 1933 Tauber was physically attacked in Berlin and left Germany, never to
return. While appearing regularly at the Vienna State Opera he toured
extensively, mainly singing operetta, and during 1934 starred in the successful
British film Blossom Time, followed by Heart’s Desire (1935) and Pagliacci
(1936).
After meeting the actress Diana Napier, whom he married in 1936 after
divorcing his first wife Carlotta Vanconti, he appeared often in England while
remaining active in Vienna and on the continent until the Anschluss of 1938.
Shortly afterwards he made his debut at the Royal Opera House, London after
which he undertook an extensive tour of Australia and South Africa. Tauber
became a British subject in 1940, writing his operetta Old Chelsea to celebrate
this event, and was extremely active throughout World War II, giving concerts
all over England.
Despite extreme difficulties in
breathing and the collapse of one lung, Tauber gave a bravura performance in
one of his favourite roles, Don Ottavio in "Don Giovannia" at Covent
Garden on September 27, 1947 and fulfilled this engagement the following day at
the Camden Theatre, having begun and ended his formidable career performing
Mozart.
Three days later, on October 1st, he entered Guy's Hospital
for the removal of a cancerous lung; the surgery took place the next day--only
five days after his final performance. Tauber died of complications on January
8, 1948.
On returning to England in 1947, following persistent vocal
problems, he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. He refused surgery until
he had sung Don Ottavio with the visiting Vienna State Opera at Covent Garden
and died at the beginning of the following year. (Edited from Naxos liner notes and IMDb)
1 comment:
For “ Richard Tauber – My Heart And I” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/11708111/Richard_Tauber_-_My_Heart_And_I.rar.html
01. My Heart And I
02. O Maiden My Maiden (O Madchen, mein Madchen)
03. Lover Come Back To Me
04. Sleepy Lagoon
05. When day Is Done
06. One Alone
07. At The Balalaika
08. Vienna, City Of My Dreams
09. Can I Forget You?
10. Pedro The Fisherman
11. Girls Were Made To Love And Kiss
12. You Are My Hearts Delight
13. You Mean The World To Me (Du Bist Die Welt Fur Mich)
14. We'll Gather Lilacs
15. On With The Motley
16. Messun Dorma
17. One Day When We Were Young
18. Dearly Beloved
19. Roses Of Picardy
20. Waltz Of My Heart
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