Lilian Weber Hansen, Else Brems, Bonna Sandberg, Ruth Guldbænk in Falstaff 1958

Lilian Oda Theodora Weber Hansen (1911–1987) was a Danish operatic

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

who from 1940 sang at the Royal Danish Theatre for 25 years. She is remembered above all for her talents as a dramatic actress, especially towards the end of her stage career when she was able to give full weight to roles of elderly women. She was admired as Gluck's Orpheus, Verdi's Ebola in '' Don Carlos'' and Wagner's Ortud in '' Lohengrin''. In a lighter vein, she was repeatedly successful as Lille Forglemmigej in '' Den gode fregat Pinafore''.

Biography

Born on 27 January 1911 in Copenhagen, Lilian Weber Hansen was the daughter of Georg Richard Hansen (1880–1966) and Marry Vilhelmine Augusta née Jensen (1884–1964). In 1942, she married the French horn player Severin John Frans Ahlqvist (1907–1967). She received voice training from the Danish opera singer Valdemar Linke before entering the Royal Opera School. She later studied in Italy under the operatic soprano

Maria Labia Maria Labia (14 February 1880, Verona – 10 February 1953, Malcesine, Lake Garda) was an Italian operatic soprano who was particularly associated with roles of the verismo repertoire. Career Labia studied voice with her mother, Cecilia Labia, wh ...

. In 1940, she made her début at the Royal Danish Theatre with a small paort in Ebbe Hamerik's ''Marie Grubbe''. With her powerful mezzo voice, she was selected to sing Gluck's Orpheus but it was not until 1948 that she achieved real success as Eboli in Verdi's ''Don Carlos'' when she was able to display her dramatic talents to great effect. As a result of her tuition under Labia, she went on to earn admiration for her interpretation of Amneris in ''Aïda'' although there were indications she should refrain from forcing the higher notes. Other major parts included the title role in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'', Ortrud in ''Lohengrin'' and Azucena in '' Il trovatore''. From the early 1950s she was increasingly cast in comic parts such as Lady Billows in Benjamin Britten's '' Albert Herring'' and Zita in

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...

's '' Gianni Schicchi''. She particularly enjoyed playing Little Buttercup in

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

's ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which ...

''. In her later years, she was acclaimed for playing the roles of elderly women and nannies, including those in '' Eugene Onegin'' and ''

Boris Godunov Borís Fyodorovich Godunóv (; russian: Борис Фёдорович Годунов; 1552 ) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as ''de facto'' regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his ...

''. Lilian Weber Hansen died in Gentofte on 20 November 1987.

Awards

In 1950, Weber Hansen was honoured by

King Frederik IX Frederick IX ( da, Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Born into the House of Glücksburg, Frederick was the elder son of King Christian X and Queen ...

as a Royal Chamber Singer and in 1956 as a Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

. She received the award reserved for successful women, the

Tagea Brandt Rejselegat The Tagea Brandts ''Rejselegat'' (Travel Scholarship) is a Danish award to women who have made a significant contribution in science, literature or art. The grant, which is given without application, was created and endowed by Danish industrialist ...

in 1959.

References

External links

Discography of Lilian Weber Hansen by Rene Aagaard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weber Hansen, Lilian 1911 births 1987 deaths Actresses from Copenhagen Danish operatic mezzo-sopranos Danish opera singers 20th-century Danish actresses Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog