Stage and film all on Lindstr¶m records: The actress Gitta Alpr

Stage and film – all on Lindström records:

The actress

Gitta Alpár

Rainer Künzler

9th annual meeting of the

GHT in Immenstadt i. Allgäu

May 22nd – 25th 2008

Overview

• Youth in Budapest

• Her first success on stage

• Engagements in Munich and Berlin

• Her first recordings on Homocord

• 1930: Change to the operetta

• Lindström recordings 1930 – 33

• German talking films up to 1933

• Repertoire and marketing

• Emigration to Vienna

• Engagements allover Europe

• Emigration to the US

• Conclusion and outlook

Stage and film - all on Lindström records:

The actress Gitta Alpár

Youth in Budapest

born on

5 March 1903

as Margit Klopfer

Father: Ignác Klopfer, cantor at the

main synagogue in Dohány utca

first music lessons by her

mother

1919 – end of 1923:

vocal education at the Music

Academy by Laura

Hilgermann



Her first success on stage

1924 january: First appearance in

Budapest State Opera

argument between direktor Miklós

Radnai und star soprano Erzsi

Sándor

Alpár replaces Sándor as Lakmé in

„Lakmé“ (Delibes)

1 January 1924: Alpár already performs

as Gilda in „Rigoletto“

Engagement at

„Király Színház“

operetta theatre located in

Király utca



Engagements in Munich and Berlin

1925 – 1927: Engagement at

the opera house of Munich

1927 – 1930: State Opera Berlin on

invitation of Erich Kleiber

Marriage with her first husband

Kornél Stangl

1927: debut at State Opera, Vienna



Her first recordings on Homocord

opara arias

Hungarian folk songs

in U- / H-U- export series

recording activita about 1927 - 30



Her first recordings on Homocord

Gitta Alpár:

Gilda‘s aria

from „Rigoletto“

M: Giuseppe Verdi

M-52361 Ho 4-9003

rec. 23 Feb. 1929 (?)



1930: Change to the operetta – new label Odeon / Parlophon

1930: first role in Millöcker‘s „Bettelstudent“ at the Metropol theatre

1930: First great succes wirh Richard

Tauber in Lehár‘s „Schön ist die Welt“

(Odeon / Parlophon)

first Lindström recordings: November 1930 on

Odeon – probably exclusive contract

Berliner Lokal-Anzeiger:

This is Lehár, this is Tauber, that

means succes. Gitta Alpár is the amazing

success of the evening, enchanting with

each of her tones, clear as a bell.

1930: Title role in Kálmán‘s „Veilchen

vom Montmartre“ (Odeon)



1930: Change to the operetta – new label Odeon /

Parlophon

Gitta Alpár:

Bin verliebt, bin so verliebt

Song from

„Schön ist die Welt“

(M: Franz Lehár;

T: Ludwig Herzer and Fritz Löhner)

accomp. by the orchestra of the

Metropol theatre, Berlin

Be 9273 Od O-11360

rec. 28 Nov 1930




5 April 1931: Marriage

with her second husband

Gustav Fröhlich

1931: „Die Dubarry“

re-edited byTheo

Mackeben (Odeon /

Parlophon)

„her role“




Gita Alpár:

Ja so ist sie, die Dubarry

Song From „Die Dubarry“

M: Carl Millöcker, Theo Mackeben

T: Paul Knepler, J. M. Welleminsky

with orchestra cond. by Theo Mackeben

Be 9557 Od O-11516

rec. 27 Aug 1931




Gita Alpár:

Heut hab ich Glück

Song from „Die Dubarry“

M: Carl Millöcker, Theo Mackeben

T: Paul Knepler, J. M. Welleminsky

mit with orchestra conducted by Theo Mackeben

Be 9557 Od O-11516

rec. 27 August 1931



German talking films up to

1933

„Die – oder keine“

director: Carl Froelich

genre: „Modern operetta“

role: Eva Petri, singer

premièred: 26 September 1932

Berlin

Ufa-Palast am Zoo

(Odeon)

