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Heinrich Schlusnus
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| When the sixteen-year-old Heinrich Schlusnus disappeared without trace from his first job as a postal assistant in Koblenz, it was hardly surprising that he should appear a couple of days later at his parental home in Braubach.
Situated on the banks of the Rhine this charming provincial town was where, on 6 August 1888, Schlusnus had been born, and where he had spent his childhood and youth.
It meant a great deal to him, and, as he acknowledged, it strongly influenced his outlook on life and art.
It was here and in the surrounding areas that a love blossomed for the type of picturesque countryside which is clearly an integral part of the German Lied.
It was also here that Schlusnus developed two further important sides to his character which, although seemingly opposed, were of great help to him in the interpretation of the operatic roles and Lieder that he sang.
From his East Prussian father came a certain seriousness, allied with a strong work ethic; from his mother, a true Rheinländerin, the ability to exhibit a more light-hearted and cheery nature, and to enjoy life.
Schlusnus's mother did not need much time to persuade her son that he should return to his job. As the youngest child in a family of eight who had to struggle to make ends meet, the security and benefits of such employment were not to be considered lightly. The post office graciously accepted his return and eventually rewarded his diligence and good work with promotion to a position in Frankfurt am Main. In this city Schlusnus made contact with a vocal teacher and developed such a passion for singing that his employer was eventually prepared to grant him a year of leave to further his talent. The patronage of a wealthy family enabled him to pursue his studies and his operatic debut quickly followed on 1 January 1914 as the Herald in Lohengrin at the Hamburg Opera. This success was to be short-lived as the advent of the First World War in August of the same year saw the young singer enlisted. After only eighteen days however Schlusnus received a serious leg injury and while he lay recuperating in a military hospital, the decision to dedicate himself to a life as a professional singer grew more and more firm. He soon left Hamburg, and between 1915 and 1917 was engaged at the Nuremberg Opera where he very much impressed a young Clemens Krauss (then second Kapellmeister). More importantly, it was here that Schlusnus received the basis of an education which, during his career, was to lead to guest appearances at many international venues, including Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, the Chicago Opera, and Bayreuth. The major part of his professional life however was spent as a member of the Berlin State Opera, and for a period of almost three decades he shared the stage with the best singers of his era, and grew to become regarded as the leading Verdi baritone of his generation. It is quite amazing then, that Schlusnus also managed to find the time and energy to develop his talents as a Lieder singer and make a success of more than 2,000 concerts. It was not until 1918 in the Blüthnersaal of Berlin that he gave his first Lieder recital, but there was a reason behind the few years that he waited. Schlusnus felt that he needed this time as an opera singer to develop his musicianship and vocal technique before he could attempt to give public performances of what he considered a more refined and higher art form. This self-critical and conscientious attitude also influenced his decision to find the motivation needed to relearn and adapt his existing technique with his one teacher of note, Louis Bachner. An American by birth, Bachner settled in Europe and taught such famous names as Sigrid Onegin, Frida Leider, Michael Bohnen and Karin Branzell. He also wrote a treatise entitled "Dynamic Singing" which was published in 1944. Although this reveals much about the Schlusnus method, the approach to the Schubert Lieder presented on this disc is immediately self evident. When performing Lieder, Schlusnus never let overt characterisation interfere with his natural vocal gifts. The timbre of his voice was one of sheer beauty and smoothness, which one critic rather poetically described as "the mixture of silver, iron, velvet, gold, silk, the night, and the sun." His performances may therefore seem markedly restrained, but this is a noble restraint, something almost private, which lends itself to the intimate nature of most German Lieder. This is not to say that there is an absence of characterisation or variety of mood in these performances. Listen for example to the clarity of the three different roles in Erlkönig or the contrast of the voice in An die Leier. Upon further listening one will also become aware of the near perfect diction and intelligent phrasing which Schlusnus's performances command. Der Neugierige (No. 6 from Die schöne Müllerin) illustrates the latter quite clearly. The musicianship displayed in the few examples above is also noticeable in the relationship which exists between the singer and his accompanist. Schlusnus recognised the importance of this relationship from the very beginning and therefore only ever rehearsed, performed, and toured with a handful of professionals throughout his long career. The list includes Felix Günther, Michael Raucheisen, Franz Rupp, Paul Zoll, Otto Braun and Sebastian Peschko. In collaboration with these men, a painstaking amount of preparation, organisation, and rehearsal would precede a tour, even down to the very last encore. At the same time Schlusnus was constantly searching for new repertoire which he could add to his concert programmes, so that many a Lied won new found popularity because of his recitals. The concert tours themselves were extensive, taking the singer through several countries in Europe, as well as North America, Canada and, in 1949, South Africa. It is believed that during this trip Schlusnus contracted the infection which, although dormant for some months, eventually caused coronary problems and led to his death on 18 June 1952. He was buried in Frankfurt am Main, but after only a few months his second wife (following his wishes) had the body exhumed, cremated and interred high above Braubach where there is now a memorial overlooking the Rhine and the surrounding mountains. |
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