Adele Stolte (12 October 1932 – 26 September 2020) was a German

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

singer in concert and

Lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er, and an academic voice teacher.

Biography

Born in Sperenberg, Stolte attended schools in

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

and

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

. She studied voice with Anneliese Buschmann in

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

. With the

Thomanerchor The Thomanerchor (English: St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig) is a boys' choir in Leipzig, Germany. The choir was founded in 1212. The choir comprises about 90 boys from 9 to 18 years of age. The members, called ''Thomaner'', reside in a boarding scho ...

she started broadcasting in 1958 and recording of

Bach cantata The cantatas composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, known as Bach cantatas ( German: ), are a body of work consisting of over 200 surviving independent works, and at least several dozen that are considered lost. As far as known, Bach's earliest can ...

s in 1960. In 1958 she sang in the premiere of ''Te Deum'' by

Ernst Pepping Ernst Pepping (12 September 1901 – 1 February 1981) was a German composer of classical music and academic teacher. He is regarded as an important composer of Protestant sacred music in the 20th century. Pepping taught at the and the . His mus ...

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

.Adele Stolte
on Bach Cantatas, 2007 She recorded the oratorio ''Das Gesicht Jesajas'' (The Vision of

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...

) op. 41 of

Willy Burkhard Willy Burkhard (17 April 1900 – 18 June 1955) was a Swiss composer and academic teacher, influential in both capacities. He taught music theory at the Berne Conservatory and the Zürich Conservatory. His works include an opera, oratorios, canta ...

, with

Kurt Huber Kurt Huber (24 October 1893 – 13 July 1943) was a German university professor and resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi group White Rose. For his involvement he was imprisoned and guillotined. Early life Huber was born in Chur, Switzerland, ...

Jakob Stämpfli Jakob Stämpfli (23 February 1820 – 15 May 1879) was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1854–1863). He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 6 December 1854, and handed over office on 31 December 1863. ...

and the Bern Symphony Orchestra conducted by

Martin Flämig Martin Flämig (19 August 1913, in Aue – 13 January 1998, in Dresden) was a German church musician, and the cantor of the Dresdner Kreuzchor from 1971 to 1991. Biography Martin Flämig studied since 1934 in Dresden with Alfred Stier and in ...

. In the recording of Bach's ''

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of th ...

'' conducted by

Erhard Mauersberger Erhard Mauersberger (29 December 1903 in Mauersberg, Saxony – 11 December 1982 in Leipzig) was a German choral conductor who conducted the Thomanerchor as the 14th Thomaskantor since Johann Sebastian Bach. He was also an academic teacher an ...

and Rudolf Mauersberger in 1962 she was the soprano soloist with

Peter Schreier Peter Schreier (29 July 1935 – 25 December 2019) was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century. Schreier was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor conduct ...

as the Evangelist,

Theo Adam Theo Adam (1 August 1926 – 10 January 2019) was a German operatic bass-baritone and bass singer who had an international career in opera, concert and recital from 1949. He was a member of the Staatsoper Dresden for his entire career, and s ...

as the

Vox Christi Vox Christi, Latin for Voice of Christ, is a setting of Jesus' words in a vocal work such as a Passion (music), Passion, an Oratorium or a Cantata. Conventionally, for instance in Protestant music of the Baroque era, the vox Christi is set for a Ba ...

(voice of Jesus),

Annelies Burmeister Annelies Burmeister (25 November 1928 in Ludwigslust – 16 June 1988 in Berlin) was a German contralto and actress. Burmeister studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Weimar. She was a member of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and made sever ...

Hans-Joachim Rotzsch Hans-Joachim Rotzsch (25 April 1929 – 25 September 2013) was a German choral conductor, conducting the Thomanerchor from 1972 until 1991 as the fifteenth Thomaskantor since Johann Sebastian Bach. He was also a tenor and an academic teacher. Bi ...

and Günther Leib. She recorded

s with Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, the Thomanerchor and the

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...

conducted by Erhard Mauersberger, such as the cantata for Pentecost ''

Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172 (), , is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, composed in Weimar for Pentecost Sunday in 1714. Bach led the first performance on 20 May 1714 in the , the court chapel in the ducal Schloss. ''Erschallet, ihr Lieder'' is an early work in a g ...

'' in 1970. In 1964, together with Gerda Schriever, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch and

Hermann Christian Polster Hermann Christian Polster (born 8 April 1937) is a German opera singer (bass). Life Born in Leipzig, the son of the concert singer and singing teacher Fritz Polster, he received his first education from his father. He was a member of the Dresdne ...

she founded the quartet ''Leipziger Bachsolisten''. In 1966 she became a member of the Direktorium of the

Neue Bachgesellschaft The Neue Bachgesellschaft, or New Bach Society, is an organisation based in Leipzig, Germany, devoted to the music of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It was founded in 1900 as the successor to the Bach Gesellschaft, which between 1850 and 19 ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. She started teaching in 1969, including classes in Poland and voice coaching for choirs. She taught at the

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

from 1990 to 2005 and was appointed Honorary Professor in 1995. She was a teacher of

Bogna Bartosz Bogna Bartosz (born in Gdańsk) is a Polish-German classical mezzo-soprano and alto. She lives in Berlin. Career Bogna Bartosz studied voice at the Academy of Music in Gdansk and graduated with distinction. She then studied at the Berlin Unive ...

. Adele Stolte was awarded prizes such as, in 1962, the

Edison Award The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is comparable to the American Grammy Award. The Edison award itself is a bronze replica of a statuette of Thomas Edison, designed by ...

, in 1966 the East German Art Prize (''Kunstpreis der Deutsche Demokratischen Republik'') and in 2007 the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

.Platzeck überreicht Verdienstorden an "Botschafterin deutscher Hochkultur"
(Prime Minister of the State of Brandenburg awards Order of Merit to an "Ambassador of German High Culture"),

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

, 2007 (in German)

References

External links

Adele Stolte
on the Sperenberg website, detailed chronology {{DEFAULTSORT:Stolte, Adele 1932 births 2020 deaths German sopranos People from Teltow-Fläming Musicians from the Province of Brandenburg Recipients of the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Academic staff of the Berlin University of the Arts