Rosvaenge

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Rosvaenge

Rosvaenge (real name, Rosenving-HanSen), Helge , esteemed German tenor; b. Copenhagen (of German parents), Aug. 29, 1897; d. Munich, June 19, 1972. He studied in Copenhagen and Berlin. He made his operatic debut as Don José in Neustrelitz in 1921; then sang in Altenburg (1922–24), Basel (1924–26), and Cologne (1926–29). He distinguished himself as a member of the Berlin State Opera (1929–4); also sang in Vienna and Munich. He appeared at the Salzburg (1933, 1937) and Bayreuth (1934, 1936) festivals; made his debut at London’s Covent Garden as Florestan in 1938. After World War II, he again sang in Berlin and Vienna; made a concert tour of the U.S. in 1962. In his prime, he was compared to Caruso as a practitioner of bel canto. He excelled in the operas of Mozart; was also noted for his portrayals of Radamès, Manrico, Huon, and Calaf. He publ. the autobiographical booklets Skratta Pajazza (Ridi, Pagliaccio; Copenhagen, 1945); Mach es besser, mein Sohn (Leipzig, 1962); and Leitfaden für Gesangsbeflissene (Munich, 1964).

Bibliography

F. Tassie, H. R. (Augsburg, 1975).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire