Lotte Lehmann: Stimme des Herzens

Voice of the Heart

45 minute documentary (in German)

by Rita Nasser, 1995

Produced with the cooperation of Lehmann’s long time companion, Frances Holden, and others knowledgable about Lehmann’s life, this film is accurate and covers its subject as well as the time limit allows.

The joys and surprises are many: hitherto unknown film footage of Lehmann, often with pets and other animals; interviews with Lehmann students, Vienna Opera’s Marcel Prawy and author Berndt Wessling; the general tone of respect and appreciation for Lehmann.

But there are disappointments: the best sound sources of Lehmann’s singing aren’t always heard; her least important recordings are sometimes used; no motion pictures of Lehmann in any opera role or even a recital were available. Of course documentaries are made of the Civil War and other subjects for which there are no motion picture footage; the frustration with this is that Lehmann lived relatively recently. But it has to be admitted that even with such a famous singing actress as Callas, who was born much later than Lehmann, there are only a few minutes of actual opera footage.

The TV images of Lehmann teaching master classes did fulfill some expectation for “motion” and even emotion. Other such classes are available which could have been used, but it is understandable that Nasser decided not to emphasize the aged Lehmann. After all, her importance in the world of opera is for those performances and recordings of the 1920s and ‘30s.

Many beautiful photographs were used to illustrate roles that Lehmann sang and some of these had been taken “live” during a performance...And of course there are many interviews that she gave in her retirement and these are often revealing and demonstrate her humor and animation.

There were a few misleading moments: when a recording of Lehmann singing from Beethoven’s Fidelio is heard, a photo of Toscanini is seen, but he didn’t conduct the recording. When telling of Caruso’s appreciation for the young soprano’s voice, we are shown a photo of Lehmann as the Dyer’s Wife, a role she didn’t sing until 1919, years after meeting Caruso. Also, since so many operetta recordings were used, one might conclude that this was a Lehmann specialty and not the roles for which she is famous: the Marschallin, Sieglinde, Elisabeth, Fidelio, Elsa, the Dyer’s Wife, etc.

But I shouldn’t be too critical: it is wonderful to have this documentary and a testament to the Lehmann magic.

I would be interested to know what our German and Austrian readers thought of the video. Please send your comments. Were there professional critics who responded to the video?

Here is a summary of the documentary film for those of you who haven’t seen it and are interested in the details.

The film begins with the color film of the middle aged Lehmann walking toward the camera in the snow with one of her dogs. From there we go to the freeways of Santa Barbara, California and to Lehmann’s final home “Orplid”. We are then led through her life, with youthful photos and Lehmann herself in old age talking about being thrown out of a singing school and finally locating a compatible teacher. When Lehmann speaks in English there are sub-titles in German translation.

Lehmann’s first great success as Elsa is shown in photos from throughout her life and while a recording of “Einsam in trüben Tagen” from Lohengrin plays, we watch a conductors hands in an opera pit, beating to Lehmann’s performance. We then see railroad tracks and learn of the impresario from Vienna who came to Hamburg to hear a tenor and hired the soprano (Lehmann). The retired Lehmann tells the story and the railroad appears again as she goes to live and sing in Vienna. “Klänge der Heimat” from Die Fledermaus is heard, not because she sang this aria at the beginning of her career in Vienna, but probably because of the nostalgia of the words dealing with the longing for home. Prawy recounts the legend of Lehmann, the understudy, in the revised Ariadne auf Naxos who becomes a star overnight (the operetta music of the Czardas continues). We then see early Vienna photos and then a bit surprisingly, Lehmann’s Turandot, a role she didn’t sing until 1926. Wessling then speaks of Lehmann’s special attributes and among the opera photos there appears a recital photo from the 1940s.

For the key role of the Marschallin we see Lehmann begin to demonstrate a portion of the Monologue in a Masterclass at the Music Academy of the West. The 1933 recording then begins and we are taken to a stage of a modern opera house with a dressing table on it, as in the first act of Der Rosenkavalier. It is a little frustrating not to hear the whole selection, but time restraints must have been a cruel reality.

