Profile of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf on Famous Like Me

Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf is a German opera singer, (born December 9, 1915) is one of the leading sopranos of the post-World War II period, much admired for her performances of Mozart and Strauss.

Born Olga Maria Elisabeth Frederike Schwarzkopf in Jarotschin in Prussia (now part of Poland), Schwarzkopf showed an interest in music from the very beginning. She performed in her first opera in 1928, as Eurydice in a school production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in Magdeburg, Germany. In 1934, Schwarzkopf began her musical studies at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik, initially as a mezzo-soprano, later as a coloratura soprano.

Schwarzkopf made her professional debut at Berlin's Berlin State Opera on April 15, 1938 as the Second Flower Maiden (First Group) in Act II of Wagner's Parsifal. She sang in Berlin for four years, during which time she became a member of the Nazi Party (a decision which later caused her to be boycotted in the United States for several years).

After the war, she joined the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, where her roles included Mimi in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème and Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata. From 1947 to 1948, Schwarzkopf made a European tour with the Vienna State Opera, performing 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 Marschallin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, which became one of her signature roles.

Schwarzkopf later made her official debut at the Royal Opera House on 16 January 1948 as Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute and at La Scala on 29 June 1950 singing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. On 11 September 1951, she appeared as Anne Trulove in the world premiere of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Schwarzkopf made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera on October 13, 1964, as the Marschallin.

In March 1946, Schwarzkopf was invited to audition for Walter Legge, a classical music producer. She sang Hugo Wolf's Lied "Wer rief dich denn?" and Legge signed her to an exclusive contract with EMI. They began a close partnership and Legge subsequently became Schwarzkopf's manager and companion. They were married on October 19, 1953, in Epsom, England.

In the 1960s, Schwarzkopf concentrated nearly exclusively on five operatic roles: Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Countess Madeleine in Strauss's Capriccio, and the Marschallin. She also was well received as Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff.

Schwarzkopf's last operatic performance was as the Marschallin on December 31, 1971 in Brussels. For the next several years, she devoted herself exclusively to lieder recitals. On March 17, 1979, Legge suffered a severe heart attack. He disregarded doctor's orders to rest and attended Schwarzkopf's final recital on the 19th in Zürich. Three days later, Legge died.

Since retiring, Schwarzkopf, who lives in Zürich, has been teaching and giving master classes.

During her career, Schwarzkopf was much admired for her timeless beauty, but some critics found her mannered singing and coquettish acting tiresome.

Quotes

• (after being asked about Peter Sellars) "There are names I do not want mentioned in my home. Do not say that name in my presence. I have seen what he has done, and it is criminal. As my husband used to say, so far no one has dared go into the Louvre Museum to spray graffiti on the Mona Lisa, but some opera directors are spraying graffiti over masterpieces." — Newsweek interview, October 15, 1990

• "Many composers today don't know what the human throat is. At Bloomington, Indiana, I was invited to listen to music written in quarter tones for four harps and voices. I had to go out to be sick." — Newsweek interview, October 15, 1990

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