Hilde Scheppan

Hilde Scheppan (17 September 1907 – 24 September 1970 After World War II, she first continued work in Berlin, but then moved to the Staatsoper Stuttgart. She taught as a professor of voice at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg and the Musikhochschule München.

Life and career Born in Forst in Lusatia, Scheppan studied at the Musikhochschule Berlin, and with Emy von Stetten. She appeared in some youthful dramatic (jugendlich-dramatisch) roles of the Italian repertoire, such as Leonore in Verdi's Il trovatore and Desdemona in Otello. On 12 May 1938, she participated in the world premiere of Mark Lothar's Schneider Wibbel. On 24 November 1938, she appeared in the world premiere of Werner Egk's Peer Gynt. She toured to Paris that year with the State Opera, as Leitmetzerin in Der Rosenkavalier and as Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos, both by Richard Strauss.

A focus of her repertoire was on roles in works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss – Irene in Rienzi, Senta in Der fliegende Holländer, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Eva, Chrysothemis in Elektra, the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten and Freihild in Guntram. After World War II, the State Opera's performances took place in the Admiralspalast. Although Scheppan sang in Soviet-occupied East Berlin successfully until 1954, she lived in Charlottenburg.

From 1952 until 1957, Scheppan was an ensemble member of the Staatsoper Stuttgart. She gave guest performances in Amsterdam, Vienna, Zürich, Hamburg, Munich and Dresden. She settled in Bayreuth, and appeared at the Bayreuth Festival again, as Helmwige in 1954 to 1957, and as Ortlinde in 1958. She performed in excerpts from Weber's Der Freischütz, Reviewer Alan Blyth of Gramophone noted in 1994: