{{Short description|Austrian opera singer (1927–2023)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Use British English|date=February 2023}} {{infobox person | name = Melitta Muszely | image = Melitta Muszely "Tales of Hoffmann", Komische Oper Berlin (cropped).jpg | caption = Muszely as Antonia in Offenbach's {{nowrap|''Hoffmanns Erzählungen'', 1958}} | birth_date = {{birth date|1927|09|13|df=y}} | birth_place = Vienna, Austria | death_date = {{death date and age|2023|01|18|1927|09|13|df=y}} | death_place = Vienna, Austria | education = Wiener Musikakademie | occupation = {{Flatlist| * Operatic soprano * voice teacher }} | organizations = {{plainlist| * Hamburg State Opera * Komische Oper Berlin }} | awards = }}
'''Melitta Muszely''' ({{IPA|de|meˈlɪta ˈmʊseli}}; 13 September 1927{{snd}}18 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.<ref name="Austria" />
In 1950, she made her debut at the Stadttheater Regensburg. In 1952, she moved to the Opernhaus Kiel, and from 1954 to 1968 she was a member of the Hamburg State Opera.<ref name="Austria" /> There she took part in several opera premieres, including Ernst Krenek's ''Pallas Athene weint''<ref name="Merker" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.operinwien.at/werkverz/krenek/aathene.htm|title=Pallas Athene weint|website=operinwien.at}}</ref> (1955) and Klebe's ''Figaro läßt sich scheiden'' (1963).<ref name="Merker" /><ref name="Müller-Marein" />
Muszely had several guest contracts, among others with the Berlin State Opera and the Komische Oper Berlin.<ref name="Austria" /> In 1958, she portrayed four female characters (Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta, Stella) in Offenbach's ''Hoffmanns Erzählungen'' at the Komische Oper Berlin in the legendary production by Walter Felsenstein.<ref name="Merker" /><ref name="Fonothek" /><ref name="OE1" /> In the opera, the poet tells three stories of frustrated love while waiting for Stella. In 1970, she again played the four figures in Felsenstein's DEFA film version of the opera.<ref name="Steiger" />
<gallery mode="packed" heights="220px" caption="Muszely in ''Hoffmanns Erzählungen'', 1958"> Scenes from the opera "Tales of Hoffmann", Komische Oper Berlin, 25.01.1958 02.jpg| Olympia, with Hanns Nocker as Hoffmann Scenes from the opera "Tales of Hoffmann", Komische Oper Berlin, 25.01.1958 15.jpg| Antonia, with Rudolf Asmus {{nowrap|as Miracle}} Scenes from the opera "Tales of Hoffmann", Komische Oper Berlin, 25.01.1958 23.jpg| Giulietta, with Nocker </gallery>
Muszely appeared at the Vienna State Opera from 1963 to 1967,<ref name="Austria" /><ref name="Merker" /> in the Mozart roles Pamina in ''Die Zauberflöte'', Donna Elvira in ''Don Giovanni'' and Susanna in ''Le nozze di Figaro''. She also appeared there as Marzelline in Beethoven's ''Fidelio'', as Marie in Smetana's ''Die verkaufte Braut'', in the title role Violetta Valéry in Verdi's ''La Traviata'', as Rosalinde in ''Die Fledermaus'' by Johann Strauss and as Sophie in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' by Richard Strauss. <ref name="Merker" /><ref name="Vienna" />
International guest performances took Muszely to the Zurich Opera House and opera stages of Paris and Venice, among others.<ref name="OE1" /> She appeared in Amsterdam in 1954 as the Queen of the Night in ''Die Zauberflöte''. She performed at the Maggio Musicale, in 1956 as both Woglinde and the Voice of a Forest Bird in Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'', and in 1961 the title role of ''Arabella'' by Richard Strauss. She appeared as a guest at the Teatro San Carlos in Lisbon as Arabella and Marie, and in 1967 in the title role of Dvorák's Rusalka. She performed at the Strasbourg Opera in ''La traviata'' and as Pamina.<ref name="Merker" />
Festival performances included Parasha in Strawinsky's ''Mavra'' at the Edinburgh Festival of 1956, Rameau's ''Castor et Pollux'' at the 1962 Schwetzingen Festival, Giunia in Mozart's ''Lucio Silla'' at the 1964 Salzburg Festival, the Wife in Schoenberg's ''Von heute auf morgen'' at the 1965 Wiener Festwochen, and Zelmire in Gluck's ''L'ivrogne corrigé'' at the Festival of Flanders the same year. Her roles included Fiorilla in Rossini's ''Il Turco in Italia'', Tatjana in Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin'', Mimi in Puccini's ''La bohème'' and the title role of ''Manon Lescaut''.<ref name="Merker" />
Muszely was also a lieder and concert singer, and a voice teacher. Pianists in her recitals included Erik Werba, Kurt Rapf and Christian Heitler.<ref name="Austria" /> She appeared in recitals until 2008.<ref name="Austria" /><ref name="OE1" />
== Personal life == Muszely was married to Alfred Filippi, who was also her manager. They lived in Vienna from 1971. When her husband became ill in 1972, she retired from the stage but kept singing concerts and recitals. She kept teaching until her death.<ref name="Merker" />
