Kurt Hübenthal

Kurt Hübenthal (30 November 1918 – 13 March 2007) was a German operatic bass baritone, director and music teacher. He was professor for singing at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar.

Life

Hübenthal was born in 1918 as one of two sons in Halle (Saale). He and his brother were members (soprano) of the and, with the financial support of the choir, attended the elitist Latina. After their parents separated, the brothers moved to the orphanage of the Francke Foundations. They left school without a degree. Kurt Hübenthal completed a locksmith apprenticeship at the Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk in Halle.

During the Second World War, the brothers were drafted into the Wehrmacht (his brother was killed). During his deployment in the Afrikafeldzug at the turn of the year 1941/42, both were victimes of eardrums burst. In 1942, he became a British prisoner of war and was taken on the to a prison camp in the Canadian Rockies. A camp choir and orchestra was formed in captivity. He also took part in an opera performance of Lortzing's ''Zar und Zimmermann''.Walther Siegmund-Schultze: ''Kurt Hübenthal''. In Ernst Krause (ed.): ''Opera singer. 48 portraits from the world of music theatre''. 3rd modified edition, Henschel, Berlin 1965, , here . There he also met Kammersänger Karl Marstatt and Kapellmeister Hans Oncken, who trained him in voice teaching and solo singing as well as choral conducting and theory.Walther Siegmund-Schultze: ''Kurt Hübenthal''. In Ernst Kraus (ed.): ''Opera singer. 48 Portraits from the world of music theatre''. 3rd amended edition, Henschel, Berlin 1965, , here . After the war he was moved to England, where he gave camp concerts and taught British officers.

In spring 1947 he was able to return to his home town, where he studied under Kurt Wichmann. In addition, he was trained by Fritz Polster in Leipzig. His first performances as a concert and oratorio singer followed. At the beginning of 1948, he received a teaching position at the . In 1950, he became a lecturer for voice projection and head of a specialist group at the Institute for Music Education (later the Institute for Musicology) of the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg. Hübenthal also taught at times at the Evangelische Hochschule für Kirchenmusik Halle, at the Institute for Music Education of the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena and at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar. While teaching at the Kirchenmusikschule, he devoted himself intensively to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, including his role as ''Christ'' in the ''St Matthew Passion''.Walther Siegmund-Schultze: ''Kurt Hübenthal''. In Ernst Kraus (ed.): ''Opera singer. 48 Portraits from the world of music theatre''. 3rd, modified edition, Henschel, Berlin 1965, , here . Hübenthal also sang in Handel oratorios like ''Alexander's Feast'', ''Judas Maccabaeus'', ''Messiah'', '' Salomon'' and ''Samson'' and modern choral works were part of his repertoire. Under the conducting of Helmut Koch, he gave a guest performance in 1959 with Handel's ''Belshazzar'' in England. He also appeared in many ways as a song interpreter. On the occasion of the Schubert tribute in 1954, he interpreted his ''Winterreise''. He also performed Lieder of Robert Schumann and ballads of Carl Loewe as well as modern pieces by Hanns Eisler and Paul Dessau. In 1956, he participated as soloist in the world premiere of Fritz Reuters' cantata ''Deutsche Libertät''. A memorial service for Johannes R. Becher led him to Moscow in 1958.Walther Siegmund-Schultze: ''Kurt Hübenthal''. In Ernst Krause (ed.): ''Opera singer. 48 portraits from the world of music theatre''. 3rd modified edition, Henschel, Berlin 1965, , here .

After a guest performance in 1955 as ''Farasmane'' in the Handel opera ''Radamisto'', he was engaged on 1 August 1956 as Italian and character baritone at the Halle Opera House and was one of its most important ensemble heads until 1966. In several Handel operas he embodied the title role (''Amadigi di Gaula'', ''Giulio Cesare'', ''Orlando'', ''Ottone'', ''Siroe'' and ''Tamerlano''). He also sang ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (Count), ''Otello'' (Jago), ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' (Hans Sachs), ''Don Carlos'' (Posa), '' Tsar and Carpenter'' (Tsar), ''La forza del destino'' (Carlos), ''Enoch Arden'' (title role) and ''The Rake's Progress'' (Nick Shadow).

The success of his school opera production ''Die Horatier und die Kuriatier'' by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Schwaen at the Institute for Musicology, led him to take on more and more directing engagements. During the 1960 Handel Festival, Halle, he was still assistant to Heinz Rückert at the German premiere of ''Imeneo''. Later, he was responsible as an independent director for the productions of Handel's '' Amadigi'', Mozart's ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'', Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin'' and Strauss'. ''Die schweigsame Frau''. He staged a total of 37 operas.

In 1970, Hübenthal was appointed professor of singing at the Weimar Academy of Music, where he was promoted to prorector. In 1977, he was chairman of the jury for singing at the Robert Schumann International Competition for Pianists and Singers.

Hübenthal last lived with his daughter in Zwickau,Kai Gauselmann: ''Bruder des Piloten Hübenthal. Halles vergessener Opernstar''. In the ''Mitteldeutsche Zeitung'', 14 February 2004. where he died in 2007 at the age of 88.

Awards

* 1959: Verleihung des Ehrentitels Kammersänger
* 1959: Nationalpreis der DDR, II. Klasse für Kunst und Literatur (in Kollektiv der Händel-Festspiele)
* 1963: Händelpreis des Bezirkes Halle

Further reading

* ''Hübenthal, Kurt.'' In Karl-Josef Kutsch, Leo Riemens ''Großes Sängerlexikon''. Vol. 3: ''Franc – Kaidanoff''. 4th extended and updated edition, K. G. Saur Verlag, Munich 2003, , .
* Walther Siegmund-Schultze: ''Kurt Hübenthal''. In Ernst Krause (ed.): ''Opernsänger. 48 Porträts aus der Welt des Musiktheaters''.''Opernsaenger. 48 Porträts aus der Welt des Musiktheaters''
on WorldCat 3rd modified edition, veränderte Auflage, Henschel, Berlin 1965, .

References

External links

*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubenthal, Kurt
German bass-baritones
Voice teachers
German opera directors
Academic staff of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg
1918 births
2007 deaths
Musicians from Halle (Saale)
20th-century German male opera singers