Richard Tauber (1891-1948) was an immensely popular artist who enjoyed a 30+ year career that encompassed opera, operetta, concerts, films, radio, conducting and composition. Born Richard Denemy (NOT Ernst Seiffert, as has often been stated) in Linz, he was the son of theatrical performers who were married…just not to each other. The future tenor was raised in the theater until his mother’s financial circumstances became dire. She reached out to the boy’s father (who was unaware that he had a son), who granted financial assistance and eventually adopted young Tauber. When plans for the boy to study for the priesthood fell through, the elder Tauber responded by taking the youngster on the road with him. Young Tauber became obsessed with theater and music and spent most of his time at his father’s theater. He also became a fan of Heldentenor Heinrich Hensel and began dabbling in singing. Teachers dismissed him as having no future as a singer…although his insistence on singing Wagner for them may have influenced this assessment! Undaunted, Tauber enrolled in the Conservatory at Frankfurt, where he studied composition, piano and conducting.
In 1911 Tauber’s father took him to Carl Beines, a leading voice teacher in Freiburg. Beines heard potential in the young man and advised him to abandon Wagner for Mozart and Lieder. After only a year of work, Beines helped Tauber to cultivate his voice into a polished instrument. The tenor’s first performance took place in May of 1912 in a Lieder recital in Freiburg. Meanwhile, Tauber’s father had been appointed director of the New State Theater in Chemnitz and, hearing his son’s progress, arranged for him to make his debut as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte on March 2, 1913. He had already signed a five year contract with Dresden Hofoper, where he sang over 50 diverse roles (he had already developed a reputation as a remarkably quick study), including Max in Der Freischütz, Nathaniel (and later the title role) in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos and even Tonio in La Fille du Régiment. Tauber also made guest appearances in Zoppot, Berlin, Breslau, Lille and Riga. His Vienna Staatsoper debut was as Rodolfo in June of 1920. Two months later, his celebrated association with Franz Lehár began with an appearance as Jöszi in Zigeunerliebe at the same theater.
During the 1920s, Tauber divided his time between Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, and Salzburg, eventually building a repertoire of over 100 roles. At the peak of his success, however, the tenor was struck down with rheumatic fever, which left him paralyzed and in need of constant care. Although he regained his health, his joints were affected, leaving him with severe physical problems. Tauber learned to mask his mobility issues, as well as the debilitating effects of the illness on his voice. Now faced with a curtailed range, the tenor turned more and more to operetta and concerts, where he could choose his repertoire carefully. The need to sing top notes softly may have been a hindrance to any other tenor. To Tauber, it became a trademark.
Tauber left Germany at the dawn of the Nazi regime, settling in London. He became more involved in radio and appeared in several popular films. His stage and concert career continued throughout the ‘30s and ‘40s, with appearances in Holland, Switzerland, Australia, South Africa, the U.S. and Canada. His Covent Garden debut occurred in 1938 as Tamino and his operetta, Old Chelsea, premiered in Birmingham in 1942. Sadly, a failed Broadway production of Land of Smiles left the tenor in debt and he was compelled to launch a U.S. concert tour to recoup his losses.
By now Tauber was so crippled with arthritis that he could barely move on stage and he was plagued by a persistent cough which caused him to lose his voice at times. Still, his financial situation demanded that he continue working. On September 27, 1947, Tauber, now suffering from terminal cancer, was invited to appear in Vienna Staatsoper’s guest production of Don Giovanni at Covent Garden. This turned out to be Tauber’s final stage performance. A week later, the tenor was hospitalized, and a lung was removed. After brief struggle with his illness, Richard Tauber passed away on January 8, 1948. He was 56.
Richard Tauber was, perhaps, an unlikely opera star. His voice, even in his prime, was problematic beyond a high A. Severe arthritis limited his stage movement and he was afflicted with a permanent squint in his right eye. Tauber, however, was able to overcome these challenges (even adopting a monocle to conceal the squint!) to become an elegant musical artist who epitomized old Vienna. His 730 recordings reveal an artist who never exceeds the limits of his own instrument and sings with great sensitivity. Here, Tauber sings Dr. Rudolf Siecynski’s beloved “Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume”. This was recorded in Berlin for the Odéon label in 1928.
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