Fritz Lehmann
Fritz Lehmann (17 May 1904 – 30 March 1956) was a noted German conductor, whose career was cut short by his early death at the age of 51. His repertoire ranged from the Baroque through to contemporary works, in both the concert hall and the opera house.[1] He was an early advocate of period performance practice.[2] and founded the Berliner Motettenchor. He is best known through a number of recordings he left.
Biography
Fritz Ludwig Lehmann was born in
He conducted at Göttingen (1923-1927), firstly as choirmaster and later as conductor of the Municipal Theatre. In
Lehmann was Generalmusikdirektor in Bad Pyrmont (1934-1938), and Wuppertal (1938-1947). He returned to the Göttingen International Handel Festival in 1946, remaining there until 1953.[1] On 29 June 1947 he led the first modern production of Handel's Teseo.
Recording 6 cantatas by
From 1953, he taught at the
During the interval while conducting the St Matthew Passion in Munich, on Good Friday, 30 March 1956, Lehmann collapsed and died of a heart attack, aged only 51.[2] Another conductor took over for the second half, the audience not being informed of Lehmann's death until the end of the performance. Lehmann had begun to record Bach's Christmas Oratorio with the Berliner Motettenchor and the RIAS Kammerchor, the Berlin Philharmonic and soloists Gunthild Weber, Sieglinde Wagner, Helmut Krebs and Heinz Rehfuss in 1955. It was unfinished when he died; Günther Arndt conducted parts 5 and 6 in 1956.[3]
Recordings
Fritz Lehmann's recordings include:
- J.S. Bach:
- Brahms: A German Requiem
- Corelli: Concerto Grosso No. 1
- Georg Friedrich Handel:
- Water Music 1951 <Archiv Produktion APM 14006>
- Music for the Royal Fireworks 1952 <Archiv Produktion 13012 AP>
- Joseph Haydn<Deutsche Grammophon 18397>
- Hänsel und Gretel (with Rita Streich, Munich Philharmonic)
- Korngold: Die tote Stadt (recorded September 1952)
- Mendelssohn:
- Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op.25 (Bamberger Symphoniker; Helmut Roloff, piano; recorded: May 1952)
- Piano Concerto No.2 in D minor, Op.40 (Bamberger Symphoniker; Helmut Roloff, piano; recorded: May 1952)
- Mozart:
- Piano Concerto in D major, "Coronation", K. 537 (Berlin Philharmonic; Carl Seemann, piano)
- Concert Rondo in D major, K. 382 (Bamberg Symphony, Carl Seemann)
- Die Zauberharfe
References
- ^ a b c d Fritz Lehmann (Conductor) bach-cantatas.com
- ^ Naxos
- ^ a b c Fritz Lehmann & Berlin Motet Choir & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works bach-cantatas.com