Muszely died in Vienna on 18 January 2023, aged 95.<ref name="Merker" />
== Repertoire == Muszely became known mainly as a coloratura soprano but also performed lyric soprano repertoire. She was regarded as a specialist for Mozart roles, but also for characters by Richard Strauss, such as Sophie and the title role of ''Arabella''. She also performed in rarely performed operas, such as the title role in Busoni's ''Turandot''.<ref>[https://www.jpc.de/s/melitta+muszely Melitta Muszely] on JP<sup>C</sup></ref>
== 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''.<ref name="Praefcke">[http://www.andreas-praefcke.de/wunderlich/bios/muszely.htm Fritz Wunderlich's Colleagues] anthology by Andreas Praefcke</ref><ref name="Idagio">{{Cite web |url=http://app.idagio.com/profiles/melitta-muszely/recordings |title=Recordings by Melitta Muszely | Stream on IDAGIO|website=IDAGIO}}</ref> 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)<ref>[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/315226986 Der Freischütz : (Auszüge); [eine Aufnahme vom November 1957 aus dem NDR Studio III in Hamburg] WorldCat</ref> * 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<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/album/bedrich-smetana-die-verkaufte-braut-mw0001401321/credits Heinrich Hollreiser / Bedrich Smetana: Die verkaufte Braut] ''AllMusic''</ref> * Georges Bizet: ''Carmen'', with Christa Ludwig, Rudolf Schock, Hermann Prey, Melitta Muszely, Iwan Rebroff, conductor: Horst Stein, Berliner Symphoniker, CD, EMI<ref>[https://www.muziekweb.eu/en/Link/M00000247714/CLASSICAL/Melitta-Muszely Recordings] on muziekweb.eu</ref> * 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)<ref name="Steiger" />{{rp|459}}
== References == {{Reflist | refs =
<ref name="Müller-Marein">{{cite news | last = Müller-Marein | first = Josef | url = https://www.zeit.de/1963/27/rokoko-emigriert-in-die-gegenwart | title = Rokoko emigriert in die Gegenwart / Giselher Klebes neue Oper "Figaro läßt sich scheiden" in Hamburg uraufgeführt | newspaper = Die Zeit | date = 5 July 1963 | language = de | access-date = 22 March 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="Steiger">{{cite book | last = Steiger | first = Karsten | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Zk9HSVAUarkC&pg=PA660 | title = Opern-Diskographie: Verzeichnis aller Audio- und Video-Gesamtaufnahmen | publisher = Walter de Gruyter | date = 2011 | isbn = 978-3-11-095596-5 | pages = 459, 660 | language = de }}</ref>
<ref name="Austria">{{cite web | url = http://www.musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/musik_M/Muszely_Melitta.xml | title = Muszely (verh. Filippi), Melitta | website = musiklexikon.ac.at | language = de | access-date = 20 March 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="Fonothek">{{cite web | url = http://www.deutschefotothek.de/documents/obj/71417172 | title = Szenenbilder aus der Oper "Hoffmanns Erzählungen" von Jacques Offenbach in der Inszenierung von Walter Felsenstein (musikal. Leitung: Václav Neumann, Bühnenbild und Kostüme: R. Heinrich). Komische Oper Berlin, 25.01.1958 | website = deutschefotothek.de | date = 25 January 1958 | language = de | access-date = 20 March 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="Merker">{{cite web | url = https://onlinemerker.com/infos-des-tages-samstag-28-jaenner-2023/ | title = Melitta Muszely ist am 18. Januar 2023 in Wien verstorben | website = Online Merker | date = 28 January 2023 | language = de | access-date = 30 January 2023 }}</ref>
<ref name="OE1">{{cite web | url = https://oe1.orf.at/artikel/636385 | title = Blühende Sopranstimmen – Hilde Güden und Melitta Muszely | publisher = Austrian Radio | date = 4 September 2017 | language = de | access-date = 20 March 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="Vienna">{{cite web | url = https://archiv.wiener-staatsoper.at/search/person/2008 | title = Vorstellungen mit Melitty Muszely | publisher = Vienna State Opera | language = de | access-date = 20 March 2019 }}</ref>
}}
== Literature == * Karl-Josef Kutsch, Leo Riemens: ''Großes Sängerlexikon''. Third, extended edition, K. G. Saur, Munich 1999. Volume 4: Moffo-Seidel, {{p.|2472}}.
== External links == * {{IMDb name}} * {{Discogs artist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muszely, Melitta}} Category:1927 births Category:2023 deaths Category:Singers from Vienna Category:Austrian operatic sopranos Category:Austrian voice teachers Category:20th-century Austrian women opera singers Category:Austrian people of Hungarian descent Category:Austrian expatriates in Germany Category:Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class