Marianne Schech (18 January 1914 – 22 July 1999) was a German operatic soprano and academic who appeared internationally. She was a member of the

Bavarian State Opera The Bavarian State Opera () is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bavarian State Orchestra. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under El ...

from 1946 to 1970. She is known for leading roles in works by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

and

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

, playing, for example, the Dyer's Wife in the U.S. premiere of ''

Die Frau ohne Schatten ' (''The Woman without a Shadow''), Op. 65, is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917. When it premiered at the V ...

'' by Richard Strauss at the

San Francisco Opera The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...

in 1959. She made several recordings, including in 1951 the role of Elisabeth in Wagner's ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; ), often stylized "The Tannhäuser", was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1265. His name ...

'', conducted by

Robert Heger Robert Heger (19 August 1886 – 14 January 1978) was a German conductor and composer from Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine. Life and career He studied at the Conservatory of Strasbourg under Franz Stockhausen, then in Zurich under Lothar Kempt ...

, in 1960 the role of Chrysothemis in '' Elektra'' by Richard Strauss, conducted by

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz, St ...

, Senta in Wagner's ''

Der fliegende Holländer ' (''The Flying Dutchman''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 63, is a German-language opera, with libretto and music by Richard Wagner. The central theme is redemption through love. Wagner Conducting, conducted the premiere at the Königliches Hofthe ...

'', conducted by

Franz Konwitschny Franz Konwitschny (14 August 1901, Fulnek, Moravia – 28 July 1962, Belgrade) was a German conductor and violist of Moravian descent. Biography Konwitschny came from a family of musicians. From 1920 to 1923 he took violin lessons at the Academ ...

, and Venus in ''Tannhäuser'', also conducted by Konwitschny.

Career

Born in Geitau near

Bayrischzell Bayrischzell is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany. Geography Bayrischzell is located in the Mangfallgebirge between Schliersee in the West and Oberaudorf in the East. It is located at the foot of Wendelstein mo ...

, Schech studied at the Trapp'sches Konservatorium and at the Akademie der Tonkunst in Munich. She made her operatic debut at the Stadttheater Koblenz in 1937 in the role of Martha in d'Albert's '' Tiefland''. In 1939, she moved to the Theater Münster, and in 1941 to the Düsseldorf Opera. After World War II, Schech was a member of the

from 1946 to 1970. In 1952, she appeared in Rio de Janeiro as Senta in Wagner's ''

'' and as Isolde in his ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

''. In 1957, she was the Dyer's Wife in ''

'' by Richard Strauss at the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

. She often appeared at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

, in 1958 as Venus in Wagner's ''

'' and as Brünnhilde in his ''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'', in 1962 as Brünnhilde in his ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'' and as the Marschallin in ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...

'' by Strauss. In 1959, she appeared as the Dyer's Wife in the U.S. premiere of the opera at the

in 1959. Schech made several recordings, including in 1951 the role of Elisabeth in Wagner's''Tannhäuser'', conducted by

. She recorded the role of Sieglinde in ''Die Walküre'', Martha in ''Tiefland'', the Marschallin and the Dyer's Wife, among others. In 1960, she recorded the role of Chrysothemis in ''Elektra'' by Richard Strauss, conducted by

with the

Staatskapelle Dresden The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (), or Saxon State Orchestra Dresden, is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, created by order of Maurice, Elector of Saxony in 1548. Under communist East Germany and until 1992 it was called Staatskap ...

, and alongside

Inge Borkh Inge Borkh (born Ingeborg Simon, 26 May 1921 – 26 August 2018) was a German operatic dramatic soprano. She was first based in Switzerland, where she received international attention when she appeared in the first performance in German of Menott ...

in the title role and

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (; 28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music. One of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, he is best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's ...

as Orest. That same year, she recorded Senta in ''Der fliegende Holländer'', conducted by

with the

Staatskapelle Berlin The Staatskapelle Berlin () is a German orchestra and the resident orchestra of the Berlin State Opera, Unter den Linden. The orchestra is one of the oldest in the world. Until the fall of the German Empire in 1918 the orchestra's name was , i.e ...

, and alongside Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in the title role,

Gottlob Frick Gottlob Frick (28 July 1906 – 18 August 1994) was a German operatic bass. He was known for his wide repertory including Wagner and Mozart roles. Some of his most celebrated roles were Wagnerian villains such as Hunding and Hagen in ''Der Ring ...

as Daland and

Fritz Wunderlich Friedrich "Fritz" Karl Otto Wunderlich (26 September 1930 – 17 September 1966) was a German lyric tenor, famed for his singing of the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart repertory and various lieder. He died in an accident aged 35. Biography Wunde ...

as the Steuermann. Later in 1960, she again joined Konwitschny, the Staatskapelle Berlin, Fischer-Dieskau, Frick, and Wunderlich to record ''Tannhäuser'' with

Hans Hopf Hans Hopf (August 2, 1916, Nuremberg – June 25, 1993, Munich) was a German operatic tenor, one of the leading heldentenors of the immediate postwar period. He sang Walther von Stolzing in the Bayreuth Festival's ''Die Meistersinger'', in 1951 ...

in the title role and

Elisabeth Grümmer Elisabeth Grümmer (née Schilz; 31 March 1911 – 6 November 1986) was a German soprano. She has been described as "a singer blessed with elegant musicality, warm-hearted sincerity, and a voice of exceptional beauty". Life Elisabeth Schilz was b ...

as Elisabeth.Wagner Discography
wagnerdisco.net Schech lectured at the

Musikhochschule München The University of Music and Theatre Munich (), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is the former ''Führerbau'' of the NSDAP, located at Arcisstr ...

from 1970, where

Claudia Eder Claudia Eder (born 7 February 1948) is a German mezzo-soprano in opera and concert, and an academic at the Hochschule für Musik Mainz. Career Claudia Eder was born in Augsburg, Germany. She studied voice and cello at the Hochschule für Musi ...

and Felicity Palmer were among her students. She died in Munich in 1999.

References

External links

*
Marianne Schech
on MusicMe
''Marianne Schech & Staatskapelle Dresden & Karl Böhm''
Amazon {{DEFAULTSORT:Schech, Marianne 1914 births 1999 deaths People from Miesbach (district) German operatic sopranos Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Munich German voice teachers Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century German women opera singers Musicians from Bavaria