OTTO GORITZ, famous German Baritone, and Wagnerian Singer at the MET

here with leading tenor Albert Reiss in the Duet Siegfried Mime 

Otto Goritz - Albert Reiss – Siegfried – Wohin Schleichst Du?
Label: Victor – 64215

A  Siegfried – Wohin Schleichest Du? = Whither Slinkest Thou
Written-By – Wagner*

Orchestra – Victor Orchestra*
Notes
German | Duet

recorded Camden, NJ, April 11, 1911.


Please see top of the page for condition

The tensions brought about by WWI ended many German Singers' Met career in 1917. Accompanist, Frank La Forge later described a party at her home during which the German baritone, Otto Goritz sang a parody celebrating the 1915 sinking of the British passenger ship Lusitania by a German submarine. There were more than 100 Americans aboard. It hardly helped when this incident was publicized, but even without that controversy, anti-German feelings were running high. It was not until 1920 that Wagner was again performed at the Met, and another year before the operas were once again sung in German. Although La Forge never again played for Gadski after that party, he later described her as being considered "the greatest Wagnerian soprano the world had produced."


Otto Goritz

Goritz, Otto, baritone, * 8.6.1873 Berlin, å 11.4.1929 Hamburg; He received his education through his mother, the singer Olga Nielitz, in Bremen, where he spent his youth. After first appearing as an actor in 1888-90 at the Stadttheater in Bremen and 1892-93 at the Stadttheater in Aachen, he debuted as an opera singer in 1895 at the court theater in Neustrelitz, where he remained engaged until 1899. 1899-1901 he sang then at the Opera House of Wroclaw, 1901-03 at the City Theater (opera house) of Hamburg. During his engagement in Hamburg, he sang there u.a. the father in the premiere of Charpentiers +Louise½, 1903 in the world premiere of the opera +The broken jug½ by Josef Jarno. In 1903 he guested at the Vienna Court Opera. In 1903 he followed a call to the Metropolitan Opera New York (entry role: Klingsor in the Bayreuth prohibited American premiere of +Parsifal½), where he had a very successful career, especially in Wagner subject. As his big games were here the Beckmesser in the "Mastersingers" and the Alberich in the Nibelungenring, where his eminent acting talent was admired. In 1905 he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in the premieres of the "Feather Mouse" and of "Hänsel and Gretel" by Humperdinck. On 28.12.1910 he sang the Spielmann in the world premiere of the fairy tale opera +Königskinder½ by Humperdinck. In 1913 he created the ochs in the "Rose Cavalier" by Richard Strauss for America, in 1916 he sang at the Metropolitan Opera in the premiere of the opera WidersThe Taming of the Shrew½ by H. Goetz. When entering the US in the First World War, he had to give up his career at the Metropolitan Opera, where he had sang in 14 seasons 23 games in 405 performances (in their New York house). He was sent to a detention center as a member of a hostile country. He tried again after the war to perform in the United States; However, this failed because of demonstrations against him as a German. Disappointed, he left North America and has never returned there. In Germany he sang again in Hamburg in 1920-21, and in 1922-25 at the Groops Volksoper Berlin, where he was heard as Warlaam in 1922 in the premiere of Boris Godunov. At the Festival in the Forest Opera of Sopot, where he had already sung in 1912 the Kezal in the +Sold bride Braut, he worked in 1914 as Kaspar in reFreischntz½, 1921 as Pizarro in +Fidelio½. From his repertoire for the stage are still the Papageno in the +magical tile ½, the van bed in +Zar and Zimmermann½ and the Baculus in the +Wildschntz½ of Lortzing as well as the lamp in +Versiegelt½ by Leo Blech. He was married to actress Emma RahT, who was first in Hamburg, then engaged with him in Neustrelitz.