„Gitta entdeckt ihr Herz“

director: Carl Froelich

genre: comedy

role: Gitta Farkas, dancer

premièred: 5 April 1932 Berlin,

12 May 1932 Vienna

(Odeon / Parlophon)



German talking films up to 1933

Gitta Alpár: Dort, wo die Wälder grün

Hungarian son, from film

„Gitta entdeckt ihr Herz“

M: N. Brodszky; T: Dr. Joh. Brandt

with orchestra

Be 9870-I Od O-11642

rec. 17. March 1932



Operettas 1932

„Katharina“ by

Ernst Steffan

„Ball im Savoy“

by Paul Abraham

on Odeon label, original cast

conducted by the composers



Operettas 1932

Gitta Alpár:

Tatjana (Freu dich, Tatjana)

Song from „Katharina“

M: Ernst Steffan; T: Fr. Löhner

with Admiralspalast theatre

orchestra

cond.: Ernst Steffan

Be 10020 Od O-11694

rec. 30 August 1932



Repertoire

and marketing

Operetta, film,

hits / songs, opera

Mainly symphonic

orchestra

accompaniement

„Segmentation“ acc.

to dance bands

Some song recordings

only on Parlophon

blue Odeon / red Parlophon

M. 3,50, later M. 2.50 each



Repertoire

and marketing

Hungarian pressing of

the 1932 recording,

about 1936

Marketing the

Lindström

rechordings after

1933



Repertoire

and marketing

Lindström magazine „Der

Ton“

Latest recordings:

short comments

„star personality“ –

„star in your reach“

Small articles

Holiday greetings

Anecdotes

Readers asking

questions



Emigration to Vienna

Eclat at state dinner with

propaganda minister

Goebbels at Kaiserhof hotel:

While singing the „Horst-

Wessel-Lied“ Alpár remains

seated at her chair



Engagements allover Europe

Juni 1934: Birth of her

daughter Julika Violetta

Film „Ball im Savoy“:

produced in

Budapest in1934

„Die Dubarry“ –

Hungarian version

by Sándor Góth

in 1934

December 1934 – February

1935: guest play at the Scala,

Vienna: „Die verliebte Königin“

„Die Dubarry“ –

English film

produced 1935

English radio broadcast

sung in Hungarian, German

and English

Multilingual actress: Hungarian,

German, English, French

probably several

recordings for

Parlophone in England

at the same time




1936: role in French spy film

„Le Disque 413“:

Hungarian singer-and-spy

Topic: A phonograph record

1935: divorced from

Gustav Fröhlich

Return

to Vienna

1936 - 38: English films

1936: Hungarian

version of

„Verliebte Königin“:

„Szerelmes királynő“

further hungarian

recordings

December 1936:

Cochran-Revue

„Home And Beauty“




Gitta Alpár:

Nem tudom

from

„Szerelmes királynő“

M: Miklós BRODSZKY

T: Imre HARMATH, FÖLDES

with the Ede-Buttola

Pátria-Swing-orchestra

P 312

Patria Ultravox B 49.000

rec. about 1936




Gitta Alpár:

No More (Warum?)

from Charles B. Cochran‘s

Coronation Revue

„Home And Beauty“

M: Nikolaus Brodszky

T: Herbert

with orchestra cond. by G. Walter

Ce 8063 Od O-4648

recorded prob. December, 1936



Emigration to the US

works as singing-master

lives at Los Angeles

Film „The Flame Of New Orleans“

with René Clair and

Marlene Dietrich

1987: Gitta Alpa is awarded the „Goldenes Band“ of the City

of Berlin

Gitta Alpár dies at 17 February 1991 at the age of 88 years

ZDF produces feature „Ganz Berlin lag ihr zu Füßen“

Marriage with her fourth husband

Nils W. Bagge, a Danish dancer



• Interesting biography

• International artist

• „Marketing“ at Carl-Lindström-A.G.

