Anni Frind (3 February 1900 – 8 April 1987) was one of the most highly recorded

lyric soprano A lyric soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that has a warm quality with a bright, full timbre that can be heard over an orchestra. The lyric soprano voice generally has a higher tessitura than a soubrette and usually plays ingenues and ot ...

s in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

during the 1920s and 1930s. Anni Frind was born into a German family in Nixdorf, a small town in Bohemia (now

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Career

She made her debut in 1922 at the

Volksoper Berlin The Theater des Westens (Theatre of the West) is one of the most famous theatres for Musical theatre, musicals and operettas in Berlin, Germany, located at 10–12 in Charlottenburg. It was founded in 1895 for plays. The present house was opened ...

and went on to sing leading soprano roles in both

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

and operetta at the Munich State Opera, the Dresden State Opera, the German Opera House in Berlin and other major European cities.''The New York Times'' obituary: Anni Frind
/ref>''Orlando Sentinel'' obituary: Anni Frind
/ref> After the successful premiere of

Ralph Benatzky Ralph Benatzky (5 June 1884 – 16 October 1957), born in Mährisch Budwitz ( Moravské Budějovice) as Rudolph Franz rantišekJosef Benatzky, was an Austrian composer of Moravian origin. He composed operas and operettas, such as '' Casanova ...

's operetta ''

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

'' in 1928, her energies were devoted mainly to operetta; and the ever-popular HMV recording of "The Nuns' Chorus" (comp. Johann Strauss II/arr. Ralph Benatzky) was produced.''Gramophone'', 1979
/ref>Internet Archive "The Nuns‘ Chorus" by Anni Frind

Großes Schauspielhaus The Großes Schauspielhaus (Great Theater) was a theatre in Berlin, Germany, often described as an example of expressionist architecture, designed by Hans Poelzig for theatre impresario Max Reinhardt. The structure was originally a market built b ...

, 1929 She appeared as Adele in

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pro ...

's production of ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original li ...

'' 200 times.

Retirement from professional singing and later life

Anni Frind retired from professional singing at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, subsequently marrying. At the end of the war she sang for Allied soldiers at the front and worked as a volunteer nurse. Anni Frind-Sperling moved to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

in 1951, and became a singing teacher at

Newcomb College H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, or Newcomb College, was the coordinate women's college of Tulane University located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1886 in memory of her daughter. ...

Tulane University. She died 1987 in New Orleans aged 87.

References

1900 births 1987 deaths German operatic sopranos Sudeten German people Emigrants from Czechoslovakia Immigrants to the Weimar Republic 20th-century German women opera singers Singers from New Orleans Tulane University faculty Immigrants to the United States People from Děčín District Centaur Records artists {{Germany-opera-singer-stub