English: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in Lucerne.
Deutsch: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf an den Musikfestwochen in Luzern.
Date: Circa 1948 -1958.
Source: Stiftung Fotodokumentation Kanton Luzern.
Author: Max Albert Wyss.
(Wikimedia Commons)
A rare and practically unknown recording by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf,
that is not widely available on records, from an obscure 1952 radio broadcast.
She sings the celebrated Aria “Glück das mir verblieb'”, from the Opera “Die tote Stadt”, by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, with The Hamburg Rundfunkorchester, conducted by Wilhelm Schüchter. Schwarzkopf never sang this Opera, nor indeed any other work by Korngold, not even his Lieder, as far as I am aware - a great pity, given the rapt quality she brings to this much recorded Aria, that few can match. The photos of Schwarzkopf (circa 1950) and that of Korngold (1922) are from my private collection.
Available on YouTube at
unless stated otherwise.
Dame Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf, DBE (9 December 1915 – 3 August 2006) was a German-born Austro-British Soprano. She was among the foremost singers of Lieder, and was renowned for her performances of Viennese Operetta, as well as the Operas of Mozart, Wagner and Richard Strauss.
After retiring from the Stage, she was a Voice Teacher, internationally. She is considered one of the greatest Sopranos of the 20th-Century.
Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf was born on 9 December 1915 in Jarotschin in the Province of Posen, in Prussia, Germany (now Poland) to Friedrich Schwarzkopf and his wife, Elisabeth (née Fröhlich).
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf sings “Im Abendrot”.
From: The Four Last Songs.
Composer: Richard Strauss.
Available on YouTube at
In 1933, shortly after The Nazis came to power, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's father, a local school headmaster, was dismissed from his position by the new ruling authorities for having refused to allow a Nazi Party meeting at his school.
He was also banned from taking any new teaching post. Until Friedrich Schwarzkopf's dismissal, the probability was that the 17-year-old Elisabeth would have studied Medicine after passing her Abitur; but now, as the daughter of a banned schoolteacher, she was not allowed to enter University and she commenced Music Studies at The Berlin Hochschule für Musik.
Schwarzkopf made her professional debut at The Deutsche Oper Berlin (then called Deutsches Opernhaus) on 15 April 1938, as the Second Flower Maiden (First Group) in Act 2 of Richard Wagner's Parsifal. In 1940, Schwarzkopf was awarded a full contract with The Deutsches Opernhaus, a condition of which was that she had to join The Nazi Party.
Since the theme was brought up in the dissertation of the Austrian Historian, Oliver Rathkolb, in 1982, the question of Schwarzkopf's relationship with The Nazi Party has been discussed repeatedly in the Media and in Literature.
Since the theme was brought up in the dissertation of the Austrian Historian, Oliver Rathkolb, in 1982, the question of Schwarzkopf's relationship with The Nazi Party has been discussed repeatedly in the Media and in Literature.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf sings in “Der Rosenkavalier”.
Available on YouTube at
There was criticism that Schwarzkopf, not only in the years immediately after the War, but also in confrontation with revelations made in the 1980s and 1990s, made contradictory statements, including in regard to her Membership in The NSDAP (Member No. 7,548,960).
At first, she denied this and then, with varying explanations, defended it. In one version, for example, she claimed that she joined The Party only at the insistence of her father, who, himself, had earlier lost his position as School Principal after forbidding a Nazi Programme in the school.
Further Publications discussed her Musical Performances during the War before Nazi Party Conferences and for Units of The Waffen-SS. Her defenders argue in favour of her claim that she always strictly separated Art from Politics and that she was a non-Political person.
In 1942, she was invited to sing with The Vienna State Opera, where her roles included Konstanze, in Mozart's “Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail”, Musett and, later, Mimì, in Puccini's “La Bohème”, and Violetta, in Verdi's “La Traviata”.
Further Publications discussed her Musical Performances during the War before Nazi Party Conferences and for Units of The Waffen-SS. Her defenders argue in favour of her claim that she always strictly separated Art from Politics and that she was a non-Political person.
In 1942, she was invited to sing with The Vienna State Opera, where her roles included Konstanze, in Mozart's “Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail”, Musett and, later, Mimì, in Puccini's “La Bohème”, and Violetta, in Verdi's “La Traviata”.
Schwarzkopf starred in five Feature Films for Reich Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, in which she acted, sang and played the Piano.
