Höngen, Elisabeth

OPERA SINGER (GERMANY)
BORN 7 Dec 1906, Gevelsberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen - DIED 6 Aug 1997, Wien
GRAVE LOCATION Wien: Neustift am Walde Friedhof, Pötzleinsdorfer Höhe 2 (Gruppe J, Nummer 149)

Mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Höngen performed in public as a violinist when she was only fifteen years old. She studied music and singing in Berlin and in 1932 she qualified as a singing teacher.

In 1933 she debuted at the opera in Wuppertal as Irmentraud in "Waffenschmied". She sang in Düsseldorf from 1935 to 1939. From 1940 to 1943 she worked for the Semperoper in Dresden, where she appeared in Strauss' "Elektra", and in Verdi's "MacBeth". On 30 Jun 1944 she was Waltraut in Wagner's "Götterdämmerung" at the Staatsoper in Vienna. This was the last performance before the Staatsoper was bombed and seriously damaged.

She sang in Munich, London, Paris, Milan and New York and at the festivals of Salzburg and Bayreuth. From 1957 to 1960 she taught an opera class at the Musikakademie in Vienna. She retired from the stage in 1971 and she died in 1997 in Vienna.

Related persons
• was admired by Böhm, Karl

Images

The grave of Elisabeth Höngen at the Friedhof Neustift am Walde, Vienna.
Picture by Androom (27 Aug 2016)

 

Sources
Elisabeth Höngen – Wikipedia


Hood, Thomas

Published: 19 Mar 2017
Last update: 20 Apr 2022