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35:
246:. She was able to present 14 parts from opera choruses in an audition. Her contract called for readiness to perform a new part within three days, and required her to supply her own costumes. Her voice was trained by O. Suesse and Clara Schroeder-Kaminsky. She left her foster parents a year later, and moved to the
459:
on 13 May 1923. A reviewer noted that she "astonishingly mastered the exorbitantly difficult first soprano part" ("... den exorbitant schweren ersten
Sopranpart erstaunlich beherrschte"). In July 1927 she performed, as Johanna Klemperer, the leading role of Hèlene in the world premiere of Hindemith's
384:
It is unknown when they decided to get married. Marianne
Klemperer, the conductor's sister, described her as with "a very lively face with expressive nose and lips, but not particularly slender", and later "she must have nerves of steel, she has a lot of humour and is very jolly". They married on 16
254:
the following year, singing in the opera chorus. In 1906, at age 18, she gave birth to a daughter, Carla, whose father, an officer, was not willing to marry her. Her widowed foster mother moved in with her. Unlike her own mother, Geisler raised her daughter herself, but passed her in society as her
241:
on 28 May 1888, the daughter of seamstress Sofie Dora Meyer. She was raised by elderly poor foster parents by the name of
Geisler, and she took their name. She sang in a church choir as a child, where she was recommended to volunteer at the theatre chorus. From 1902, at age 14 she was a paid chorus
506:
noted: "Her singing and acting skills combine to form an inseparable whole and a unified and first-class performance" ("Gesang und schauspielerisches Können vereinigen sich bei ihr zu einem untrennbaren Ganzen und zu einer einheitlichen und erstklassigen
Leistung"). She also performed at the
643:
wrote a biography of Otto
Klemperer, published in 2010, which also covered his relationship with his wife, who is described as a "great singer and loyal companion" ("großartige Sängerin und treue Gefährtin").
531:, Riga and Reval. Her natural voice, never professionally trained, weakened, also due to her "incautious willingness" to take a wide range of heavy roles. She rarely performed after a vocal crisis.
628:
303:. The theatre's records show her busy in 23 of the 44 productions of the 1915/16 season alone. Her last performance there was appearing as all three women Hoffmann loves in Offenbach's
534:
Geisler had shown talent for acting early, and therefore had performed not only solo roles from the chorus, but also acted in dramas. In 1928 she performed as Amalie in
Schiller's
482:
in Berlin, in 1927, she became a member of the ensemble. She performed there, sometimes using the pseudonym Hanne Klee, roles including
Susanna, Donna Elvira, Marzelline, Verdi's
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626:. The recording is only partially preserved. In 1983, her youngest daughter published a book about her mother's youth up to her marriage to Klemperer in 1919,
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little sister. A second child, born when she was 21, died shortly afterwards. In
Wiesbaden she occasionally sang small solo roles, of servants and maids.
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1432:(Johanna Klee sang in this performance, but this partial recording does not include her voice. It is included here because it is mentioned above).
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With her husband as chief conductor in
Cologne, she appeared in leading roles of a broad repertoire including Mozart's Despina in
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on 3 November 1956. The last time she heard her husband conducting was in hospital over the radio on 19 October, when he led the
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on 28 May 1922, she had a minor role. She was the soprano soloist when
Klemperer conducted the first public performance of his
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June 1919 in a Jesuit chapel in Cologne, with a small group of family and friends attending, including the philosopher
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562:, Switzerland, in 1933, and in 1935 to the U.S. after Klemperer accepted the offer to become chief conductor of the
353:, which was close enough for him to expect her to marry him. Klemperer, born into a Jewish family, converted to the
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and Adele. She toured with a company named Deutsche MusikbĂĽhne as Mozart's Countess and the Witch in Humperdinck's
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1294:"Otto Klemperer Archive / Guides to Special Collections in the Music Division of the Library of Congress"
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in Cologne, with her as Marzelline. In the winter of 1918, she had a relationship with the baritone
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589:, with the soprano solo "Wir genieĂźen die himmlischen Freuden" (We enjoy Heavenly bliss). Bach's "
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by Walter Braufels. In the second world premiere conducted by Klemperer in Cologne, Zemlinsky's
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in Berlin in 1927. When he had to leave Germany in 1933, she and the children followed, to
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8:
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The only recording of Geisler's voice dates to 1932 when she performed in a broadcast of
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at the Theater Coburg. In 1929 she had a small role in Wilhelm Dieterle's last
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321:, where she was successful in roles such as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's
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repertoire. She sang both minor and larger roles, such as Papagena in Mozart's
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229:, to Los Angeles from 1935 to 1947, then Budapest, and finally ZĂĽrich again.
