Irmgard Seefried facts for kids
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Irmgard Seefried (born October 9, 1919; died November 24, 1988) was a very famous German singer. She was a soprano, which means she sang the highest parts in operas and lieder (German art songs).
Contents
Early Life and First Performances
Irmgard Seefried was born in a small town called Köngetried, in Bavaria, Germany. She went to Augsburg University to study music. Her first time singing in an opera was in Aachen in 1940. She sang the part of the priestess in Verdi's opera Aida.
Soon, she started getting bigger roles. In 1943, she sang the part of Eva in Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the famous Vienna State Opera. She was part of the Vienna State Opera's main group of singers until she retired in 1976.
A Star on the World Stage
Irmgard Seefried sang at the important Salzburg Festival almost every year. She also gave many recitals, which are concerts where a singer performs with just a piano.
She performed in many famous opera houses around the world. From 1947 to 1949, she sang at the Royal Opera House in London. She also sang at La Scala in Milan and the Edinburgh Festival. In 1953 and 1954, she sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. There, she played Susanna in Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro.
Her Most Famous Music
Irmgard Seefried was especially known for singing the music of Mozart and Richard Strauss. But she also sang in operas by many other composers. Some of her important roles included:
- The main part in Puccini's Madama Butterfly
- Marie in Alban Berg's Wozzeck
- Blanche in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites
- The main part in Janáček's Káťa Kabanová
She was also a wonderful lieder singer. Many of her recitals from the Salzburg Festival were recorded. She made many recordings of religious music and oratorios (large musical works for orchestra, choir, and solo singers). These included works by Bach, Haydn, Brahms, Beethoven, and Stravinsky.
Even though she was a high soprano, she could sing and record "trousers roles." These are parts where a woman plays a male character. She sang the Composer in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier.
Personal Life and Teaching
Irmgard Seefried often sang with another famous soprano, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Schwarzkopf once said that Seefried could easily do things that other singers struggled with their whole lives.
In 1948, Irmgard Seefried married the Austrian violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan. They were married until her death.
After she stopped performing, she taught music students. She taught at the Vienna Music Academy and the Salzburg Mozarteum. Irmgard Seefried passed away in Vienna in 1988, at the age of 69.
See also
In Spanish: Irmgard Seefried para niños
