Kari Løvaas

Kari Løvaas (13 May 1939 – 24 April 2025) was a Norwegian operatic soprano who made an international career. She performed at international festivals such as the Salzburg Festival and the Lucerne Festival in both opera and concert. She participated in complete recordings of rarely performed operas, including works by Haydn and composers of the 20th century, recorded ''Lieder'' and regularly appeared in choral concerts.

Life and career

Born in Skien on 13May 1939, Løvaas grew up near Brekkeparken in Skien where she also had one of her first appearances. In 1955, she was accepted by the Oslo Conservatory of Music, aged 16, studying piano and voice, under the mentorship of Ingeborg Vorbeck.

She made her opera debut as "Nuri" in Eugen d'Albert's '' Tiefland'' in the opening performance at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet on 16 February 1959 on the recommendation of Kirsten Flagstad who had sung the same role for her debut. She was then offered the role of Pamina in Mozart's ''The Magic Flute'' at the Norwegian Opera and appeared in two productions. The performances earned her a government scholarship, and traveled to Vienna where she studied at the Musikakademie from 1960 to 1963.

She was a member of the ensemble of the Dortmund Opera in the 1963/64 season, followed by the Staatstheater Mainz to 1966. She had guest roles at several operas in Scandinavia, including in Oslo in 1966. She performed at major opera houses in Europe, the United States, Australia and Japan, and at international festivals. At the Salzburg Festival she appeared in 1969 as Marianne Leitmetzerin in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' by Richard Strauss, and in 1970 as Barbarina in Mozart's ''Le nozze di Figaro'' in a production by Günther Rennert conducted by Karl Böhm. On 20 August 1973, she was one of the sybils in the premiere of Carl Orff's '' De temporum fine comoedia'' at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, which was recorded. She sang the soprano solo in Rossini's '' Petite messe solennelle'' at the Münchner Festwochen the same year, and the Lucerne Festival, with Wolfgang Sawallisch as the pianist and conductor, alongside Brigitte Fassbaender, Peter Schreier and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. The performance had been recorded live the previous year at the Baumburg Abbey. In 1973, she appeared in her first Wagner role, as Sieglinde in ''Die Walküre'' at the Zurich Opera. She appeared as Forzana in a performance of Wagner's ''Die Feen'' at the '' Münchner Opernfestspiele'' of 1983, conducted by Sawallisch and recorded. She also performed at festivals in Vienna and Bergen.

Løvaas roles included Euridice in Gluck's ''Orfeo ed Euridice'', Micaela in Bizet's ''Carmen'', Tatjana in Tchaikovsky's '' Eugen Onegin'', Mimi in Puccini's ''La bohème'', Marie in Smetana's ''The Bartered Bride'', Julia in Heinrich Sutermeister's ''Romeo und Julia'', and Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin''. She also performed songs by Bach, Handel, Mozart and Beethoven. She sang regularly as a soloist in concerts with the Wiener Singverein, conducted by , such as Bach's '' Mass in B minor'' at the Stiftskirche Reichersberg, Franz Schmidt's '' The Book with Seven Seals'' at the Niederaltaich Abbey, and Bruckner's ''Te Deum'' in Passau Cathedral.

In recordings of complete operas, she performed several parts in rarely recorded works. In 1971, she appeared as Louise in Lortzing's '' Die Opernprobe'', conducted by Otmar Suitner. She sang Haydn operas with Antal Doráti, Diana in ''La fedeltà premiata'' in 1975, and Baroness Irene in ''La vera costanza'' a year later. A reviewer noted of her performance of a dramatic aria in the latter work that "she shows her excellent range and instinct for theatrical combustibility". She sang the role of Laura in Weber's '' Die drei Pintos'' in 1976, conducted by Gary Bertini, and performed a title role in Othmar Schoeck's ''Vom Fischer und syner Fru'' in 1977, conducted by Rudolf Kempe. She sang the role of ''Die Rothaarige'' in Werner Egk's ''Peer Gynt'' in 1981, conducted by Heinz Wallberg, and the role of Iole in Lou Harrison's ''Hercules'' in 1984, conducted by Dieter Hauschild. She recorded ''Lieder'' by Grieg, Sibelius and R. Strauss with the Berliner Symphoniker. She also recorded Alban Berg's " Sieben frühe Lieder" in the orchestral version with the NDR Sinfonieorchester conducted by Herbert Blomstedt.

Løvaas married Manfred Gerber and lived in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. She died there on 24 April 2025, at the age of 85.Kari Løvaas
Classical Music Daily

Recordings

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Notes

References

External links

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* Bruce Duffie

22 February 1996
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovaas, Kari
1939 births
2025 deaths
20th-century Norwegian women opera singers
Musicians from Skien
Norwegian expatriates in Austria
Norwegian expatriates in Germany
Norwegian expatriates in Switzerland
Norwegian sopranos
Oslo Conservatory of Music alumni
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni