Gisela Litz (Contralto)

Born: December 14, 1922 - Hamburg, Germany

The German contralto, Gisela Litz, was trained in Hamburg.

Following her studies, Gisela Litz began her stage career at the Staatstheater of Wiesbaden. In 1952 she came to the Staatsoper of Hamburg, at which she had a long, successful career. She appeared there, among other things, in March 1954 in the premiere of the opera Die Heirat by B. Martinù. She achieved great successes with appearances in Munich, Rome, Lisbon, Brussels and Buenos Aires. In 1952 she appeared with the Hamburg ensemble as a guest at the Festival of Edinburgh in Igor Stravinsky’s opera Mavra. In 1953-1954 she appeared at the Festival of Bayreuth as Siegrune and as Floßhilde in Nibelungenring and as Knappen in Parsifal.

Gisela Litz made also a name for herself by her participation in operettas and in television performances. She had at the same time an important career as oratorio, and here particularly as a Bach singer.

In 1969 Gisela Litz was appointed as Professor at the Musikhochschule of Hamburg.

Recordings: Urania (Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny by K. Weill), Melodram (Capriccio by R. Strauss), Electrola (Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Der Waffenschmied and Die Opernprobe by Lortzing, Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor by Nicolai, Boccaccio by F. von Suppé), Ariola-Eurodisc (complete recording of Eugen Onegin, 1952), Philips (Works of J.S. Bach), also scenes from operettas.

Source: Operissimo Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (May 2004)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (May 2004); Manfred Krugmann (Photos 01-05, July 2011)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Marcel Couraud

Alto

BWV 11

Kurt Redel

Alto

BWV 233, BWV 234

Links to other Sites