|
Alexander Kipnis: Portrait Photo as Photo-postcard (Photo: Daquerre, Chicago). Hand-signed by Alexander Kipnis.
The Autograph comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
3,5 x 5,5 inches, very fine condition.
Alexander Kipnis (1891 - 1978), was an operatic bass of great artistry and vocal endowment.
Having initially established his artistic reputation in Europe, Kipnis became an American citizen in 1931, following his marriage to an American.
For nine seasons, between 1923 and 1932, he was on the roster of the Civic Opera in Chicago. In 1927, at the Bayreuth Festival, he appeared as Gurnemanz in Richard Wagner's Parsifal under Karl Muck and recorded the Good Friday Music under Siegfried Wagner. He also appeared at the Salzburg Festival.
Kipnis was under contract with the Berlin Opera until 1935, when he was able to break his contract and flee Nazi Germany. He appeared for three seasons as a guest performer with the Vienna State Opera in 1936-1938. Just after the Anschluss he left Europe and settled permanently in the United States.
By the time he was finally signed by the Metropolitan in 1940 he had appeared in most of the world's major opera houses. In addition to those European and American theatres already mentioned in this article, he was heard at Great Britain's foremost venue for singers, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, (in 1927 and 1929-1935), and also at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1926-1936).
Kipnis was regarded throughout the inter-war years as being one of the greatest basses in the world.
|
