# Freida Leider???????



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I've just discovered her and have been blown away. I'm curious why I have not heard much about Leider sooner. It is hard to think of a more beautiful Wagnerian voice. Did it have a reputation for being gigantic like Flagstad and Traubel? The only reason I can think of why she has not had a bigger reputation is that her heyday was about a decade before Flagstad. Any opinions? Tell me what you think. SHe has the best Hojotojo I have ever heard with great trills.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Frida Leider (1888-1975), whose operatic debut was as Venus in _Tannhauser_ in 1915, was internationally accepted as the finest of Isoldes and Brunnhildes during the '20s and early '30s, and was the Met's principal Wagnerian soprano before the arrival of Flagstad in 1935. Flagstad's debut was as Sieglinde, and Leider was the Brunnhilde in the performance. After Flagstad's arrival, Leider returned to Germany, where she was already the leading soprano at Bayreuth. Married to a Jew, she experienced dislocation and much stress during the war, and stopped singing opera. She returned to singing, but as a recitalist, in the 1940s, and then turned to teaching singing and producing opera.

Leider frequently partnered Melchior and made a famous (abridged) recording of the _Tristan_ love duet. She was considered an excellent actress, and many preferred her Isolde to Flagstad's. Unlike Flagstad and many other Wagnerians, Leider was also noted for Italian roles, which included Leonora in _Il Trovatore_, Tosca, Donna Anna, and even Norma. Her voice was both powerful and flexible, with a thrilling top and an excellent trill.

Congrats on discovering her. Better late than never.


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## interestedin (Jan 10, 2016)

Woodduck said:


> Better late than never.


And why not discover her several times? :lol:

OMG! Frieda Leider! Any Fans Out There?

There are some good examples of her singing in that link..


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

A nice thing about getting older is that you can watch a movie or listen to a great voice/great piece of music and every time is the first time! 

Don't worry @seattleoperafan we love you (and your wonderful enthusiasm) anyway! Just start writing down the subjects of your talks (or else check who is in the audience and have a backup plan).

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I've just discovered her and have been blown away. I'm curious why I have not heard much about Leider sooner.


Woodduck hit on most of the reasons, but a lot of has to do with timing. Many of her recordings were made during the acoustic era, which for some people makes them tough listening. Also, she left the Met shortly before the advent of Saturday afternoon broadcasts. We hear and read more about Flagstad because her career was a decade later (and lasted into the stereo era) and is more completely documented on recordings.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Another reason you have never heard of her is because no one could spell her names right. It usually came out as either Frieda Lieder or Freida Leider. Or Frieder Lieder. I believe the correct spelling is Frida Leider, which only Woodduck (surprise!) got right in this thread so far. Heckuva glorious voice she had! The NY Times obituary (1975) notes that she "retired from active singing when she refused a Nazi demand that she divorce her Jewish husband, the violinist Rudolf Deman."

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

wkasimer said:


> Woodduck hit on most of the reasons, but a lot of has to do with timing. Many of her recordings were made during the acoustic era, which for some people makes them tough listening. Also, she left the Met shortly before the advent of Saturday afternoon broadcasts. We hear and read more about Flagstad because her career was a decade later (and lasted into the stereo era) and is more completely documented on recordings.


That is what i was thinking. Flagstad seemed to have a voice that was bigger than any of her competition. Leider had such a gorgeous voice and very expressive.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Barelytenor said:


> A nice thing about getting older is that you can watch a movie or listen to a great voice/great piece of music and every time is the first time!
> 
> Don't worry @seattleoperafan we love you (and your wonderful enthusiasm) anyway! Just start writing down the subjects of your talks (or else check who is in the audience and have a backup plan).
> 
> ...


Amen to this, if I may add a small thing, even God's makes mistakes. :angel:


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Barelytenor said:


> Another reason you have never heard of her is because no one could spell her names right. It usually came out as either Frieda Lieder or Freida Leider. Or Frieder Lieder. I believe the correct spelling is Frida Leider, which only Woodduck (surprise!) got right in this thread so far. Heckuva glorious voice she had! The NY Times obituary (1975) notes that she "retired from active singing when she refused a Nazi demand that she divorce her Jewish husband, the violinist Rudolf Deman."
> 
> Kind regards, :tiphat:
> 
> George


I have been made ashamed! Even in the title I spelled it wrong!!!!!!!!!!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I have been made ashamed! Even in the title I spelled it wrong!!!!!!!!!!


Frida would forgive you. She seems to have been a gracious and tactful person, as she comes across in her autobiography, "Playing My Part," where she has scarcely a negative word to say about anyone. I was fortunate enough to find a very inexpensive copy and I found it a pleasant read providing interesting glimpses of the operatic world in prewar Germany. It's short for a bio, but then people of that generation weren't so fond of "telling all."


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Why can't you be my neighbor!!! The things you know!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Why can't you be my neighbor!!! The things you know!


In the 1980s and '90s, when I lived in the U District, worked for Pacific Northwest Ballet, and was a pretty cute fellow (if I do say so ), we would have been neighbors. I didn't know any opera lovers during those years.


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