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The Belgian-born Dutch soprano, Hélène Ludolph, moved after World War I, at youthful age, to Holland, where she settled down in Haarlem. In Holland, she received her entire musical training. She completed her singing studies with the well-known pedagogue Cornélie van Zanten.
Hélène Ludolph appeared already soon, with lots of success at home and abroad (a.o. together with pianist Richard Boer in Bern, Paris and Brussels) as oratorio- and Lieder-singer and lend co-operation to lots of first performances, a.o. with compositions of Hendrik Andriessen, Alphons Diepenbrock, Willem Pijper, Arthur Bliss, Debussy, Paul Hindemith, Messiaen, Francis Poulenc, etc. Her beautiful, shining voice, her performance and musicality were highly praised. Also on radio - at home and abroad (a.o. at Radio Basel, together with pianist Rutger Schoute) - she appeared many times.
Hélène Ludolph also co-operated in movies, in studio Denham near London in the movie Myrthe en de demonen, where she sang the final scene of the film, together with the London Symphony Orchestra and a large boys- and male-choir.
Only a few times Hélène Ludolph has sung - with great success - in operas: in the De reis naar China/ The journey to China of François Bazin on February 11, 1930 in the Hollandsche Schouwburg in Amsterdam, as Marguerite (Faust, Charles Gounod) on December 15, 1939 in the Groote Schouwburg in Rotterdam and as Elsa (Lohengrin, Wagner) on April 3, 1940 in the Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen in The Hague, the latter two with the Nederlandse Opera Ensemble of Chris van Dam, a company that operated in the period from 1936 until 1941. At these occasions it was clear that she also had a great talent for this kind of singing. Hélène Ludolph's voice was recorded by His Masters Voice on a great number of records, among them from important Dutch composers. |
