Lillie Claus-Dostal (1905–2000) was an Austrian lyric coloratura opera and operetta singer.

Biography

She received a musical education in her youth (vocals, piano,

dance school A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose. Overview A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used f ...

). When she was 16 she entered the

Vienna Academy of Music en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. She debuted as Papagena in Mozart's ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inclu ...

'' at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August S ...

. After engagements at several theatres, she returned to the Vienna State Opera. There, she heard the composer

Nico Dostal Nico Dostal (full name: Nikolaus Josef Michael Dostal) (27 November 1895 – 27 October 1981) was an Austrian composer who later specialised in operetta and film music. Life Dostal was born in Korneuburg, Lower Austria, and was the nephew of com ...

was in search a leading singer for his operetta "Clivia". On 23 December 1933, she took part in the premiere in the Berlin theatre on Nollendorfplatz. On 30 November 1934, she sang the 'Lied der Lulu' (part of the five-movement concert suite version of Alban Berg's opera ''

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'') at the

Berlin Staatsoper The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

Unter den Linden Unter den Linden (, "under the linden trees") is a boulevard in the central Mitte district of Berlin, the capital of Germany. Running from the City Palace to Brandenburg Gate, it is named after the linden (lime in England and Ireland, not re ...

under

Erich Kleiber Erich Kleiber (5 August 1890 – 27 January 1956) was an Austrian, later Argentine, conductor, known for his interpretations of the classics and as an advocate of new music. Kleiber was born in Vienna, and after studying at the Prague Conservato ...

. In the ensuing period Lillie Claus focused increasingly on operetta.

wrote several of his operettas for her voice. *1933 Clivia (opera)Andrew Lamb - 150 Years of Popular Musical Theatre 2000 - Page 230 0300075383 "Walter Jankuhn played the tenor role of the president, and Lillie Claus (who later married Dostal) was Clivia. She had the two big numbers: the introductory "Man spricht heut' nur noch von Clivia" and the reflective "Ich bin verliebt." *1935 Die Vielgeliebte ( "I am in love") *1936

Prinzessin Nofretete ''Prinzessin Nofretete'' is a 1936 operetta in 2 acts by Nico Dostal to a libretto by Rudolf Köller and the composer. It was premiered at the Cologne Opera. Recording *Milko Milev, Lilli Wünscher, Angela Mehling, Jeffery Krueger, Musikalische K ...

*1937 Extra leaves ( "I forgot my heart away") *1937 Monika ( "Home Song") *1939 Die ungarische Hochzeit ( "I play the song of happiness and litter") In 1942 she married Nico Dostal and retired from the stage. Their son Roman Dostal, later to be a conductor, was born in 1943 and the family lived in Salzburg. At Nico Dostal's 100th birthday celebration in 1995, the 90-year-old Lillie Claus Dostal was still in the best of health and participated in the events. She made several records.

Selected filmography

* '' The Swedish Nightingale'' (1941)

Recordings

*''Eine Grande Dame der Operette: Lillie Claus''. Songs from operettas and films. Recordings between 1932 and 1941. Rv-Musik RV2618 CD.

References

External links

* 1905 births 2000 deaths Austrian operatic sopranos Singers from Vienna 20th-century Austrian women opera singers University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni {{Austria-opera-singer-stub