Mechthild Georg is a German operatic mezzo-soprano, and a professor of voice at the Musikhochschule Köln.

Career

Georg studied Roman studies and history at the

Cologne University The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...

, and music pedagogy at the Musikhochschule Köln. She then studied voice at the

Robert Schumann Hochschule The Robert Schumann Hochschule (Robert Schumann University of Music and Media) is a school for music studies at the university level located in Düsseldorf. The University has a student body of some 850 coming from over 40 countries. Forty-seven ...

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

with Ingeborg Reichelt. She graduated in 1982 as a concert singer, and continued studies as an opera singer. She was a member of the Cologne Opera Studio in 1982/83, and took master classes with

Giulietta Simionato Giulietta Simionato (born Giulia Simionato; Forlì, Romagna, 12 May 1910 – Rome, 5 May 2010) was an Italian mezzo-soprano. Her career spanned the period from the 1930s until her retirement in 1966. Life As a girl she studied in a boarding ...

and

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Dame Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf, (9 December 19153 August 2006) was a German-born Austro-British soprano. She was among the foremost singers of lieder, and is renowned for her performances of Viennese operetta, as well as the op ...

. She performed roles of early Italian opera such as Penelope in Monteverdi's ''

Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria ''Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria'' ( SV 325, ''The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland'') is an opera consisting of a prologue and five acts (later revised to three), set by Claudio Monteverdi to a libretto by Giacomo Badoaro. The opera was first ...

'' and Ottavia in his ''

L'incoronazione di Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Buse ...

''. She appeared as Cherubino in ''

Le nozze di Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It prem ...

'', and also in contemporary opera, such as ''Graf Mirabeau'' by

Siegfried Matthus Siegfried Matthus (13 April 1934 – 27 August 2021) was a German composer, conductor, and festival founder and manager. Some of his operas, such as '' Judith'', were premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin in East Berlin. In 1991, he founded the ...

. She participated in recordings of rarely recorded operas, performing roles such as Tyrsis in Telemann's '' Der neumodische Liebhaber Damon'', conducted by Michael Schneider in 1996, Schubert's '' Die Verschworenen'' the same year, conducted by

Christoph Spering Christoph Spering (23 June 1959 in Simmern) is a German conductor of classical music, especially church music. He founded in 1985 the choir Chorus Musicus Köln and in 1988 the orchestra Das Neue Orchester (The new orchestra). Selected recordings ...

, and Gundelind in the first recording of

Siegfried Wagner Siegfried Helferich Richard Wagner (6 June 18694 August 1930) was a German composer and conductor, the son of Richard Wagner. He was an opera composer and the artistic director of the Bayreuth Festival from 1908 to 1930. Life Siegfried Wagner ...

's '' Die heilige Linde'' in 2001, conducted by

Werner Andreas Albert Werner Andreas Albert (10 January 1935 – 10 November 2019) was a German-born Australian conductor. Personal life Albert was born in Weinheim. He began his studies in musicology and history, and later studied conducting with Herbert von Karaj ...

. As a concert singer, Georg has performed at international festivals, and made several recordings. On 23 June 1988 she performed two works by

C. P. E. Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

, his

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for " y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical service ...

and the oratorio ''

Die Israeliten in der Wüste ''Die Israeliten in der Wüste'' (The Israelites in the Desert) is an oratorio by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Background While known mainly for his works in other genres, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach also composed several oratorios during his caree ...

'', alongside Nancy Argenta, Lena Lootens,

Howard Crook Howard Crook (born June 15, 1947) is an American lyric tenor who has lived and worked in the Netherlands and France since the early 1980s. He was born in Rutherford, New Jersey, and educated at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio and then Unive ...

and Stephen Roberts, conducted by

Frieder Bernius Frieder is both a surname and a masculine given name, a variant of Friedrich. People with the name include: Surname: * Armin Frieder (1911–1946), Slovak Neolog rabbi * Bill Frieder (1942), former basketball coach * Katalin Frieder (1915–1991), ...

, in the first concert of the

Rheingau Musik Festival The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...

Eberbach Abbey Eberbach Abbey (German: Kloster Eberbach) is a former Cistercian monastery in Eltville in the Rheingau, Germany. On account of its Romanesque architecture, Romanesque and Gothic (architecture), early Gothic buildings it is considered one of the mo ...

. She recorded works by Bach with

Helmuth Rilling Helmuth Rilling (born 29 May 1933) is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the Gächinger Kantorei (1954), the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (1965), the Oregon Bach Festival (1970), the Internationale Bachakademi ...

, including his cantata ''Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg'', BWV 149, and his ''

Ascension Oratorio Ascension or ascending may refer to: Religion * "Ascension", "Assumption", or "Translation", the belief in some religions that some individuals have ascended into Heaven without dying first * Ascension of Jesus * Feast of the Ascension (Ascen ...

''. She has taught at the Musikhochschule Köln from 1989, and was appointed professor of voice in 1998. Among her students are

Max Ciolek Max Ciolek is a German tenor, conductor and composer. He is the founder of VokalEnsemble Köln. As a singer, he is noted for his recordings of Bach works, particularly the Evangelist in his Passions, but he has recorded music from all periods of cl ...

and her daughter Uta Christina Georg, who also became a mezzo-soprano.

References

External links

* *
Mechthild Georg
arkivmusic * .com

(in German)

Deutschlandfunk Deutschlandfunk (DLF, ''Broadcast Germany'') is a public-broadcasting radio station in Germany, concentrating on news and current affairs. It is one of the four national radio channels produced by Deutschlandradio. History Broadcasting in th ...

, 5 March 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Georg, Mechthild Georg German operatic mezzo-sopranos Living people 20th-century German women opera singers 21st-century German women opera singers Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln alumni Robert Schumann Hochschule alumni University of Cologne alumni Academic staff of Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln Women music educators Year of birth missing (living people)