Author to Sign Comprehensive New Lotte Lehmann Biography
For Immediate Release March 26, 2008
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA-Internationally renowned historian Michael Kater will read from and sign copies of his new, highly anticipated biography of celebrated singer and Music Academy of the West co-founder Lotte Lehmann at 7:30 pm Tuesday, April 29, in Santa Barbara Public Library's Faulkner Gallery. Chaucer's Bookstore will make copies of the book available for the event, which is free and open to the public.
Titled Never Sang for Hitler: The Life and Times of Lotte Lehmann, 1888-1976 (Cambridge University Press, 400 pages, $35), Mr. Kater's remarkable book chronicles the legendary soprano's life as one of the 20th century's most venerated singers, and the momentous social ferment through which she lived, including World War I and Nazi Germany.
Madame Lehmann made her operatic debut at the Hamburg Opera in 1910. A singer of overwhelming warmth and unique expressive power, she ultimately became a favorite of composer Richard Strauss. By the time of her final performance in 1951, she was widely regarded as one of the finest singing actresses of all time. Her recording legacy spans some 500 releases. Madame Lehmann also was among the visionary arts patrons and musicians who founded the Music Academy of the West in 1947, a group that also included famed conductor Otto Klemperer.
A Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of History at York University in Toronto, Mr. Kater is the author of nine books, which have variously won international prizes and been translated into German, Japanese, Russian, and French. Never Sang for Hitler is the most complete Lehmann biography to date and is notable for its historical breadth. In addition to offering an absorbing account of Madame Lehmann's extraordinary life, the book provides insightful analyses of 20th century socio-cultural politics in both Central Europe and the United States.
Early reviews of Never Sang for Hitler have been uniformly positive. According to Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, Mr. Kater has performed "the rare feat of taking a singer seriously, both as an artist and as a figure on the cultural and political stage." Johns Hopkins University's Peter Jelavich notes that the work "brings to life Lehmann's remarkable artistic career, along with the men and women that she loved, and it embeds her life in a richly descriptive account of European and American history during the turbulent years of the past century." And the University of Rochester's Celia Applegate observes: "Michael Kater's judicious, detailed, and revelatory biography provides a rich portrait of a life shaped as much by determination and a healthy self-regard as by astonishing musical gifts. He explores all of Lehmann's worlds, from small-town north Germany to the more familiar musical capitals of old Europe and the United States, and he conveys for each the primacy of personal relationships even in times of dire political change. Lehmann is an unusual guide to the 20th century, but her view from the opera house proves refreshingly direct."
For more information on the April 29 book signing at Faulkner Gallery, please call 695-7908. This public event is jointly presented by the Music Academy of the West and UCSB Libraries.
The UCSB Music Department will host a related forum featuring Mr. Kater at 3:30 pm April 30 in Room 1145 of the Music Building on campus. For more information on this free event, please call 893-4027.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 175 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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