Ute Vinzing

Ute Vinzing (born 9 September 1936 ) is a German dramatic soprano who received the title Kammersängerin.

She is known for roles such as Wagner's Brünnhilde, Isolde, Ortrud and Kundry, and for Elektra and the Dyer's Wife by Richard Strauss, which she performed internationally.

Born in Wuppertal, Vinzing first learned the profession of seamstress.

She then took private singing lessons, first with Elisabeth Boeker in Lüdenscheid.

Without the knowledge of her family she continued her studies with Francesco Carrino in Düsseldorf.

In December 1966, she won first prize at the first Bundeswettbewerb Gesang., with Josef Greindl and Elisabeth Grümmer as jury members.

She then received an audition from Wieland Wagner, who recommended her to Bernhard Klee, then Generalmusikdirektor at the Theater Lübeck, who made her a member of the ensemble..

In 1967, she made her debut at the Theater Lübeck in the role of Marie in Smetana's Die verkaufte Braut.

During the following three years in Lübeck she worked on 14 leading roles.

At first she was mainly used in the Italian repertoire, but sang these roles in German, as was customary at the time.

Her Lübeck roles included among others Mimì in Puccini's La bohème, the title role in his Madama Butterfly, Desdemona in Verdi's Otello, Leonora in his Die Macht des Schicksals, as well as roles in contemporary repertoire, such as in Aufführung by Ján Cikker and the Bride in Fortner's Bluthochzeit.

In the latter production, she got to know Martha Mödl, from whom she subsequently received instruction in voice training and language instructions.

In Lübeck she also performed her first Wagner roles: Elisabeth in Tannhäuser and Senta in Der fliegende Holländer.

From the end of the 1970s, she appeared regularly at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, several times as the Dyer's Wife.

A review noted: "Vinzing fully met the high expectations placed in her both vocally and representatively; she revealed with convincing intensity the change of the dyer's wife from an unfulfilled quarrelsome woman to a loving wife".

From 1971 to 1976, Vinzing joined the ensemble of the Opernhaus Wuppertal directed by Kurt Horres, where she expanded her dramatic roles.

In Italian, she added Abigaille in Verdi's Nabucco, Élisabetta in his Don Carlos, and the title role in Puccini's Tosca to her repertoire.

From 1972 Vinzing performed extensively on German stages.

During her engagement in Lübeck she appeared several times at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

There she was especially successful as Senta, which she performed more than 100 times during her career.

In 1972, she first appeared as Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde at the Theater Hagen.

In 1973, she took over the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss at the Staatstheater Nürnberg, staged by Hans-Peter Lehmann and conducted by Hans Gierster, with Karl-Heinz Thiemann as the Emperor and Astrid Varnay as the Nurse.

In Wuppertal, she also performed Brünnhilde in Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelungen for the first time in 1974.

Her last role in Wuppertal in 1976 was Kundry in Parsifal.

She then worked as a freelance singer.

In 1976 she first appeared in the title role of Elektra by Strauss, with Anny Schlemm as Klytämnestra, at the Staatstheater Hannover, where she appeared regularly.

She made her role debut as Kundry in Wagner's Parsifal there in the 1981/82 season in a new production with Siegfried Jerusalem in the title role and Bent Norup as Klingsor.

A reviewer noted that she "impressed the audience with her intense performance and confident mastery of her powerful soprano, full of timbre in all registers, with profound depth and clear high notes".

In March/April 1981, in April 1982 and again in March 1983 she appeared in Hanover at gala performances and in repertoire performances as Elektra (conductors Heinz Fricke, George Alexander Albrecht, Ralf Weikert and Ferdinand Leitner).

Her Elektra in April 1981 "radiated intensity even in the last moments" and was praised as a "really great achievement" by the critics.

In April 1981, she stepped in as the Dyer's Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten, reviewed as "outstanding in every respect" and "inspired audience and critics both in her performance and through the perfect leadership of her powerful voice".

In June 1981 Vinzing sang Siegfried-Brünnhilde at the Staatstheater Hannover "with a luminous voice"; "she unfolded a tremendous power and also got a lot out of the part in acting".

In February 1981 she also sang Elektra in Berlin.

Her interpretation of the text was "both understandable and thoughtful", the presentation "gripping", without the "least vocal fatigue".

Vinzing was compared in vocal and playing intensity to the soprano Ursula Schröder-Feinen, who was considered in Berlinn as the unsurpassed soprano in this role.

In the 1982/83 season at the Theater Augsburg she took over Brünnhilde in the Götterdämmerung in the revival of the last part of Wagner's Ring cycle.

In June 1988 she was the "sovereign" Brünnhilde in the Götterdämmerung gala performance for the 75th birthday of the conductor Heinrich Hollreiser.

In September 1988, Vinzing was Elektra when Ruth Hesse made her role debut as Klytämnestra.

In February 1990 Vinzing again sang the title role.

In September 1990 Vinzing performed again as Elektra at the DOB during a guest performance of the Semperoper at the Berliner Festspiele in Dresden.