Anny Schlemm

Anny Schlemm (February 22, 1929, Neu-Isenburg) is a German operatic soprano, and later mezzo-soprano.

Her father, Franz Schlemm, was a chorister at the Frankfurt Opera, and she studied in Berlin with Erna Westenberger. She made her debut in Halle an der Saale, as Bastienne in Mozart's "Bastien und Bastienne", in 1948. The following year (1949) she joined the Berlin State Opera, where she remained until 1961, during that period her roles included Susanna, Marenka, Donna Elvira, Desdemona, Manon Lescaut, Octavian, Arabella, etc. She also sang at the opera houses of Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, and at the Bayreuth Festival, etc.

She made guest appearances at the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Paris Opera, the Holland Festival, etc.

Later, as her voice darkened, she became a famous exponent of roles such as Clytemnestra in "Elektra", Herodias in "Salome", Kabanicha in "Káťa Kabanová", and Kostelnicka in "Jenufa", etc.

A superb singing-actress and highly versatile artist, she was equally at home in comic and dramatic roles. She was married for a time to conductor Wolgang Rennert.

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* [http://www.operissimo.com Operissimo.com]