Elisabeth Breul (25 August 1930 – 12 October 2016)
was a German 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 ...
and
singing teacher.
Life and career
Born in
Gera, Breul first studied at the Musikhochschule in Gera with Marta-Luise Fink and then at the
Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden
' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...
with Klara Elfriede Intrau. From 1960 to 1992, she was a Member of the
Leipzig Opera
The Leipzig Opera (in German: ) is an opera house and opera company located at the Augustusplatz and the Inner City Ring Road at its east side in Leipzig's district Mitte, Germany.
History
Performances of opera in Leipzig trace back to Singspi ...
as
lyric soprano. On the basis of guest contracts she also worked at the
Staatsoper Dresden
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 ...
and the
Komische Oper Berlin. Breul had international appearances at
la Monnaie in Brussels, at the operas of
Brünn,
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...
,
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
and
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
. In the music centres of Romania, France, Spain and the USSR she also performed as a guest in concert halls.
In 1970 Breul received the
National Prize of the GDR
The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (german: Nationalpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik) was an award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, ...
and in 1972 the
Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau
The Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau is a classical music award. Since 1964 it has been awarded by the Lord Mayor of Zwickau. Robert Schumann was born in Zwickau. Between 1964 and 2002 the prize was awarded annually, since 2003 bienni ...
. From 1962 Breul worked as a music teacher at the
Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden
' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...
and
. In 1977 she was appointed professor in Dresden and in 1982 in Leipzig. Breul has been an honorary member of the Leipzig Opera since 1992. On stage, she sang mostly lyrical roles. As a concert singer she performed in particular with
Bach- and
Handel-Repertoire.
Breul died in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
at age 86.
Further reading
*
*
Ein Opernabend Mit Elisabeth Breul
References
External links
*
Elisabeth Breuil on Operissimo*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breul, Elisabeth
1930 births
2016 deaths
People from Gera
German operatic sopranos
Voice teachers
Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber
Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber alumni
Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig
20th-century German women opera singers