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Gundula Janowitz

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Gundula Janowitz is an Austrian lyric soprano, born on 2 August 1937 in Berlin. She grew up in Graz, where she attended the conservatory and became an Austrian citizen. As early as the late 1950s she sang at the highest level, in 1960 in Haydn's Die Schöpfung with Herbert von Karajan. In 1959 Karajan engaged her as Barbarina in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro in Vienna. In the 1960s and 1970s she was one of the most popular singers in the world.

Music and breakthrough

Her discography runs from Bach to Richard Strauss. She worked with conductors such as Karajan, Otto Klemperer, Eugen Jochum, Leonard Bernstein, Rafael Kubelík, Karl Böhm, Georg Solti and Carlos Kleiber. Well-known recordings are Die Zauberflöte under Klemperer, Carmina Burana under Jochum, Der Freischütz under Kleiber, and under Karajan the Matthäus-Passion (St Matthew Passion), the h-Moll-Messe (Mass in B minor) and Strauss's Vier letzte Lieder, among others. She appeared at Glyndebourne, Bayreuth, the Metropolitan Opera, the Opéra de Paris, La Scala and Covent Garden, among others. In 1990 she took her leave of the opera stage as Ariadne auf Naxos, and until 1997 she still gave song recitals.

Influence

Her voice is known for a pure, creamy sound and a fast vibrato. She mastered above all the high and middle registers and lyrical, emotional expression. Janowitz is regarded as one of the most famous opera singers of the twentieth century.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Janowitz in Richard Strauss's Vier letzte Lieder and notice the pure, smooth tone with which she sings the long lines. Hear how her voice floats effortlessly above the orchestra.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists