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Lauritz Melchior Web 1936-1938
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Filmography Bibliography Repertoire Photo Gallery Selected Recordings
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Warning! This performance chronology is very incomplete. It will be updated frequently. All information is subject to revision. Please bring factual or typographical errors to my attention so that they may be corrected as soon as possible. Thank you.
Metropolitan Opera Opening Nights (1936-37,
1937-38 seasons)--Covent Garden 1937 season--San Francisco Opera 1937
season--guest performances at Chicago Civic Opera--
| 21 December 1936 |
New York Times: "[Melchior's performance was] distinguished by unusually fine proportions and carefully devised contrasts, the more effective because of its fine simplicity and its merit of understatement....[However], it was not Mr. Melchior's night, so far as his vocal condition was concerned." (Downes, p. 33) |
| 23 December 1936 |
New York Times: "Mr. Melchior['s] art grows in sensibility and finesse of proportion...He grows more discreet in his employment of his voice and in the balances he achieves with the voice of Isolde....There is a period in an artist's career when he conquers by sheer physical exuberance a wealth of tone and impulsive emotion. There comes a deeper period when a minimum of physical effort results in a maximum of meaning, and the unfoldment of subtle qualities ignored in an early period. Mr. Melchior has reached this stage...[which] is the wise preparation to the terrific demands of the final scene, to which he gives such meaning and pathos." (Downes, p. 22) |
| 27 December 1936 |
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| 29 December 1936 |
Brooklyn Eagle: "in much better voice than at the Manhattan opening" (Haggin, p. 15) |
1937
| 2 January 1937 |
New York Sun: "Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior held in thrall by the beauty of their singing the great audience" (Thompson, p. 20) |
| 4 January 1937 |
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| 8 January 1937 |
New York Times: "Mr. Melchior was in fine voice, a stirring Siegmund." (Taubman, p. 20) |
| 10 January 1937 |
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| 11 January 1937 |
New York Times: "Lauritz Melchior sang Lohengrin with amplitude of voice and, at the same time, with a wealth of shading. His first-act costume was effective, but in the third act his white robe made him seem even bulkier than he is." (Taubman, p. 19) |
| 16 January 1937 |
New York Times: "Mr. Melchior has seldom sung more gloriously than he did in [Act I]...appear[ing] to draw fresh power from the collaboration of Mme. Lehmann." (Downes, p. 45) |
| 19 January 1937 |
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: "One of the memorable occasions of last season was [Melchior's appearance at Brooklyn Academy of Music]....One was suddenly confronted by evidence-in the form of phrasing of the utmost delicacy and subtlety in vocal coloring and rhythm-of the fact that Mr. Melchior was a superb lieder singer....[This time,] he began with an aria [from Bechgaard's Frode]...in which his voice displayed its Wagnerian power....[In the Scandinavian songs] there was vocal coloring of ravishing delicacy. But it was in the group of German songs...that he revealed resources of emotion, in addition to magnificence and splendor of voice, which were tremendously exciting. This was particularly true of the...Strauss." (B.H. Haggin, p. 12) |
| 20 January 1937 |
New York Sun: "Mme. Flagstad and Mr. Melchior were in particularly good voice" (Thompson, p. 29) |
| 22 January 1937 |
New York Times: "He was not in the best voice. But the interpretation had its native fire, authority and mastery of detail." (Downes, p. 12) |
| 23 January 1937 |
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| 24 January 1937 |
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| 26 January 1937 |
Philadelphia Inquirer: "[Melchior's Siegmund is] a stalwart, sturdy hero, emotionally eloquent, and sung with moving quality....Those who have suggested that Wagner is on the wane, might profitably have listened to the applause that brought Mme. Flagstad and Mr. Melchior before the Academy's red velvet curtain time and time again after [the end of Act I] ....Not in recent seasons, at least, has it been given with such sweep and power" (Martin, p. 4) |
| 29 January 1937 |
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| 30 January 1937 |
"Mr. Melchior surpassed himself in the title role. I have not known him to suggest more tellingly the rich exuberance and lusty humor of Wagner's brusque Apollo of the woods. Nor have I heard him deliver the music more beautifully, or with truer insight into the significance of its different phases. His "Heiliges Weib!" after the despairing, repeated "Erwarche!" unheard by the mysterious sleeper underneath the tree, was a searching utterance of the mood of awe and adoration that falls upon the moment and the music." (Gilman, New York Herald Tribune) |
| 1
February 1937 |
Washington Post: "In stature a modern avatar of the traditional Viking, he carries all before him by the sheer energy of his presence. His robust voice, a supple organ for all its amplitude, has surprising delicacies in pianissimo, and a remarkable range....his control of dynamics is admirable...." (R. C. C. Brown, pg. 6)
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| 3 February 1937 |
New York Times: "Neither Mr. Melchior nor Mme. Rethberg were in their best voice...Mr. Melchior...strolled onto the mountain top in the scene of the duel, dangling the sword [seemingly] nonchalantly [as if to say]..."lets get it over with" (Downes, p. 16) |
| 5 February 1937 |
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| 6 February 1937 |
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| 14 February 1937 |
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| 17 February 1937 |
