Past Lehmann-Related Events

• December 2001: VAI released the first volume of Lehmann master classes, filmed at the Music Academy of the West in 1961.
• December 2001: Romophone recently released a compilation of Lehmann's Columbia recordings made in t1941 & 1942. See Recent Releases.
• August 2001: Perleberg, Germany. In the city of the birth of Lotte Lehmann, the local museum celebrated the arrival of twelve packages of family photographs, paintings and other art objects created by Lehmann after she retired from singing in 1951. Lehmann Foundation Advisor Eric Hvolbøll donated these rarities which were among the estate of Theresia Lehmann (her sister-in-law), who died in 2000.
• August 2001: Perleberg hosted an annual “Lehmann Week” during which student singers participated in master classes and lieder recitals. This year one of the instructors was Maria Zablten-Hall, a veteran of three years of LL master classes in Santa Barbara.
• On 1 May 2001, Grace Bumbry sang a recital in "homage to Lotte Lehmann." Mr. Wren writes: Grace Bumbry (probably because of the 'homage' to Lehmann) sang this rather conservative programme in a very direct, 'no-nonsense' way. The diction was clear and the style was, as they say, 'non-interventionist', which...means 'intervening' to create the effect of an older (grand?) style of Lieder singing. It was very fine singing, despite the signs of wear (and recent illness) in the softer passages. Helmut Deutsch's playing was very impressive indeed. He manages to provide such solidity to the piano parts; it is something to do with sounding all the notes in each chord absolutely together (or rather so that we hear them as belonging absolutely together, which must be even harder).
• Rare Lehmann recordings, interviews, test pressings etc. have been taped and send to the Lehmann Foundation by the Marr Sound Archives at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

Sad events also need to be noted:

• Berndt Wessling, an active author, who wrote two Lehmann biographies, died on 13 January 2000 in Hamburg. As an auditor of Lehmann master classes between 1954-1959 in Santa Barbara, Wessling was inspired to have Lehmann herself help in writing the first biography "Mehr als eine Sängerin" (1968). The second book, still in print, is called "Sie sang, dass es Sterne rührte. " It was published in 1995 by Tonger Musikverlag: Cologne. Both books are available only in German.
• Lehmann’s last accompanist, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, died on 18 November 1998 at the age of 92. She had played for Lehmann’s West Coast performances for eight years. Koldofsky also accompanied Lehmann’s West Coast master classes. She can be heard on the Santa Barbara Farewell, now available on CD. She taught for 33 years at the Music Academy of the West, near Santa Barbara, California. Born in Ontario, Canada, Gwendolyn Williams received her early training at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, as a student of Viggo Kihl. Later she studied in London with Tobias Matthay and Harold Craxton and in Paris with Marguerite Hasselmans, a disciple of Gabriel Fauré.
• Frances Holden, friend and companion from 1938 until Lehmann’s death in 1976, herself died on 10 August 1996 in “Orplid”, their home in Santa Barbara, California. She was 95. Her connection to Lehmann began in the 1930s when she was researching the psychology of genius. Dr. Holden graduated from Smith Colledge and in 1926 received a Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University. She was the first woman appointed to the faculty of the Department of Psychology at New York University, where she taught for twelve years. After they became friends, Holden helped Lehmann with the practical aspects of her career. She translated several of her books, helped establish the Music Academy of the West and worked out the format for Lehmann’s opera and art song master classes. Holden was feeble but able to see the documentary video of Lehmann’s life before she died. This video, “Stimme des Herzens” was broadcast during 1995 in Germany and Austria.