Friederike Grün
Encyclopedia
Friederike Grün was a German
opera
tic soprano
who had an active career during the latter half of the 19th century. Possessing a powerful voice with a wide vocal range
, she sang a broad repertoire that encompassed Italian, French, and German opera. High points from her stage repertoire included the title heroine in Vincenzo Bellini
's Norma
, Agathe in Carl Maria von Weber
's Der Freischütz
, Leonore in Fidelio
, Rachel in Fromental Halévy
's La Juive
, and Valentine in Giacomo Meyerbeer
's Les Huguenots
. She is best remembered today for portraying several roles in the first complete presentation of Richard Wagner
's The Ring Cycle
at the very first Bayreuth Festival
in 1876.
, Grün studied singing in her native city with Hofkapellmeister Vincenz Lachner. She began her career as a member of the opera chorus at the Nationaltheater Mannheim
in 1857. In the early 1860s she began appearing as a soloist at the house. In 1862 she was committed to the Oper Frankfurt and from 1863-1864 she sang at the Oper der Stadt Köln. She was a member of the opera house in Kassel in 1864-1866 and she was a principal artist at the Berlin State Opera
from 1866-1869.
After further studies with Francesco Lamperti
in Milan, Grün sang at the Staatsoper Stuttgart
from 1870-1871. In 1872 she gave successful performances at the Vienna State Opera
and the Nationaltheater Mannheim. In 1873 she was committed to the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
where she portrayed Elisabeth in the Italian premiere of Wagner's Tannhäuser
. After further appearances in Frankfurt and Mannheim, Grün was committed to the opera house in Coburg from 1875-1877.
Richard Wagner had heard Grün perform in operas in Frankfurt and Mannheim and admired her abilities. He invited her to take part in the inaugural Bayreuth Festival in 1876 in the first presentation of the complete Ring Cycle. She premiered the role of the third Norn in Götterdämmerung
on August 17, 1876 and portrayed the role of Fricka in Die Walküre
on August 14, 1876. The following year she sang in concerts in London under Wagner's baton.
Grün retired from the stage in 1877 after marrying the Imperial Russian
Baron, pianist and composer Login Sadler. However she still continued to perform in concerts under the name of Friederike Grün-Sadler, having a particular triumph in Riga
in 1888. The couple lived together in Saint Petersburg
for many years. Grün died during a trip home to Mannheim in 1917.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
who had an active career during the latter half of the 19th century. Possessing a powerful voice with a wide vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
, she sang a broad repertoire that encompassed Italian, French, and German opera. High points from her stage repertoire included the title heroine in Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
's Norma
Norma (opera)
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet. First produced at La Scala on December 26, 1831, it is generally regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition...
, Agathe in Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
's Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
, Leonore in Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
, Rachel in Fromental Halévy
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
's La Juive
La Juive
La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
, and Valentine in Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
's Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots is a French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, one of the most popular and spectacular examples of the style of grand opera. The opera is in five acts and premiered in Paris in 1836. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps....
. She is best remembered today for portraying several roles in the first complete presentation of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's The Ring Cycle
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
at the very first Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
in 1876.
Biography
Born in MannheimMannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Grün studied singing in her native city with Hofkapellmeister Vincenz Lachner. She began her career as a member of the opera chorus at the Nationaltheater Mannheim
Nationaltheater Mannheim
The present National Theatre Mannheim , which dates from 1957, is a theatre and opera company in Mannheim, Germany with a variety of performance spaces...
in 1857. In the early 1860s she began appearing as a soloist at the house. In 1862 she was committed to the Oper Frankfurt and from 1863-1864 she sang at the Oper der Stadt Köln. She was a member of the opera house in Kassel in 1864-1866 and she was a principal artist at the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
from 1866-1869.
After further studies with Francesco Lamperti
Francesco Lamperti
Francesco Lamperti was an Italian singing teacher.A native of Savona, Lamperti attended the Milan Conservatory where, beginning in 1850, he taught for a quarter of a century. He was director at the Teatro Filodrammatico in Lodi. In 1875 he left the school and began to teach as a private tutor...
in Milan, Grün sang at the Staatsoper Stuttgart
Staatsoper Stuttgart
The Staatsoper Stuttgart is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, Germany.-History:The Stuttgart Staatsoper forms part of the Stuttgart State Theatre , which is a a three-branch-theatre complex and represents the largest theatre of its kind in Europe...
from 1870-1871. In 1872 she gave successful performances at the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
and the Nationaltheater Mannheim. In 1873 she was committed to the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Teatro Comunale di Bologna
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season....
where she portrayed Elisabeth in the Italian premiere of Wagner's Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (opera)
Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
. After further appearances in Frankfurt and Mannheim, Grün was committed to the opera house in Coburg from 1875-1877.
Richard Wagner had heard Grün perform in operas in Frankfurt and Mannheim and admired her abilities. He invited her to take part in the inaugural Bayreuth Festival in 1876 in the first presentation of the complete Ring Cycle. She premiered the role of the third Norn in Götterdämmerung
Götterdämmerung
is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four operas titled Der Ring des Nibelungen...
on August 17, 1876 and portrayed the role of Fricka in Die Walküre
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
on August 14, 1876. The following year she sang in concerts in London under Wagner's baton.
Grün retired from the stage in 1877 after marrying the Imperial Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
Baron, pianist and composer Login Sadler. However she still continued to perform in concerts under the name of Friederike Grün-Sadler, having a particular triumph in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in 1888. The couple lived together in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
for many years. Grün died during a trip home to Mannheim in 1917.