Melitta Muszely

Melitta Muszely (; 13 September 192718 January 2023) was an Austrian operatic soprano and a voice teacher. She made a career based in Germany, mainly at the Hamburg State Opera with guest contracts to the Komische Oper Berlin and the Vienna State Opera, among others. She took part in world premieres, and performed internationally in Europe. She appeared as all four female characters in Offenbach's Hoffmanns Erzählungen in the legendary 1958 production by Walter Felsenstein, and sang recitals until 2008.

Career Muszely's family originally came from Hungary. She was born in Vienna, and studied at the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien: piano with Roland Rautenstrauch, and voice with Maria Freiberg-Marx. (1955) and Klebe's Figaro läßt sich scheiden (1963).

Recordings Muszely's musical work, which has been transmitted through radio recordings, live recordings and records, has been partially re-released on CD in recent years. Muszely also recorded numerous operettes for radio, often as a partner of Fritz Wunderlich: Lehár's Der Zarewitsch and The Land of Smiles, and Leo Fall's Die Rose von Stambul. Recordings include: Carl Maria von Weber: Der Freischütz (excerpts), with Muszely, Horst Günter, Sándor Kónya, Arnold van Mill, James Pease, Ernst Wiemann, conductor: Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg, NDR Symphonieorchester (1957) Bedřich Smetana: Die verkaufte Braut, excerpts with Barry McDaniel, Cvetka Ahlin, Muszely, Martti Talvela, Ruth Hesse, Rudolf Schock, Kurt Böhme; choir and orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, conductor: Heinrich Hollreiser, LP, Album, Electrola Georges Bizet: Carmen, with Christa Ludwig, Rudolf Schock, Hermann Prey, Melitta Muszely, Iwan Rebroff, conductor: Horst Stein, Berliner Symphoniker, CD, EMI Richard Strauss: Arabella, with Muszely in the title role, Liselotte Hammes (Zdenka), Hugh Beresford (Mandryka), Willi Brokmeier (Matteo) and others, conducted by Meinhard von Zallinger (1966, live from La Fenice)

Literature Karl-Josef Kutsch, Leo Riemens: Großes Sängerlexikon. Third, extended edition, K. G. Saur, Munich 1999. Volume 4: Moffo-Seidel.