Guest
Leo Slezak (1873-1946) was a legendary Moravian tenor who enjoyed a lengthy career in opera, operetta, concert and film. Born in Šumperk in what is now the Czech Republic, Slezak began his working life as a blacksmith and showed little interest in singing during his formative years. At age 20, he began studies with baritone Adolf Robinson, who quickly recognized his young pupil’s potential. Three years of lessons led to Slezak’s debut as Lohengrin at Brno Stadttheater in 1896. After two seasons there, the young tenor was offered a contract with the Berlin Hofoper, where he acted mainly as an understudy. Dissatisfied with this contract, Slezak moved to Breslau, where he was able to start building his repertoire. He was invited to sing Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Siegfried and Froh in Rheingold at Covent Garden in 1900. Following a couple of guest appearances with the Vienna Hofoper (now the Staatsoper), Slezak was offered a long term contract in the fall of 1901. It was here that Slezak found both his artistic home and lasting fame. Now firmly established as a first rate tenor, Slezak remained at the Hofoper for the next six seasons. He also visited the major opera houses of Prague, Zurich, Lviv and Milan. In 1907, upon the departure of Gustav Mahler, who had championed the young tenor’s career, Slezak traveled to Paris to perfect his technique with Jean de Reszke. Feeling more vocally secure, the tenor returned to Vienna, but had difficulties with Mahler’s successor. Slezak gave up his long term contract, preferring to only make guest appearances with the company. He was invited to the Metropolitan, where he made his debut as Otello on November 17, 1909. It was his performance as Manrico in Il Trovatore two weeks later, however, that should have secured his place in Met history. Despite having to take ten curtain calls following a rousing “Di quella pira”, Slezak could not escape the shadow of reigning Met tenor Enrico Caruso. His tenure with the company lasted only four seasons and just over 100 performances of ten roles, culminating in final Otello on January 31, 1913. Following his departure from The Met, Slezak embarked upon a North American opera and concert tour, appearing to great acclaim in Chicago, Detroit, Portland, Des Moines, Boston, Victoria, Montreal, and other cities. During a summer break, Slezak returned to Germany, where he invited director Robert Volkner and fellow tenor Fritz Sturmfels to join him on a yachting excursion on Lake Tegernsee. A squall blew up, capsizing the boat. Slezak and Volkner were rescued by a passing rowboat but Sturmfels, who became entangled in the yacht’s rigging, drowned in the accident. When it was learned that the boat did not meet regulations, Slezak found himself facing criminal charges and the ensuing scandal led to boycotts of the tenor’s performances. The case must have been resolved, however, for the tenor was back in the U.S. that fall to continue his touring. His career having survived the scandal, Slezak returned to Europe and picked up where he left off. He also volunteered his services to the Austrian army and found himself at the Italian front during the summer of 1916. He must have emerged unscathed, for his career was soon back in full swing with performances in Dresden, Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt. Another contract was offered by the Vienna Hofoper in 1917 and Slezak remained with the company until the end of his career. During the 1920s, the tenor made guest appearances in Berlin, Basel, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Budapest, and made his final appearance as Canio in Pagliacci at the Hofoper in 1933. After leaving the stage, Slezak embarked on a second career as a film actor, appearing in comedic character parts in 45 pictures (his son, Walter Slezak, was also a famed character actor). A very witty and humorous man, he also wrote and illustrated four books of reminiscences. Slezak passed away in Rottach-Egern, Bavaria on June 1, 1946 at the age of 72. Leo Slezak’s repertoire of 66 roles encompassed everything from Tamino to Otello. Among his roles were the leads in Die Meistersinger, Der Fliegende Holländer, Guillaume Tell, Les Huguenots, Le Prophète, Robert le Diable, Manon, Faust, Carmen, La Juive, Samson et Dalila, Ernani, Un Ballo in Maschera, Rigoletto, Aïda, Euryanthe, Cavalleria Rusticana, Fidelio, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Pique Dame, Die Königin von Saba, Die Fledermaus and Der Zigeunerbaron. His voice has been described as “lyric-dramatic”, which is a fairly accurate assessment. His 450 recordings, made for G&T, Columbia, Odeon, Edison, Pathé and other labels between 1901 and 1937, reveal a hefty instrument with an easy top, capable of some truly thrilling singing. We also hear an artist with a facility for delicately spun head tones and nuanced phrasing.
