Annemarie Kremer (born 2 June 1974) is a Dutch operatic
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
, known for her performances in the title roles of ''
Norma Norma may refer to:
* Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Astronomy
*Norma (constellation)
* 555 Norma, a minor asteroid
*Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy
Geography
*Norma, Lazi ...
'', ''
Tosca
''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...
'', and ''
Salome'' and as Vitellia in ''
La clemenza di Tito
' (''The Clemency of Titus''), K. 621, is an '' opera seria'' in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro Metastasio. It was started after most of ' (''The Magic Flute''), the last of ...
''. She has appeared at a variety of European opera houses including the
Opernhaus Dortmund
Opernhaus Dortmund is the opera house of Dortmund, Germany, operated by the Theater Dortmund organisation. A new opera house opened in 1966, replacing an earlier facility which opened in 1904 and was destroyed during World War I. It was built o ...
, the
Staatsoper Stuttgart
The Staatsoper Stuttgart (Stuttgart State Opera) is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Staatsorchester Stuttgart serves as its resident orchestra.
History
Performances of operas, ballet and ...
, and
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and ...
in England.
Education
From the age of ten, Kremer studied piano and dance.
She joined the
Maastricht Conservatory
The Maastricht Academy of Music, Dutch: ''Conservatorium Maastricht'', located in the city of Maastricht, is one of nine music academies in the Netherlands. The academy is a faculty of the Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool Zuyd in D ...
at 18, and studied with vocal professor Mya Besselink.
At 19 Kremer was admitted to The Dutch Opera Studio.
She later received vocal coaching from the tenor
Carlo Bergonzi and from the Dutch opera singer
Cristina Deutekom
Cristina Deutekom (28 August 1931 – 7 August 2014) was a Dutch operatic coloratura soprano.
She sang with many of the leading tenors of her time, including Carlo Bergonzi, José Carreras, Franco Corelli, Plácido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Al ...
.
Critical assessment
In early 2012 George Hall of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' said of her portrayal of Norma: "Her ample, wide-ranging voice keeps faith with Bellini's notes, maintaining dramatic intensity via seriousness of artistic purpose and commitment."
Rupert Christiansen Rupert Christiansen (born 1954) is an English writer, journalist and critic.
Life and career
Born in London, Christiansen is the grandson of Arthur Christiansen (former editor of the ''Daily Express'') and son of Kay and Michael Christiansen (forme ...
of ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' described Kremer's commitment as total, and said of the role: "Alden has drawn a strikingly vivid performance from the Dutch soprano Annemarie Kremer in the title-role" but added that "
ervoice isn't ideally beautiful or full-toned and her coloratura is imprecise."
Robert Beal of ''
Musical Opinion
''Musical Opinion'', often abbreviated to ''MO'', is a European classical music journal edited and produced in the UK. It is currently among the oldest such journals to be still publishing in the UK, having been continuously in publication sinc ...
'' described her "not just a soprano of great technical resource, but one who can emote as well as sing and bring the two dimensions together to thrilling effect in this role" and "Her Casta diva, delivered in mesmerisingly beautiful mezza voce, seemed a genuine prayer: her voice dominated the great trio with soaring power."
Notable roles
Kremer has sung the title roles in two of Puccini's operas, including ''
Madama Butterfly
''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...
'' in 2007 at the Green Mountain Opera Festival in
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, which was her US debut. She also sang the role at Opernhaus Dortmund in 2008. ''
Tosca
''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...
'' followed in 2008, also at the Opernhaus Dortmund.
In 2010 to 2011, her appearances in title roles have included Verdi's ''
Luisa Miller
''Luisa Miller'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''Kabale und Liebe'' (''Intrigue and Love'') by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller.
Verdi's initial idea for ...
'' at the Staatsoper Stuttgart, followed by Strauss' ''
Salome'' the following year at the
Vienna Volksoper
The Vienna Volksoper (''Volksoper'' or ''Vienna People's Opera'') is an opera house in Vienna, Austria. It produces three hundred performances of twenty-five German language productions of opera, operetta, musicals, and ballet, during an annual s ...
['']Neue Zürcher Zeitung
The ''Neue Zürcher Zeitung'' (''NZZ''; "New Journal of Zürich") is a Swiss, German-language daily newspaper, published by NZZ Mediengruppe in Zürich. The paper was founded in 1780. It was described as having a reputation as a high-quality ne ...
'' (19 October 2011)
"Ein Verlies und ein bleicher Geselle"
/ref>
Opera North's production of Bellini's ''Norma Norma may refer to:
* Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Astronomy
*Norma (constellation)
* 555 Norma, a minor asteroid
*Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy
Geography
*Norma, Lazi ...
'' in 2012 gave her an additional title role opportunity,La clemenza di Tito
' (''The Clemency of Titus''), K. 621, is an '' opera seria'' in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro Metastasio. It was started after most of ' (''The Magic Flute''), the last of ...
'', also with Opera North.
References
External links
*
Review of ''Norma'', Opera North, 28 January 2012
on Opera Britannia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kremer, Annemarie
Dutch operatic sopranos
Living people
1974 births
21st-century Dutch women opera singers