Citation:
Tribute to great German soprano Anneliese Rothenberger who passed away on 24 May 2010. R.I.P.
Article from guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 26 May 2010 by Barry Millington
The soprano Anneliese Rothenberger, who has died at the age of 83, was one of the most distinguished and popular German singers of the postwar period. Her career was founded initially on the lighter soubrette roles, and she won great acclaim for her performance as Sophie in the film of Der Rosenkavalier (1961), conducted by Herbert von Karajan -- earning the accolade of "the best Sophie in the world" from one of Richard Strauss's great collaborators, the soprano Lotte Lehmann. Shortly after this, however, she began to move into slightly heavier roles in which her success was more mixed. Her enduring popularity was sealed by a second career, initiated in the 1970s, as a television host.
Born in Mannheim, Rothenberger studied at the Musikhochschule there with Erika Müller, making her debut in Koblenz in 1943. After the war, the theatre in Hamburg, which had been destroyed in an air raid, was replaced by a temporary structure in 1946 and a new company formed by Günther Rennert. Rothenberger was a member of that ensemble alongside Martha Mödl, Gustav Neidlinger and Rudolf Schock. Her roles there included Blonde in Mozart's Die Entführung, the page Oscar in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera and Alban Berg's Lulu.
In 1952 she joined the Hamburg company at the Edinburgh festival, taking the role of Regina in the British stage premiere of Paul Hindemith's Mathis der Maler. Two years later she made her debut at the Salzburg festival (where she was to sing until 1973), creating the role of Telemachus in Rolf Liebermann's Penelope. She appeared there too in his Die Schule der Frauen (1957) and in a number of other roles including Sophie, Papagena in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Zdenka in Strauss's Arabella and Flaminia in Haydn's Il Mondo della Luna.
Sophie was one of her favourite roles, and she was cast by Karajan in the celebrated film, directed and produced by Paul Czinner. Appearing alongside Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Sena Jurinac, she blossoms as the eligible ingenue, her voice soaring mellifluously in the final trio. Rothenberger also sang Sophie at Glyndebourne (1959--60) and at the Met in New York, though it was as Zdenka that she made her debut at the latter (1960). The 1963 recording of Arabella, conducted by Joseph Keilberth, demonstrates the beguiling quality of Rothenberger's light, silvery tone in the role of Zdenka, even if it lacks substance compared with the Arabella of Lisa della Casa.
It was, nevertheless, in these years, the mid-1950s to the late 1960s, that Rothenberger was heard to her best advantage on many of the world's leading stages in New York, London, Munich, Vienna -- where she sang a total of 365 performances in 20 roles -- and elsewhere. The Mozartian roles of Susanna and Pamina suited her well, as did that of Adele in Die Fledermaus. The title role of Lulu also showed her considerable acting abilities.
Her subsequent move into heavier soprano roles was arguably ill-advised. Her Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan Tutte at Salzburg (1969) was praised for its tonal sweetness, neatness and accuracy, but criticised for its lack of weight. Her debut in the role of the Composer in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos (Munich festival, 1971) was similarly said to be impressively characterised but unsuitable vocally. Boos were heard along with applause after the Prologue.
Her television career in the 1970s brought her many new fans. Her most successful series were Anneliese Rothenberger Gibt Sich die Ehre (Anneliese Rothenberger Has the Honour) and Traumland Operette (Dreamland Operetta).
Her autobiography, Melodie Meines Lebens, was published in 1972. Having retired from the operatic stage in 1983, she continued to give recitals until 1989. After the death of her husband and manager, Gerd Dieberitz, in 1999, she settled beside Lake Constance in Switzerland.
Anneliese Rothenberger, soprano, born 19 June 1926; died 24 May 2010