New York Herald Tribune: "Mr. Melchior was at a new high, even for him, in the piercing sorrow of his lamentation, in the Second Act, over his betrayal by "him who had bestowed the sword." (Gilman, p. 15) |
| 19 February 1937 |
New York Herald Tribune: "Mme. Flagstad and Mr. Melchior sang the title roles with the surpassing eloquence and beauty which have already made the Metropolitan's "Tristan" performances historic." (p. 9) |
| 20 February 1937 |
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| 22 February 1937 |
New York Times: "Lauritz Melchior sings the music with a youthful fire and feeling which convey the spirit as well as the letter of the opera....Mr. Melchior's forge scene is more than a tenor solo. It is the vocal realizement of the moment and the development is consistent to the instant of the defiance of Wotan and the breaking of the spear." (Downes, p. 24) |
| 25 February 1937 |
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| 2 March 1937 |
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| 4 March 1937 |
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| 10 March 1937 |
New York Herald Tribune: "in excellent voice" (p. 14) |
| 13 March 1937 |
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| 16 March 1937 |
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| 19 March 1937 |
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| 23 March 1937 |
Philadelphia Inquirer: "Lauritz Melchior was robust vocally and visually in the title role....he was in good voice throughout the evening." (Martin, p. 17) |
| 26 March 1937 |
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| 29 March 1937 |
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| 1 April 1937 |
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| 5 April 1937 |
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| 7 April 1937 |
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| 9 April 1937 |
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| 11 April 1937 |
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| 13 April 1937 |
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| 16 April 1937 |
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| 19 April 1937 |
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| 27 April 1937 |
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| 28 April 1937 |
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| 1 May 1937 |
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| 9 May 1937 |
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| 13 May 1937 |
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| 15 May 1937 |
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| 15 May 1937-Melchior leaves for Europe on the Europa; Flagstad is also on board. |
From the United States to England
| 28 May 1937 |
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| 1 June 1937 |
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| 14 June 1937 |
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| 17 June 1937 |
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| 18 June 1937 |
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| 22 June 1937 |
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[To Germany]
To Denmark
| 28 September 1937 |
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To Germany
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Lauritz Melchior poses in the late
1930's with his wife and his two teenage children from his first marriage, Birte and Ib. |
From Germany to the United States
| 8-14 October 1937- Melchior sails from Bremen to
New York on the ocean liner Europa. Lotte Lehmann is among the other
passengers. |
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| 15
October 1937-A.W.A., a woman's club patronizing the Met, will have
Melchior and Lehmann as their guests at 5 P.M. (New York City) |
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| 17 October 1937 |
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| 25, 31 October 1937 |
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| 5, 11 November 1937 |
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| 15 November 1937 |
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| 17 November 1937 |
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| 19 November 1937 |
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| November 1937 |
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| 24 November 1937 |
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| 27 November 1937 |
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| 29 November 1937 |
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| 3 December 1937 |
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| 5 December 1937 |
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| 10 December 1937 |
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| 12 December 1937 |
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| 13 December 1937 |
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| 15 December 1937-Melchior attends the Metropolitan Opera Guild Campaign luncheon in New York. | |
| 18 December 1937 |
New York Times: "[A] heroic conception of Siegmund's part, shown in the first exchanges with Hunding when he enters his house; in the recital of the fight with the foes of the Walsungs, and in the lofty recitation of the scene with the Valkyrie in the second act...No wonder Bruennhilde was stirred. Yes! In the hardness of his lot, his dauntless acceptance of it, his defiance of the high gods and his fidelity of the one he loved beyond life and death, this Siegmund was a better man than his cocksure offspring ever dreamed of being!" (Downes, p. 45) |
| 21 December 1937 |
Philadelphia Inquirer: "It was in the last act, even more than the torrential tide of the love music in the second act, that he reached his greatest heights of the evening....As he recreated the role on this occasion, it was newly illuminated by an ecstasy that was the more poignant because of its greater subtlety and restraint" (Martin, p. 3) |
| 25 December 1937 |
New York Times: "Mr. Melchior's Knight of the Grail...was portrayed with the vocal and histrionic resources that have come to be matters of expectation." (G.G., p. 36) |
| 27 December 1937 |
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| 29 December 1937 |
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1938
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4
January 1938 |
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11 January 1938 |
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13 January 1938 |
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17 January 1938 |
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20 January 1938 |
New York Sun: "Melchior [matched] Flagstad in the splendor of his singing throughout the ecstatic final pages of the concluding duet" (Thompson, p. 24) |
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22
January 1938 |
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23 January 1938-Lauritz Melchior's father-in-law Carl Hacker, 64, dies in New York |
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26 January 1938 |
New York Sun: "The evening reached its climax in a splendidly sung version of the bridal chamber scene; and Mr. Melchior's "Grail Narrative" was also magnificently delivered" (p. 11) |
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29 January 1938 |
New York Sun: "in splendid voice" (p. 13) |
| 30 January 1938 |
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| 2 February 1938 |
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3
February 1938 |
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8 February 1938 |
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10 February 1938 |
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13 February 1938 |
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15 February 1938 |
Philadelphia Inquirer: "The outstanding artist of today in the title role... Mr. Melchior was no less than magnificent, dramatically and vocally, in the forge scene, in the fight with Fafner, and in the awakening of Bruennhilde [by a "prolonged if pure kiss"], and the immediately ensuing love duet at the end of the opera (Martin, p. 11) |
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17 February 1938 |
New York Herald Tribune: "The two lovers of the cast were sung by Mme. Rethberg and Mr. Melchior with the fervor and veraciousness to which they have accustomed us" (Gilman, p. 14) |
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19 February 1938 |
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22 February 1938 |
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24 February 1938 |
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26 February 1938-RADIO: Melchior is speaker on "Stamp Collector's Program" 4PM, WEAF. |
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27 February 1938 |
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28 February 1938 |
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[February 1938]-Melchior and Karin Branzell attend tea at Met opera patron Mrs. Davenport West's. |
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1 March 1938 |
New York Times: "Mr. Melchior in his song encompasses all that the score entails, and that means singing that is equally emotional and heroic, and that comes to its climax in the glory and the pathos of the [death] scene." (Downes, p. 17) |
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4 March 1938 |
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6 March 1938 |
Poughkeepsie Eagle-News: "Mr. Melchior in his consumate artistry in every offering was as radiant as the Holy grail he so often sings about....The effortless quality of his singing, his flawless control in sustained high register and in passages hardly above a whisper, his resonance of tone, and interpretation of mood, all were compelling. It is difficult to pick out an outstanding presentation, because each one served to bring out some new phase of his all-round skill. In his duet with Mme. Manski, the finale of Act I of Wagner's Die Walkuere, his dynamic capabilities asserted themselves, while in an almost diametrically opposite type of selection, Grieg's "I Love You," he fairly exuded warmth [it "was soothing under his sensitive execution"]....Alongside of the sincerity and personality of Mr. Melchior, [Mme. Manski] seemed mechanical. Unquestionably, the duet was the highlight of the program.... "Heimliche Aufforderung"] displayed the singer's complete aplomb in the upper reaches, while ["Traum Durch die Dämmerung"] called for gentle treatment....[There were two additional encores]" (H.A.) |
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7 March 1938 |
New York Sun: "Lauritz Melchior delivered Siegfried's music with splendid vigor and vocal resourcefulness." (Kolodin, p. 17) |
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10 March 1938 |
New York Sun: "The splendid Siegmund of Lauritz Melchior was a substantial contribution [to the "Announcement of Death" scene]. Through the evening, Mr. Melchior sang with exceptional vocal fervor and dramatic conviction." (Kolodin, p. 27) |
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12 March 1938 |
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[12 March 1938:
Germany 'annexes'
Austria]
RETURN TO TOP
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15 March 1938 |
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16 March 1938 |
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18 March 1938 |
New York Sun: "The Parsifal of Lauritz Melchior must be considered among the notable impersonations of the lyric theatre of the day....[especially good] in the cry of "Amfortas"....[and] in the tenderness and exaltation of the anointing of Kundry." (Thompson, p. 30, also Musical America, April 10) |
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19 March 1938 |