• Very few sources

• Rare recordings

• Contemporary recordings

• Advertising of the Linddström company

• complete annual editions of magazine „Der Ton“

• would enable a more detailled overview

Conclusion and outlook

Thank you for your attention!

Thanks to the GHT for supporting me!



Literature

- Der Ton, Heft Januar 1931, Berlin Carl-Lindström-A.G. 1931

- Der Ton, Heft September 1931, Berlin Carl Lindström-A.G. 1931

- Der Ton, Heft Oktober 1932, Berlin Carl-Lindström-A.G. 1932

- Goldschmidt, Albert: Budapest und Umgebung – Grieben-Reiseführer Band 102.

Grieben-Verlag Berlin, 1929

- Karinthy, Ferenc: Noch besser ist das warme Wasser. In: Merian, das Monatsheft der Städte und

Landschaften: Budapest – Heft 10 XXI Oktober 1968

- Klaus, Ulrich J.: Deutsche Tonfilme – Lexikon der abendfüllenden deutschsprachigen

Spielfilme (1929 – 45): 3. Jahrgang 1932. Ulrich J. Klaus – Verlag Berlin, Berchtesgaden 1990

- Kutsch, K.J.; Klémens, Leo: Großes Sängerlexikon, 3. Auflage, Saur Bern und München 1997

- Leimbach, Berthold: Tondokumente der Kleinkunst 1898 – 1945 1991

- Luther, Einhard: Lebendige Vergangenheit – Gitta Alpar. Booklet zur Preiser-CD Nr. 89128 Wien 1996

- Mein Film: Illustrierte Film- und Kinorundschau: Gesammelte Jahrgänge 1935/6 Wien 1935/6

- Sieben, Hansfried: Odeon – Bd. IV: Die Matrizen-Nummern der elektrischen Aufnahmen der Serie „Be“

1. Teil. Düsseldorf 1993

- Sieben, Hansfried: Beka – Bd. III: Die Matrizen-Nummern der elektrischen

Aufnahmen 25 cm. Düsseldorf 1993

- http://www.szineskönyvtar.hu



Text read

Der Ton, Heft

September 1931,

Berlin Carl-Lindström-

A.G. 1931



Text read

Der Ton, Heft Oktober

1932, Berlin Carl-

Lindström-A.G. 1932



Pictures

- sheet 1,2: Gitta Alpár: Atelier Schneider, Berlin; Ross-Verlag

- sheet 3: Laura Hilgermann: portrait.kaar.at

- sheet 3: Synagoge Dohány utca: www.hoteldelibab.com

- sheet 4: Budapester Opernhaus: www.sulinet.hu

- sheet 4: Király Színház: htp://hampage.hu/trams/belvaros/kiralyutca.htm

- sheet 5: Staatsoper München

http://www.theaterverzeichnis.de/images/postkarten/muenchen001.jpg

- sheet 8,17: Der Ton, Heft Januar 1931, Berlin Carl-Lindström-A.G. 1931

- sheet 10: Mein Film: Illustrierte Film- und Kinorundschau:

Gesammelte Jahrgänge 1935 (links) / 1936 (rechts) Wien 1935/6

- sheet 13: http://film.virtual-history.com

- sheet 15,19: Der Ton, Heft Oktober 1932, Berlin Carl-Lindström-A.G. 1932

- sheet 15: Admiralspalst Berlin:

www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,2130047_ind_2,00.html

- sheet 20: Hotel Kaiserhof Berlin: www.usmbooks.com; www.berlinstreet.de


- Gesammelter Jahrgang 1934 Wien 1934


Gesammelter Jahrgang 1936 Wien 1936

- sheet 24: The Flame Of New Orleans:

http://filmsdefrance.com/1941_The_Flame_of_New_Orleans.jpg



http://hampage.hu/trams/belvaros/kiralyutca.html

Documents

Stage and film all on Lindstr¶m records: The actress Gitta Alpr