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The Austrian soprano, Rotraud (or Rohtraud) Hansmann, worked first as a secretary, and during a period of six years trained her voice at the Conservatory of Graz. She attended summer courses at the Salzburg Mozarteum and studied also with Paula Lindberg in Amsterdam.
Rotraud Hansmann made her debut in 1960 at the State Theatre of Graz as one of the boys in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. Regular appearances followed at the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam. In 1962 she had a successful appearance at the Festival of Bregenz. In 1963 she received the Mozart Prize in the International Singing Competition of Vienna. In 1964 she became a member of the Deutsche Opera in Rhine Düsseldorf- Duisburg. She made guest appearances at prominent stages in Western Europe and appeared in major international festivals, such as the Vienna Festival Weeks, the Flanders Festival and the Festival of Dubrovnik. Above all she had a successful career as soloist in oratorios and scared vocal works, and in addition as a Lieder singer. Her concert programmes included primarily works from the Baroque period, in particular works of J.S. Bach. She appeared as concert soloist in Munich, Stockholm, Brussels, Paris, Hamburg, Vienna, Berlin, Frankfurt a.M., and undertook a Australia concert tour.
Recordings: Eurodisc (Vesperae Beatae Mariae Virginis by Monteverdi), Telefunken (Orfeo and Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria by Monteverdi, B minor Mass (BWV 232) and Cantatas of J.S. Bach, sacred music of W.A. Mozart), Philips (2nd Symphony Lobgesang by Felix Mendelssohn), BASF (W.A. Mozart Arias).
Hansmann was Professor of Voice at the Institutes für Gesang und Musiktheater der Hochschule für Musik in Wien. Among the singers who have studied with her and/or attended her master-classes: Maria Erlacher (Soprano), Theresa Grabner (Soprano). Matthias Helm (Baritone), Yasushi Hirano (Bass-Baritone), Manuela Mach (Contralto), Paul Mayr (Bass), Jan Petryka (Tenor).*** |
