Schlüter, Erna

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Schlüter, Erna

Schlüter, Erna, German contralto, later soprano; b. Oldenburg, Feb. 5, 1904; d. Hamburg, Dec. 1, 1969. She made her operatic debut as a contralto in Oldenburg in 1922. Turning to soprano roles, she sang in Mannheim (1925–30) and Düsseldorf (1930–40). From 1940 to 1956 she was a member of the Hamburg State Opera. On Nov. 26, 1947, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Isolde, remaining on the roster for one season. In 1948 she appeared at the Salzburg Festival as Beethoven’s Leonore. She also made guest appearances at London’s Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, in Amsterdam, and in Brussels. Her most famous role was Elektra.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire