Charlotte “Lotte” Lehmann was one of the great interpreters of the German repertory. 

Born on February 27, 1888 in  Perleberg, she was encouraged by her father to take up a more “practical” career, but she was determined to study singing. After some troubling experiences finding a suitable instructor, she finally found Mathilde Mallinger to teach her. After less than a year of study with her, Lehmann landed an apprentice-level contract with the Hamburg Opera in 1910. Lehmann quickly earned bigger roles and in 1914 she sang for the first time at the Vienna Court Opera. That same year was also essential as she made her first of over 500 recordings.

It was in the city of Vienna where Lotte Lehmann found her true artistic home. Richard Strauss heard her sing as an understudy for the role of the Composer in his opera “Ariadne auf Naxos” and chose her to sing in the production’s world premiere. Thereafter she sang premieres of other Strauss operas as well as Vienna premieres of Puccini, Korngold, and others. She sang in a total of 93 roles in her operatic career.

She would go on to a solid carrier around the world, performing in every major opera house, her North American debut coming in Chicago in 1930 and her first Met Opera showcase taking place in 1934.

She was also a major interpreter of Lieder and appeared in the MGM film “Big City.” Once she retired from the stage she engaged in teaching masterclasses around the world, wound up with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and became a prolific author of such works as the novel “Orplid, mein Land” and poetry “Verse in Prosa.” She also wrote a book on the operas of Richard Strauss, among other non-fiction works. 

Lehmann died at age 88 in 1976.

Major Roles

She was a renowned interpreter of the German repertory, with her major roles being that of the Marshallin in “Der Rosenkavalier,” Leonore in “Fidelio” and Sieglinde in “Die Walküre.”Her recordings of “Die Walküre” and “Der Rosenkavalier” were held in very high esteem by critics and are regarded as classics in our own time. She debuted at the Met Opera in “Die Walküre.”

While the Marschallin was her signature in “Der Rosenkavalier,” she was the first soprano in history to sing all three female roles in the opera, including Octavian. She also gave several world premieres of many Strauss operas, including “Die Frau ohne Schatten” and “Intermezzo.”

Watch and Listen

Here are some early recordings by the famed singer.

And here is an even more expansive repertoire.