Agnes Hvoslef

Agnes Hvoslef
Born
Agnes Eveline Marie Hanson

(1883-04-04)4 April 1883
Kristiania, Norway
Died2 April 1970(1970-04-02) (aged 86)
OccupationSoprano singer
AwardsKing's Medal of Merit in gold (1951)

Agnes Hvoslef (4 April 1883 – 2 April 1970) was a Norwegian operatic soprano.

Specializing in Richard Wagner's female characters, she was assigned with the Royal opera in Dessau until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. She later performed at Norwegian theatres, and worked as song pedagogue in Oslo.

She was awarded the King's Medal of Merit in gold in 1951.

Personal life

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Born in Kristiania (now Oslo) on 4 April 1883,[1] Hvoslef was daughter of Stener Johannes Stenerson Hanson and Agnes Dorthea Amundsen.[2] In 1914 she married physician Hans Alfred Riddervold Hvoslef.[3]

Career

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Hvoslef studied song in Copenhagen from 1898. Between 1903 and 1905 she studied with Ellen Gulbranson and Nina Grieg in Kristiania. She made her consert debut in Kristiania in 1905, a jubileum concert in the memory of composer Gustav Lange. She eventually also studied with Amalie Materna in Bayreuth.[1]

Specializing in Richard Wagner's female characters, she had her opera debut as "Kundry" in Wagner's opera Parsifal at the Bayreuth Festival in 1906.[1]

Assigned with the Royal opera in Dessau until 1914, her sopranic roles included "Elisabeth" in Tannhäuser, "Ortrud" in Lohengrin, and "Brünnhilde" in Die Walküre.[1] Her performances in Norway included title roles in Verdi's Aida at Nationaltheatret, and in Bizet's Carmen at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen.[1][2] In 1932 she staged Faust at Drammens Teater [no].[3]

She was also a song pedagogue in Oslo.[1]

Hvoslef was awarded the King's Medal of Merit in gold in 1951.[4] She died in Oslo on 2 April 1970.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Holbæk-Hanssen, Hilde. "Agnes Hvoslef". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b Brinchmann, Chr; Daae, Anders; Hammer, K.V., eds. (1912). "Hanson Agnes Eveline". Hvem er Hvem? Haandbog over samtidige norske mænd og kvinder (in Norwegian) (1 ed.). Kristiania: Aschehoug. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b Gram, Harald; Steenstrup, Bjørn, eds. (1948). "Hvoslef, Agnes Evelin Marie Hanson". Hvem er hvem? (in Norwegian). Oslo: Aschehoug. p. 246. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer". kongehuset.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 7 April 2023.