Soprano Hildegard Behrens dies at 72
Behrens as Brunnhilde
Soprano Hildegard Behrens, one of the finest dramatic sopranos of her generation, has died at 72 in Tokyo, the result of an apparent aneurysm.
Behrens (February 9, 1937 – August 18, 2009) was a remarkable performer, with an amazing dramatic commitment; she became famous for her athletic interpretation of the role of the chief Valkyrie, Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Ring, at the Metropolitan Opera.
I first saw her in 1979 as Salome at Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, in a performance I will never forget: her portrayal of the Judean princess was remarkable both for its neurotic believability and the incredible freshness of her voice, which gave no hint of fatigue or strain throughout the long, demanding role.
Behrens was born in northern Germany, and first trained as a lawyer before committing to a career as a singer. She did her apprenticeship in Düsseldorf, graduating to larger roles in bigger houses.
Roles like Brünnhilde take a toll, and Behrens sang them too long, but her work set a standard for singing actors. She can be seen and heard to good advantage in the DVD set of the Met’s Ring.
sarah bryan miller knows what she’s talking about.
during the ’80s, i heard behrens several times in new york and boston, and her performances were always highly dramatic and riveting. i heard her sing leonora in fidelio at the met. it was her debut role in the house, as i remember, and it was the farewell performance of conductor karl bohm. at the end of the performance, which generated a real standing ovation, rose petals poured down from the upper balconies on to the stage for bohm, the nazi collaborator. (music fans are very forgiving.) but what i most remember is behrens. it was a voice like i’d never heard before.
fortunately, she appeared in boston a number of times with the boston symphony orchestra under seiji ozawa, who liked to end the season with operatic works of late romanticism/expressionism. i heard behrens sing schoenberg’s monodrama “erwartung,” marie in berg’s “wozzeck,” and the last scene from “salome.” her dramatic commitment to the roles she was undertaking made the often difficult music persuasive and even beautiful. behrens was also a beautiful woman with an inherent sense of theatricality. in one of those works - either “erwartung” or “salome,” alas i can no longer remember - she walked out on the boston stage with her hair shorn nearly completely off, wearing a simple white blouse and a floor length leather skirt! talk about german s&m chic! I also heard her sing tosca live from the met on the radio and she was absolutely horrible. it was not a role for her.
Great singer.
Great comments Sarah and David, thanks.