Annette Jahns (24 June 195811 September 2020) was a German operatic mezzo-soprano and

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

, and opera director, based at the

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...

in Dresden. She appeared at international opera houses and festivals, with a focus on contemporary music including world premieres. She taught at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden.

Life

Born in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

in 1958 to a family of opera singers, Jahns began her vocal studies in 1975 at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden; she attended master classes with Judith Beckmann, Ute Niss and

Theo Adam Theo Adam (1 August 1926 – 10 January 2019) was a German operatic bass-baritone and bass singer who had an international career in opera, concert and recital from 1949. He was a member of the Staatsoper Dresden for his entire career, and sang ...

. In 1982, she was accepted into the opera studio of the

, and from 1986, she was a member of the ensemble of the Semperoper. She appeared there, in addition to classical contralto and mezzo-soprano roles, in world premieres, such as Sarah Chatterton in ''Thomas Chatterton'' by

Matthias Pintscher Matthias Pintscher (born 29 January 1971) is a German composer and conductor. As a youth, he studied the violin and conducting. Life and career Pintscher was born in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia. He began his music studies with Giselher Klebe in ...

on 25 May 1998, repeated at the

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 ...

in Vienna. She performed in the world premiere of Peter Ruzicka's ''Celan'' on 25 March 2001. She portrayed the title role in ''Bettina'' by

Friedrich Schenker Friedrich Schenker (23 December 19428 February 2013) was a German avant-garde composer and trombone player. Life Born in the German town of Zeulenroda, Schenker learned trombone and piano as a child and made his first compositional attempts at ...

to a libretto by Karl Mickel, premiered at the Theater im Palast in Berlin on 2 September 1987, and recorded. The opera's only singing role portrays

Bettina von Arnim Bettina von Arnim (the Countess of Arnim) (4 April 178520 January 1859), born Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano, was a German writer and novelist. Bettina (or Bettine) Brentano was a writer, publisher, composer, singer, visual art ...

, who expresses herself through speaking, singing, whispering, and screaming. Since 1999, Jahns worked as a freelance singer and director. In 2000 and 2001, she appeared at the Bayreuth Festival as Grimgerde in ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on ...

''. She directed Puccini's '' Madama Butterfly'' in Dresden in 2003. Jahns taught at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber from 1995. She collaborated with

Pina Bausch Philippine "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as . Bausch's approach was noted for a stylized blend of dance m ...

from 1996. In 2000, she recorded a CD of songs by Johannes Brahms with the pianist Damian Zydek. She worked as secretary of the performing arts and film class at the

Sächsische Akademie der Künste The Sächsische Akademie der Künste (Saxon Academy of Arts) is a German cultural organisation for the state of Saxony, based in Dresden. Purpose The Academy is a statutory corporation to promote the arts in Saxony, make proposals for its prom ...

from 2005 to 2008. Jahns died from a long illness in Dresden on 11 September 2020 at age 62.

Staged productions

Jahns's stage productions included: *

Johann Gottlieb Naumann Johann Gottlieb Naumann (17 April 1741 – 23 October 1801) was a German composer, conductor, and Kapellmeister. Life Johann Gottlieb Naumann was born in Blasewitz and received his musical training from the teachers at his town school, where he ...

: ''Medea''. Stadttheater Meißen. Premiere: 1999. Conductor: ; set: Arne Walter; costumes: Marina Zydek * Puccini: '' Madama Butterfly''.

19 July 2003. Conductor: Anthony Bramall; set: Hartmut Schörghofer; costumes: Frauke Schernau * Rossini: ''

La Cenerentola ' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...

''. Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding. 27 May 2005 Theater Ingolstadt, 17 June 2005

Prinzregententheater The Prinzregententheater, or, as it was called in its first decades, the Prinz-Regenten-Theater, in English the Prince Regent Theatre, is a concert hall and opera house on Prinzregentenplatz in the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany. Building ...

Munich. Conductor:

Bruno Weil Bruno Weil (born 24 November 1949, in Hahnstätten) is a German symphonic conductor. He is principal guest conductor of Tafelmusik, the period-instrument group based in Toronto, Music Director of the Carmel Bach Festival in California, and artist ...

; set: Hannes Neumaier; costumes: Marina Zydek * Orff: ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent ...

''. . 16 June 2006 Nikolaikirche Freiberg. Conductor: Jan Michael Horstmann; set and costumes: Marina Zydek; choreography: Erwin Hesse * Gluck: '' Orfeo ed Euridice''. 17 November 2007 Stadttheater Freiberg. Conductor: Jan Michael Horstmann; set and costumes: Marina Zydek; choreography: Erwin Hesse

Awards

* 1987 Kritikerpreis for the Berlin premiere of ''Bettina'' * 1995

References

External links

* * *
Eine mutige Künstlerin
obituary, in German) musik-in-dresden.de

berlinerfestspiele.de 2009
Wandelkonzert mit Annette Jahns
pirna-tv.de 17 August 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jahns, Annette German opera directors Female opera directors 1958 births 2020 deaths Musicians from Dresden German operatic mezzo-sopranos Operatic contraltos German contraltos Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber alumni 20th-century German women opera singers