Hertha Töpper (Contralto, Mezzo-soprano)

Born: April 19, 1924 - Graz, Austria
Died: March 28, 2020 - Munich, Bavaria, Germany

The Austrian contralto/mezzo-soprano, Hertha Töpper, received her musical training in Graz, studying violin with her father at the Conservatory and voice with Franz Mixa at the opera school.

Hertha Töpper made her operatic debut in 1945 as Ulrike at the Graz Landestheater, where she sang until 1952. In 1951 she appeared at the Bayreuth Festival. After signing as a guest artist at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich in 1951-1952, she joined its roster. She was made a Bavarian Kammersängerin in 1955. In 1953 she made her first appearance at London’s Covent Garden as Clarion with the visiting Bavarian State Opera, and later returned for gust appearances. She made her USA debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1960 as Octavian, a role she repeated for her Metropolitan Opera debut in New York in November 1962. From 1971 to 1981 she was a professor at the Munich Hochschule für Musik.

In 1980 Hertha Töpper retired from the operatic stage. Her operatic repertoire included many roles by Wagner, Verdi, and Strauss. As a concert artist, she was particularly noted for her performances of music by J.S. Bach. Together with Marga Höffgen, Hertha Töpper was one of the leading contralto singers of J.S. Bach’s vocal works during the 1950’s and the 1960’s, and she recorded many of them, mainly with Karl Richter and Fritz Werner.

Sources:
Mostly Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997)
blog 'Karl Richter in München' [Photos]
Photos by courtesy of Marcelo Galvao
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (May 2001, April 2020), nsaz (August 2005); Matthias Hansen (Photo 15, May 2010)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Hans Grischkat

Alto

BWV 243

Eugen Jochum

Alto

BWV 232

Erhard Mauersberger

Alto

BWV 80

Günther Ramin

Alto

BWV 232; Selections from BWV 244

Karl Richter

Alto

BWV 8, BWV 26, BWV 28, BWV 45, BWV 60, BWV 70 [1^st], BWV 78, BWV 106, BWV 108, BWV 124, BWV 147, BWV 171
BWV 232 [1^st], BWV 232 [2^nd], BWV 232 [3^rd], BWV 232 [5^th - Video], BWV 243 [1^st], BWV 244 [1^st], BWV 245 [1^st], BWV 245 [2^nd], BWV 248 [1^st]

Helmuth Rilling

Alto

[ES-5] (2017): BWV 213 [1^st recording]

Fritz Werner

Alto

BWV 6, BWV 76, BWV 80, BWV 85, BWV 87

Links to other Sites

Hertha Töpper (Mild und Leise) [German, N/A]
Karl Richter in München [German]