Lehmann, Lilli

SINGER, VOCAL TEACHER (GERMANY)
BORN 24 Nov 1848, Würzburg, Bayern - DIED 17 May 1929, Berlin
BIRTH NAME Lehmann, Elisabeth Maria
GRAVE LOCATION Berlin: Landeseigener Friedhof Dahlem, Königin-Luise-Straße 57 (Feld 1 (Abt. 31 - 35) (Ehrengrab))

German soprano Lilli Lehmann's mother Maria Theresia Löw was Jewish and had been a prima donna at the Opera of Kassel under Louis Spohr. Her father Karl-August Lehmann was a tenor. Lilli debuted in 1865 in Prague. She studied under Heinrich Laube and in 1870 she went to Berlin, where she was engaged at the Opera until 1885. In 1876 she sang in Wagner's "Das Rheingold" at the first Festspiele in Bayreuth.

In 1881 Wagner asked her to select and educate six flowermaidens for his new opera "Parsifal". She accepted until it became clear that Fritz Brandt succeeded his father as technical director of the festival. There had been an unhappy love affair between her and Fritz Brandt and others had to take care of the flowermaidens.

From 1885 until 1889 she performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1888 she married singer Paul Kalisch. They had a son, David. When she returned to Berlin later than allowed she faced a ban, but the emperor himself intervened. In 1901 she was one of the founders of the Salzburger Musikfeste. In 1902 she published "Meine Gesangskunst" ("My Singing Art"). After he active career she worked as a teacher. Among her pupils were Geraldine Farrar and Olive Fremstad.

Related persons
• was teacher of Farrar, Geraldine
• is brother/sister of Lehmann, Marie
• has a connection with Moser, Anton
• was teacher of Onegin, Sigrid
• knew Radecke, Robert
• cooperated with Wagner, Richard

Events
13/8/1876Premiere of Wagner's "Ring" in Bayreuth starting with "Das Rheingold". It was performed from August 13th to August 17th. "Das Rheingold" had its premiere in Munich in 1869, but this time the entire "Ring" was performed. Many illiustrious persons were present, among them Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany and King Ludwig II of Bavaria. On the 13th "Das Rheingold" was performed. Among the singers were Franz Betz, Heinrich Vogl, Friederike Grün, Marie Haupt, Eugen Gura, Georg Unger, Louise Jaide, Karl Hill, Max Schlosser, Albert Eilers, Franz von Reichenberg, Lilli Lehmann, Marie Lehmann and Minna Lammert. [Friedrich-Materna, Amalie][Lehmann, Marie][Richter, Hans][Vogl, Heinrich][Wagner, Richard][Wilhelm I, emperor of Germany]
14/8/1876Wagner's "Die Walküre" performed in Bayreuth as second part of the full "Ring". Hans Richter was the conductor. Among the singers were Albert Niemann, Josephine Schefsky, Franz Betz, Friederike Grün, Amelie Materna, Marie Haupt, Lilli Lehmann, Marie Lehmann, Luise Kaide, Johanna Jachmann-Wagner, Hedwig Reicher-Kindermann and Minna Lammert. [Friedrich-Materna, Amalie][Lehmann, Marie][Niemann, Albert][Reicher-Kindermann, Hedwig][Richter, Hans][Wagner, Richard]
17/8/1876Premiere of Wagner's "Götterdämmerung" in Bayreuth as the fourth part of his "Ring". Hans Richter was the conductor. The singers were George Unger, Amalie Materna, Eugen Gura, Mathilde Weckerlin, Gustav Siehr, Kal Hill, Luise Jade, Jahanna Jachmann-Wagner, Josephine Schefsky, Friederike Grün, Lilli Lehmann, Marie Lehmann and Minna Lammert. [Friedrich-Materna, Amalie][Lehmann, Marie][Richter, Hans][Wagner, Richard]
0/5/1899Lilli Lehmann sings the part of Brünnhilde at the Maifestspiele in Wiesbaden. Wagner's entire "Ring des Nibelungen" was performed during that year. After that she also sang the part of Irmentraut in Lortzing's "Waffenschmied". She had also been a guest at the Maifestspiele in 1896 and she remembered them with pleasure in her autobiography. [Lortzing, Albert][Wagner, Richard]

Images

The grave of Lilli Lehmann at the Landeseigener Friedhof Dahlem, Berlin.
Picture by androom (24 Aug 2006)

 

Sources
• Ernst, Helmut & Heinrich Stümbke, Wo sie ruhen..., Kleiner Führer zu den Grabstätten bekannter Berliner in West und Ost, Stapp Verlag, Berlin, 1986
Encyclopedie van de Muziek, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1959
• Mende, Hans-Jürgen, Lexicon Berliner Grabstätten, Haude & Spener, 2006
Lilli Lehmann - Wikipedia
Das Rheingold – Wikipedia
Die Walküre - Wikipedia
Götterdämmerung - Wikipedia
Lehmann, Lilli (Elisabeth Maria), verheiratete Lehmann-Kalisch | Landeshauptstadt Wiesbaden


Lehmann, Lotte

Published: 18 Jan 2008
Last update: 25 Jan 2022