Anneliese Rothenberger German opera singer (lyric soprano) Date of Birth: 19.06.1924 Country: Germany

1. Biography of Anneliese Rothenberger
2. Opera Career
3. International Recognition
4. Diversifying Her Roles
5. Later Years and Legacy

Biography of Anneliese Rothenberger

Anneliese Rothenberger was a German opera singer (lyric soprano) who performed internationally from 1943 to 1983. She excelled in roles written for lyric-coloratura sopranos and gained special admiration for her interpretation of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Strauss. Anneliese Rothenberger was born in Mannheim, Germany. She studied with Erica Muller and made her stage debut in 1943 in Koblenz.

Opera Career

In 1947, the director of the opera theaters, Gunther Rennert, offered Anneliese a job at the Hamburg Opera House, where twenty years later she performed in the now famous production of Alban Berg's 'Lulu'. Rothenberger also performed these roles at the Munich Opera Festival, conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi. In 1954, she made her professional debut at the Salzburg Festival and three years later sang the role of Rolf Liebermann's 'School of Women'. From 1954, Rothenberger was a guest singer at the Vienna State Opera.

International Recognition

New York audiences had their first chance to hear Anneliese's wonderful voice in 1960 when she performed in the comedic opera 'Der Rosenkavalier'. After this performance, the mezzo-soprano Lotte Lehmann named her the "best Sophie in the world" (Sophie von Faninal from the opera 'Der Rosenkavalier'). Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan chose Rothenberger to play alongside Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Sena Jurinac in the film version of the opera 'Der Rosenkavalier', shown at the Salzburg Festival.

Diversifying Her Roles

While she initially excelled in performing lyrical roles, Rothenberger transitioned to roles with a strong dramatic accent in the mid-1960s. She portrayed Belmonte's bride, Constanze, in Mozart's 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail', transformed into Fidelio in 'Così fan tutte', Zdenka in Strauss's 'Arabella', and Marie in Berg's 'Wozzeck'. Rothenberger also performed in many contemporary operas by Hans Werner Henze, Benjamin Britten, Paul Hindemith, Carl Orff, Hans Pfitzner, and Gian Carlo Menotti.

Later Years and Legacy

In the 1970s, Rothenberger became popular on television. She retired in 1983. After her husband, with whom she was married for 45 years, passed away in 1999, Anneliese settled on the shores of Lake Constance, Switzerland. In 2003, she received the 'ECHO Award' for lifetime achievements. Rothenberger wrote her autobiography, 'Melodie meines Lebens' ('Melody of My Life'), in 1973. She passed away on May 24, 2010, in Munsterlingen at the age of 96. A variety of rose was named in her honor. Throughout her career, both on stage and in studio recordings, Rothenberger collaborated with many artists, including Lisa della Casa, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Peter Schreier, Nicolai Gedda, and others.