New York Sun: "Despite his Tristan and Parsifal of the preceding three days, Lauritz Melchior offered some of his finest singing of the year" (p. 13) |
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21 March 1938 |
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| 23 March 1938 |
Schenectady Gazette: "A marvelous concert....Mr. Melchior, when not in the far regions of great song, preserved a most friendly attitude towards his pleased audience....[His] tenor [was] splendid and appealing.....It is rather a revelation to know, through actual hearing, that one who is usually thought of as the great Wagnerian, is also a great singer of songs....he gives them full value, rousing the feeling of spring [in "Majsang"]...or the serene beauty of "A Swan"....Strange and rather ominous, as the darker tones of the powerful voice brought it out, "Black Roses" by Sibelius, was one of the numbers which gave most listeners a new experience, an insight into something awesome and new. Delicacy and lyrical beauty were expressed [in "Tonerna"]....The encore added to this group was "I Love You," Grieg.....There were two Schubert songs in the program and that terrifying shadow "Der Doppelgaenger" was one of the songs in which Mr. Melchior's abilities to contrast color effects was most striking. It was both beautiful and terrifying and the dramatic art of the singer's expression left no thought of the elegance of technique which made it possible.....Frank La Forge's "Into the Light," with its brilliant coloring and long last note [was] most memorable. But thinking of the display of sustained tone, though nothing is ever apparently done for effect by this singer, we remember the closing phrase of "First Ray" by Richard Turk [sic], a marvelous exhibition of voice control but so easy that it was velvety and easy to the end. And then, as an encore Mr. Melchior in the most tender pianissimos sang the touching "Do Not Go My Love.".....Mr. Melchior sang three songs by Richard Strauss, again revealing the composer's thoughts and style with the most expressive significance in every phrase.....Most gratefully his guests heard him in the inspiring grail song from "Lohengrin, and again with dramatic effect and thrilling vocal beauty [Siegmund's Spring Song]...There were also two encores, an aria from "Fedora" and the favorite song to the star. Mr. Melchior waved good-bye and the audience rose in appreciation" (p. 12) |
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25 March 1938 |
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28 March 1938 |
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30 March 1938 |
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[March 1938] |
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2 April 1938 |
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5 April 1938 |
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8 April 1938 |
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9 April 1938 |
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| 11 April 1938 |
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13 April 1938 |
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15 April 1938 |
New York Herald Tribune: "Mr. Melchior is at his finest in the embodiment of the Parsifal of this fulfilling act [III] -nothing that he gives us elsewhere is so profoundly felt, so sensitive as this; his singing and acting alike are scarcely to be overpraised." (Gilman, p. 9) |
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16 April 1938 |
(fifteen minutes of applause at conclusion) |
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17 April 1938 |
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21 April 1938 |
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27 April 1938 |
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29 April 1938 |
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From the United States to England
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19 May 1938 |
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20 May 1938 |
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24 May 1938 |
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27 May 1938 |
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31 May 1938 |
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1 June 1938 |
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3 June 1938 |
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7 June 1938 |
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To Belgium
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July 1938 |
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To Denmark
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3 August 1938 |
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To Sweden
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5 August 1938 |
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From Sweden to Germany
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19 September 1938 |
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From Germany to the United States
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27-6
October 1938-Melchior sails from Bremen to New York on the Europa;
political uncertainty (the "Munich Conference") delays the ship by
three
days |
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| 8 October 1938 |
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| 10 October 1938 |
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[15 October 1938: Germany occupies Sudetenland]
| RETURN TO TOP | Return to Chronology, 1935-1936 | Onwards to Chronology, 1938-1939 |
Do you have PLAYBILLS? REVIEWS? CANDID PHOTOGRAPHS? ARTICLES? I am avidly seeking information relating to Lauritz Melchior, in ANY and ALL languages.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
| Information to share? Questions? Suggestions? Write me at ringedwithfire@heroictenor.com using Melchior's name in the subject line of the email |
| Copyright © 2005-2007 Victoria Boutilier, All Rights Reserved |
| Last Updated July 30, 2007 |