The Swiss soprano, Rosmarie [Rosemarie] Hoffmann, studied at the Conservatoire of Verviers in Belgium, then in Luzern with Lucia Corridori.
In 1957 Rosmarie Hoffmann began her career as concert and particularly as oratorio singer, in which she brought soon to great successes on international level. She appeared in Switzerland (Zürich, Berne, Basel, Geneva, Luzern, Lausanne, International Bach Festival), in Innsbruck, Mannheim, Frankfurt a.M., at the Holland Festival, at the Festival of Flanders, in Stuttgart and Bielefeld, in Nancy and Nantes, in Copenhagen and Aarhus, in Kassel, Cologne, Karlsruhe, Nürnberg and Munich, in Madrid and Toledo, in Brussels and Gent, at the festivals of Schwetzingen. She also undertook a very successful Mexico tour.
The high points of Rosmarie Hoffmann's extensive repertoire were the Passions, the B minor Mass (BWV 232), Weihnachts-oratorium (BWV 248) and many Cantatas by J.S. Bach, Messiah and numerous other oratorios by Georg Frideric Handel, The Creation, The Seasons and Masses by J. Haydn, the Requiem and sacred vocal works by Mozart, the soloist in Symphony No. 9 and in Missa Solemnis by L.v. Beethoven, Eliah and Paulus by Mendelssohn, the Requiems of Verdi and Gabriel Fauré, oratorio works of A. Bruckner and A. Dvorák, of Debussy (La Damoiselle élue), Rossini (Messe Solennelle, Stabat Mater), Zoltán Kodály, W. Burkhard (Gesicht Jesajas) and H. Suter (Le Laudi). As Lieder interpreter she mastered a repertoire of similar span. Altough in her career she did not performed it on stage, she sang occasionally Euridice in Orpheus by Gluck. She became well-known also by numerous radio broadcasts in Switzerland as well as in Germany.
Recordings: Harmonia Mundi (Phyllis und Thirsis by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Canzonette amorose by L. Rossi), on Electrola (Cantatas of J.S. Bach), Mondiodisc (Stabat Mater by Dvorák), Turicaphon (Masses of J. Haydn, Weihnachtskantate by Michael Haydn), Fono (Te Deum by R. Flury), Jecklin Disco (Lieder of W.
Wehrli). |