Happy Birthday: Gré Brouwenstijn

"Teco io sto"
Un Ballo in Maschera (Verdi)
w/Giuseppe Zampieri

"The Dutch lyric-dramatic soprano Gré Brouwenstijn (August 26, 1915–December 14, 1999) was a famous opera singer whose stage career spanned from the early 1940s to the mid-1970s. She was admired for her warm, radiant voice, her stage presence, her dramatic instincts, and her 'Ingrid Bergman' looks. Brouwenstijn was above all associated with the role of Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio. Considered one of the finest Leonores of the post-World War II period, she performed the role to great acclaim at the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera, Stuttgart, Berlin, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, London, and Glyndebourne. Brouwenstijn was born Gerda Demphina in Den Helder. She studied voice at the Amsterdam Muzieklyceum, with Jaap Stroomenbergh, Boris Pelsky and Ruth Horna. She made

"Io vengo a domandar"
Don Carlo (Verdi)
w/Jon Vickers

her operatic début in 1940 as the First Lady in The Magic Flute. Brouwenstijn then became a member of the Hilversum Radio Choir, later performing as a soloist in operatic broadcasts. In 1946, she joined the Netherlands Opera, where she made her debut as Julietta [sic] in Les contes d'Hoffmann. In 1949, Brouwenstijn made her debut at the Holland Festival as Leonore in Il Trovatore, the beginning of a long association with that event. In subsequent years, she sang Reiza, Jenůfa, Amelia, Donna Anna, Desdemona, the Countess, Tatyana, Leonore (Forza), Senta, Iphigénie (en Tauride), and Leonore (Fidelio) at the Festival. In 1951, Brouwenstijn made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Aida (in English), conducted by Sir John Barbirolli. Her Berlin debut in 1954 caused 'something of a sensation;' the critic praised her 'phrasing in

"Nicht sehre dich Sorge"
Die Walküre (Wagner)
w/Birgit Nilsson

Italian opera.' In 1955, under Rafael Kubelík, she sang Desdemona. In 1958, she sang Elisabetta in a famous production of Don Carlos designed by Luchino Visconti and conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini. In 1958 she sang Leonore at the Teatro Colón in a production of Fidelio conducted by Thomas Beecham. From 1954 to 1956, she appeared at Bayreuth, as Elisabeth, Freya, Sieglinde, Gutrune and Eva. Two Wagnerian roles she performed elsewhere, Senta and Elsa, she never performed there, however, due to a breach in 1957 with the Wagner family. In 1959, she made her American debut as Jenůfa at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She made her farewell appearance, singing Leonore, with the Netherlands Opera in 1971. Brouwenstijn died in 1999 at age 84 in Amsterdam." [Source]

"Miserere" Il Trovatore (Verdi)
with Johann Van Der Zalm

"Non la sospiri, la nostra casetta" Tosca (Puccini)
with Ermanno Mauro

"O Fürstin" Tannhäuser (Wagner)
with Hans Beirer

"Winterstürme" to Act 1 finale
Die Walküre (Wagner) with Jon Vickers


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"Vissi d'arte" Tosca (Puccini)	"Dich teure halle" Tannhäuser (Wagner)	"Abscheulicher!" Fidelio (Beethoven)
"Dove sono" Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart)	"Ozean, du Ungeheur" Oberon (Weber)	"Letter Scene" Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky)
"Der Männer Sippe" Die Walküre (Wagner)