Rothenberger, Anneliese

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Rothenberger, Anneliese

Rothenberger, Anneliese , esteemed German soprano; b. Mannheim, June 19, 1924. After vocal study in with Erika Müller at the Mannheim Hochschule für Musik, she made her operatic debut in Koblenz in 1943. From 1946 to 1957 and again from 1958 to 1973 she was a member of the Hamburg State Opera; also had engagements in Düsseldorf, Salzburg, Edinburgh, and Aix-en- Provence. In 1958 she joined the Vienna State Opera; also sang at La Scala in Milan and in Munich. On Nov. 18, 1960, she made a notable debut at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Zdenka in Arabella, and remained on its roster until 1966. She was one of the most versatile singers of her generation, capable of giving congenial renditions of soprano roles in operas of Mozart and Verdi. She also gave excellent performances of the challenging role of Marie in Berg’s Wozzeck. She further distinguished herself in the even more demanding role of Lulu in Berg’s opera. She publ. an autobiography, Melodie meines Lebens (Munich, 1972).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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