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Under the Nazi regime, Geisler's family had to leave Germany. They moved to
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389:. After the ceremony, they performed together in a private rehearsal of the
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429:. She was very successful as Marietta in the world premiere of Korngold's
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Hannover: Fackelträger-Verlag, 1991, ISBN 3-7716-1521-6, p. 234f.
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Sophie & Co. Bedeutende Frauen Hannovers. Biographische Portraits.
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on 4 December 1920, an opera that had a simultaneous premiere at the
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YouTube: Julius Bittner - Das Höllisch Gold c. by Erich Kleiber 1932
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566:. They returned to Europe in 1947, where he was director of the
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329:
84:
1228:
An Unnatural Attitude: Phenomenology in Weimar Musical Thought
1174:. Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency. p. 171.
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until 1950. In the 1950s, the family settled in ZĂĽrich again.
408:, born in 1920, who became an actor, and Lotte, born in 1923.
199:. She began her career as a member of the opera chorus of the
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978:, Berlin 1982; quoted after Eva Weissweiler 2010, p. 132.
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With the 1912/13 season, Geisler became a member of the
183:; 28 May 1888 – 3 November 1956), was a German operatic
1065:
Otto Klemperer: Volume 1, 1885-1933: His Life and Times
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Photo postcard of Geisler at the Cologne opera, 1920s
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Otto Klemperer. Ein deutsch-jĂĽdisches KĂĽnstlerleben
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735:
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1370:. Hannover 2002, ISBN 3-87706-706-9, p. 126.
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211:where she met her future husband, the conductor
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380:Johanna Geisler and Otto Klemperer, c. 1920
267:, now engaged as a soloist. Beginning as a
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317:On 1 September 1916, Geisler began at the
203:in 1903, and had a solo engagement at the
33:
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987:
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496:, Hindemith's Hèlene again, and Adele in
417:, Susanna, Cherubino and the Countess in
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1039:Bruggemann, Dick; Unger, Werner (2023).
1023:
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881:
850:
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762:
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573:Johanna Klemperer died in a hospital in
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187:and stage actress. She also appeared as
1500:20th-century German women opera singers
1384:, Cologne 2010, ISBN 978-3-462-04179-8.
1167:
925:
285:and the title role in Jarno's operetta
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1315:
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1274:"Ludwig der Zweite, König von Bayern"
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1089:Die Personalakten der Johanna Geisler
745:
629:Die Personalakten der Johanna Geisler
1424:Johanna Klemperer in the 1940 Census
1368:Hannoversches Biographisches Lexikon
1251:"Blick auf Mainzer Frauengeschichte"
1189:Meurs, Norbert (13 September 2015).
511:, in roles such as Gilda in Verdi's
237:Johanne Elisabeth Meyer was born in
1292:
1041:"Otto Klemperer / Curriculum vitae"
1011:
949:. L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia
547:Ludwig der Zweite, König von Bayern
18:German operatic soprano (1888–1956)
13:
1336:
232:
14:
1526:
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597:" were performed at her funeral.
579:Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
502:by Johann Strauss. A reviewer of
478:When Otto Klemperer moved to the
365:, where he composed a setting of
221:in 1920. She followed him to the
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1445:
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1146:Lessmann, Ulla (November 2010).
1032:
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622:as the Old Woman, conducted by
404:. The couple had two children,
300:Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor
207:from 1912. She moved on to the
149:
439:. In 1921 she appeared at the
1:
1510:20th-century German actresses
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595:Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden
373:. Geisler visited him there.
1317:"Otto Klemperer (1885-1973)"
1191:"SWR2 Zeitwort / 23.09.1903"
1127:(in German) (4th ed.).
