Frieda Hempel German opera singer (soprano) Date of Birth: 26.06.1885 Country: Germany

1. Biography of Frida Hempel
2. Early Life and Education
3. Early Performances
4. Success in Berlin and Covent Garden
5. Metropolitan Opera and Later Career
6. Later Life and Legacy

Biography of Frida Hempel

Frida Hempel was a German opera singer (soprano) who excelled both on the opera and concert stage. She gained fame throughout Europe and the United States.

Early Life and Education

Frida Hempel was born in Leipzig, Germany. She initially studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and later continued her education at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin, where one of her teachers was Selma Nicklass-Kempner.

Early Performances

Hempel's first performances took place in Breslau, where she was entrusted with the roles of Violetta Valery in 'La traviata', Queen of the Night in 'Die Zauberflöte', and Rosina in 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia'. Her official operatic debut was in Schwerin in 1905, where she portrayed Gilda in 'Rigoletto', Leonora in 'Il Trovatore', and Woglinde in 'Das Rheingold'. Hempel achieved such success that Kaiser Wilhelm II intervened with the authorities in Schwerin to allow her to sing in Berlin.

Success in Berlin and Covent Garden

Hempel made her Berlin debut in 1905 as Frau Fluth in Otto Nicolai's 'Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor' at the Berlin Royal Opera House. She performed at the Royal Opera House in Berlin from 1907 to 1912, receiving universal admiration for her portrayal of Lucia in 'Lucia di Lammermoor', Marguerite de Valois in 'Les Huguenots', and Marie in Gaetano Donizetti's 'La fille du régiment'.

In 1907, Hempel appeared at the Covent Garden in London, performing roles such as Bastienne in 'Bastien und Bastienne', Eva in 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg', Elsa von Brabant in 'Lohengrin', and also reprising her role as Frau Fluth. Nellie Melba and Selma Kurz were among the principal singers she shared the stage with.

Metropolitan Opera and Later Career

Hempel made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1912 as Marguerite de Valois. After the 1920s, she regularly performed in New York. She was the first German singer to perform the role of the Marschallin in 'Der Rosenkavalier' on the New York stage on December 9th, 1913, under the opera impresario Giulio Gatti-Casazza. She also debuted in the same role in Berlin and reprised it in London in 1913.

In addition to her roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Hempel expanded her repertoire and took on the role of Oscar in 'Un ballo in maschera'. She shared the stage with renowned singers such as Enrico Caruso, Emmy Destinn, Margarete Matzenauer, and Pasquale Amato.

After 1919, Hempel dedicated much of her time to concert performances. She unexpectedly left the Metropolitan Opera, clearing the way for the career development of Amelita Galli-Curci.

Later Life and Legacy

Frida Hempel passed away in Berlin on October 7th, 1955. She began recording at the Odeon Records studio in 1906, and another series of recordings was made by Victor Records with the help of Edison phonographs.