Hanna Schwarz (Mezzo-soprano, Contralto)

Born: August 15, 1943 - Hamburg, Germany

The German mezzo-soprano, Hanna Schwarz, studied in Hamburg, Hannover and Essen.

In 1970 Hanna Schwarz made her operatic debut as Maddalena in Rigoletto in Hannover. In 1973 she became a member of the Hamburg State Opera. She sang with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich for the first time in 1974. In 1975 she made her debut at the Bayreuth Festival as Flosshilde in Das Rheingold and continued to sing there during the next decade. In 1977 she made her USA debut as Fricka in Das Rheingold at the San Francisco Opera, and also appeared as Preziosilla at the Paris Opéra. In 1978 she sang Cherubino at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. In February 1979 she appeared as Countess Geschwitz in the first complete performance of Alban Berg's Lulu at the Paris Opéra. That same year she also made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as soloist in L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. In 1980 she sang for the first time at London’s Covent Garden as Waltraute and returned to the Salzburg Festival to sing Juana in a concert performance of Krenek’s Karl V. In 1992 she made her first operatic stage appearance at the Salzburg Festival when she sang Herodias.

As a concert artist, Hanna Schwarz sang widely in Europe and North America. Among the singers who have studied with her and/or attended her master-classes: Elise van Es (Soprano).

Sources:
Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (May 2001); Matthias Hansen (Photo - November 2007, Photo 04 - January 2010))

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Mathieu Lange

Alto

[CR-54] (Mid 1970's?, Radio recording): BWV 54
[CR-200] (c1973, Radio recording): BWV 200

Rudolf Pohl

Alto

[CR-5] (1975, Radio recording): BWV 5
[CR-67] (1974-1975?, Radio recording): BWV 67
[CR-86] (1974-1975?, Radio recording): BWV 86
[CR-88] (1974-1975?, Radio recording): BWV 88
[CR-132] (1974-1975?, Radio recording): BWV 132
[CR-153] (1974-1975?, Radio recording): BWV 153
[CR-170] (1974-1975?, Radio recording): BWV 170
[CR-182] (1974-1975?, Radio recording): BWV 182

Helmuth Rilling

Alto

BWV 71, BWV 81 [1971; 1^st recording], BWV 106

Hans-Joachim Rotzsch

Alto

[CR-79] (1984, Radio recording): BWV 79 [2^nd recording]
[CR-137] (1984, Radio recording): BWV 137 [2^nd recording]

Gerhard Wilhelm

Alto

[CR-76] (1973, Radio recording): BWV 76
[CR-122] (1973, Radio recording): BWV 122
[CR-187] (1966, Radio recording): BWV 187 [as Irma Keller]

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