In 1945, Schwarzkopf was granted Austrian citizenship to enable her to sing in The Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper). In 1947 and 1948, Schwarzkopf appeared on tour with The Vienna State Opera at London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, on 16 September 1947, as Donna Elvira in Mozart's “Don Giovanni” and at La Scala on 28 December 1948, as the Countess in Mozart's “The Marriage of Figaro”, which became one of her signature roles.
Schwarzkopf later made her official debut at The Royal Opera House, London, on 16 January 1948, as Pamina in Mozart's “The Magic Flute”, in performances sung in English, and at La Scala on 29 June 1950 singing Beethoven's “Missa Solemnis”.
Schwarzkopf's association with The Milanese House in the Early-1950s gave her the opportunity to sing certain roles on Stage for the only time in her career: Mélisande in Debussy's “Pelléas et Mélisande”, Iole in Handel's “Hercules”, Marguerite in Gounod's “Faust”, Elsa in Wagner's “Lohengrin”, as well as her first “Marschallin” in Richard Strauss's “Der Rosenkavalier” and her first “Fiordiligi” in Mozart's “Così fan tutte” at The Piccola Scala.
On 11 September 1951, she appeared as Anne Trulove in the World Premiere of Stravinsky's “The Rake's Progress”. Schwarzkopf made her American debut with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra on 28 October 1054 and 29 October 1954, in Strauss's "Four Last Songs" and the closing scene from “Capriccio”, with Fritz Reiner Conducting; her Carnegie Hall debut was a Lieder Recital on 25 November 1956;[ her American Opera debut was with The San Francisco Opera on 20 September 1955 as the “Marschallin”, and her debut at The Metropolitan Opera on 13 October 1964, also as the “Marschallin”.
In the 1960s, Schwarzkopf concentrated nearly exclusively on five Operatic roles: Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni”, Countess Almaviva in “The Marriage of Figaro”, Fiordiligi in “Così fan tutte”, Countess Madeleine in Strauss's “Capriccio”, and the “Marschallin”. She was also well received as Alice Ford in Verdi's “Falstaff”. However, on the EMI label, she made several "Champagne Operetta" recordings, like Franz Lehár's “The Merry Widow” and Johann Strauss II's “The Gypsy Baron”.
Schwarzkopf's last Operatic performance was as the “Marschallin” on 31 December 1971, in the Theatre of La Monnaie, in Brussels, Belgium. For the next several years, she devoted herself exclusively to Lieder Recitals.
In the 1960s, Schwarzkopf concentrated nearly exclusively on five Operatic roles: Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni”, Countess Almaviva in “The Marriage of Figaro”, Fiordiligi in “Così fan tutte”, Countess Madeleine in Strauss's “Capriccio”, and the “Marschallin”. She was also well received as Alice Ford in Verdi's “Falstaff”. However, on the EMI label, she made several "Champagne Operetta" recordings, like Franz Lehár's “The Merry Widow” and Johann Strauss II's “The Gypsy Baron”.
Schwarzkopf's last Operatic performance was as the “Marschallin” on 31 December 1971, in the Theatre of La Monnaie, in Brussels, Belgium. For the next several years, she devoted herself exclusively to Lieder Recitals.
On 17 March 1979, Walter Legge suffered a severe heart attack. He disregarded doctor's orders to rest and attended Schwarzkopf's final Recital two days later in Zurich. Three days later, he died.
After retiring (almost immediately after her husband's death), Schwarzkopf taught and gave Master Classes around the World, notably at The Juilliard School in New York City. After living in Switzerland for many years, she took up residence in Austria. She was made a Doctor of Music by The University of Cambridge in 1976, and became a Dame Commander of The Order of The British Empire (DBE) in 1992.
Schwarzkopf died in her sleep during the night of 2–3 August 2006 at her home in Schruns, Vorarlberg, Austria, aged 90. Her ashes, and those of Walter Legge, were buried next to her parents in Zumikon, near Zürich, where she had lived from 1982 to 2003.
She left a discography that is considerable, both in quality and in quantity, and will be mostly remembered for her Mozart and Richard Strauss Operatic portrayals, her two commercial recordings of Strauss's “Four Last Songs”, and her countless recordings of Lieder, especially those of Wolf.
Schwarzkopf is considered by many to be the greatest German Lyric Soprano of the 20th-Century and one of the finest Mozart singers of all time, with an "indescribably beautiful" voice.
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