Lotte Lehmann (1888–1976)

Lotte Lehmann was born in Perleberg, Germany. She received her early voice training as a soprano in Berlin and in 1910 made her first major operatic appearance in Hamburg as Freia in Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold. In 1914, she went to the Vienna State Opera and went on to become closely associated with pre-World War II Viennese culture. It was also in 1914 that she made the first of her more than 500 recordings.

Richard Strauss heard her sing as an understudy in his opera Ariadne auf Naxos and chose her to sing its world premiere; thereafter, she sang premiers of other Strauss operas as well.

In 1934, Lehmann sang her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City in her favorite role of Sieglinde in Die Walküre. Trouble with the Nazi regime in Germany had prevented her from singing there for years, and shortly before Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany, Lehmann left the country. She moved permanently to the USA, where she became a naturalized citizen. She concentrating her opera career at the Met and singing and recording more lieder. By 1938, she was considered to be one of the greatest singing actresses of all time. Her career continued during World War II, mostly in concert performances and recordings. In 1951, she gave her final concerts and retired to an active teaching career, which she followed almost until her death. She was the author of a novel called Orplid, mein Land (published in English as Eternal Flight, 1937), and three volumes of memoirs.