583:Symphony No. 101 "The Clock"
339:by Richard Strauss. In 1917
291:, participating in Wagner's
87:, Bavaria, West Germany
7:
1232:University of Chicago Press
1224:"Worldhood and World War I"
836:Bruggemann & Unger 2023
10:
1531:
1148:"Ein Hypnotiseur am Pulte"
1070:Cambridge University Press
937:Casaglia, Gherardo (2005).
468:Baden-Baden Music Festival
312:
1222:Steege, Benjamin (2021).
1087:Klemperer, Lotte (1983).
708:Kutsch & Riemens 2012
600:
473:
159:
134:
103:
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73:
44:
32:
25:
1480:German operatic sopranos
1382:Kiepenheuer & Witsch
1062:Heyworth, Peter (1996).
553:
258:
1168:McQuaid, Chris (2020).
265:Mainz Municipal Theatre
205:Mainz Municipal Theatre
181:Johanne Elisabeth Meyer
116:Mainz municipal theatre
49:Johanne Elisabeth Meyer
1515:Actresses from Hanover
1505:German stage actresses
1495:Musicians from Hanover
1249:Weickart, Eva (2012).
1171:My Travels with Wagner
976:Ăśber Musik und Theater
581:. They played Haydn's
423:, and Donna Elvira in
381:
343:conducted Beethoven's
191:and under stage names
1402:at Wikimedia Commons
568:Hungarian State Opera
486:, Marie in Smetana's
379:
327:, Micaela in Bizet's
306:Hoffmanns Erzählungen
1124:Großes Sängerlexikon
1119:"Klemperer, Johanna"
564:Los Angeles Symphony
252:Theatre in Wiesbaden
1419:Deutsche Biographie
1301:Library of Congress
1364:Geissler, Johanna.
793:, pp. 14, 32.
489:The Bartered Bride
441:Berlin State Opera
420:Le nozze di Figaro
382:
333:and Zerbinetta in
288:Die Försterchristl
277:coloratura soprano
275:, she developed a
1407:Johanna Klemperer
1398:Media related to
1343:Hiltrud Schroeder
1321:Mahler Foundation
1280:(in German). 2023
1241:978-0-22-676303-3
1181:978-1-68-235319-6
1153:Neue Musikzeitung
1138:978-3-59-844088-5
1079:978-0-52-149509-7
612:Das höllisch Gold
520:Hänsel und Gretel
363:Maria Laach Abbey
336:Ariadne auf Naxos
189:Johanna Klemperer
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1416:GeiĂźler, Johanna
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1202:. Archived from
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509:GroĂźe VolksbĂĽhne
494:Madama Butterfly
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351:Friedrich Schorr
250:in 1905 and the
244:Hofoper Hannover
201:Hofoper Hannover
165:Werner Klemperer
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111:Hofoper Hannover
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1374:Eva Weissweiler
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357:. He spent the
355:Catholic Church
324:Die Zauberflöte
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294:Götterdämmerung
282:Die Zauberflöte
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235:
233:Life and career
173:Johanna Geisler
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152: 1919)
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77:3 November 1956
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499:Die Fledermaus
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432:Die tote Stadt
414:Così fan tutte
341:Otto Klemperer
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242:singer of the
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457:Missa sacra
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391:Missa sacra
387:Max Scheler
371:Missa sacra
361:of 1919 at
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1474:Categories
1278:Filmportal
1129:De Gruyter
900:, p.
884:, p.
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746:Meurs 2015
648:References
537:Die Räuber
480:Kroll Oper
223:Kroll Oper
197:Hanne Klee
126:Kroll Oper
93:Occupation
55:1888-05-28
1452:Biography
941:Der Zwerg
514:Rigoletto
452:Der Zwerg
446:Die Vögel
395:GĂĽrzenich
359:Holy Week
269:soubrette
96:Operatic
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1117:(2012).
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367:the mass
273:operetta
177:Geissler
160:Children
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1093:Fischer
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185:soprano
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560:ZĂĽrich
474:Berlin
406:Werner
330:Carmen
227:ZĂĽrich
179:(born
135:Spouse
85:Munich
1464:Opera
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1297:(PDF)
1258:Mainz
1254:(PDF)
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1194:(PDF)
1044:(PDF)
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554:Exile
529:Trier
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259:Mainz
175:, or
148:(
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1411:IMDb
1366:In:
1329:2023
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1236:ISBN
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