German Soprano Anny Schlemm Dies at 97; Career Spanned Opera and Operetta

Anny Schlemm, a renowned German opera singer who evolved from a lyric soprano to dramatic and character mezzo-soprano, passed away at the age of 97 in Graz, Austria, as reported on August 22. She was born on February 22, 1929, in Neu-Isenburg, into a family with a rich musical background. Schlemm began her professional journey in Halle during the 1940s and later became a part of Berlin's Staatsoper and Walter Felsenstein's Komische Oper, where she famously portrayed Desdemona in Verdi's Otello and Boulotte in Offenbach's Ritter Blaubart over 250 times. From 1951 onward, she was linked with Oper Frankfurt and performed in prominent European theaters. Her later performances included Herodias in Strauss's Salome and appearances at the Bayreuth Festival, with her career lasting into the 1990s, leaving a lasting impact.