From Prawy we hear of Lehmann’s private life, meeting her husband-to-be, the scandal, his divorce and their marriage. The music chosen here is Frau Fluth’s joking aria from the Merry Wives of Windsor, maybe because of the reference to “mein Ritter, ich liebe Euch, nur Euch!” (my knight, I love thee alone). Lehmann and her husband did share a love of horseback riding and a couple is seen riding along the shore.

Wessling then talks of an affaire, a 1931 Berlin peformance during the Potsdam event, the Göring offer and Lehmann’s refusal. Prawy recalls the sad moment of Lehmann’s mother’s death, when she nonetheless sang the Vienna premiere of Arabella, which he counted as one of her best roles (which she only sang 5 times!). Prawy also mentioned that she had problems with her high notes in the 1930s and told the story of Toscanini transposing her big Fidelio aria down at a Salzburg Festival performance. We then see photos taken during a performance of Lehmann as Fidelio and hear her “Komm Hoffnung” mentioned above.

The 1937 Australian tour is covered mostly by the family motion pictures of Lehmann with a kookaburra bird and a koala. After the Nazi annexation of Austria, Lehmann left to live in the US and the music of Schumann’s “In der Fremde” is chosen, especially for the words “es kennt mich dort keine mehr” (nobody knows me there any more). We see views of New York City and motion pictures of Lehmann arriving (in the snow) to visit her ill husband in an upstate sanitarium.

The second Australian tour (in 1939) occurs after her husband’s death. There are amateur shots of volcanic scenes and Lehmann singing from the second act of Die Walküre “Bruder, wo bist du?” (Brother where are you?)

Then we return to the US and shots of a swimming pool with Lotte’s step-children. It is reported that she wanted to give up singing. Then there’s a mixture of actual home motion pictures and “staged” scenes of Lehmann and Holden driving across the country to the accompaniment of the 1924 recording with Richard Tauber in the duet from Korngold’s Die Tode Stadt. This may be because of the words "Musst du einmal von mir gehn, glaub, es gibt ein Auferstehn" or "If you must sometime leave me, believe, there is a resurrection." A possible reference to the close relationship that developed between Frances Holden and Lehmann.

The well-to-do Holden and Lehmann find a home in the hills behind Santa Barbara. Shortly after they move in, a fire, which they film, moves in from the mountains and ultimately destroys their home. During this sequence we hear Lehmann’s recording of “Schmerzen” from Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. “Sonne, weinest jeden Abend/Dir die schönen Augen rot” (Sun, you weep every evening until your lovely eyes are red). The light of the sun seems to be the operative thought here: we see the sunset through a veil of fire and smoke. Perhaps the "Schmerzen" reference is also to “O wie dank ich, dass gegeben/Solche Schmerzen mir Natur!” (Oh, how grateful I am that nature has given me such pain.)

The new house near the beach called “Orplid” from Wolf’s Lied to Mörike poetry of that name is shown in motion pictures (;home movies). While viewing the sandy beach we hear the introduction to Morgen...by Strauss...before the entry of the voice. (This would remind listeners of the song’s mention of going down "our favorite path to the beach".)

We return to the interview with Wessling who tells about her days in Santa Barbara with her other expatriate friends, Thomas Mann, Bruno Walter etc. and their united distaste of the Nazis. He implies that it wasn’t deeply felt. We see the end of Lehmann’s MGM film “Big City” where everyone sings “God Bless America”.

From a master class at the Music Academy of the West we observe Lehmann teaching “O liebliche Wangen” by Brahms in a TV film. Grace Bumbry tells what an important role Lehmann played in her life, also paving the way for European auditions. We see Lehmann on the tarmack having arrived by plane with Grace.

The final sequence shows the outside of Town Hall and we hear a portion of Lehmann’s speech at her "farewell" recital. Her encore of Schubert’s “An die Musik” (in which she breaks down before the final notes) is the last music we hear as a montage of photos from her youth as well as the "farewell" recital are shown.