Same operetta, different role (the above aria is sung by Marchese Sebastiano, not by Umberto Spinola)
Hans Heinz Bollmann – born December 1st, 1889, and died July 9th, 1974, both in Hamburg.
Originally destined by his father to become a dentist, he rather studied voice in his home town and then in Milan with Enrico
Rosario. Made his debut
in 1914 at the Stadttheater Altona in Zar und Zimmermann, but his career was
immediately interrupted by military service. Only in 1919, he could resume his
singing activities in Nürnberg, and from 1921 for five years at the Hamburg Staatsoper,
from 1924 at the same time also at the Berlin Staatsoper. In that period, he specialized
more and more in operetta, enjoying a great success in 1927 in Berlin in a production
of Michael Krausz' operetta "Eine Frau von Format", with Fritzi Massary. 1928 to 1932,
he was active at the Theater an der Wien and the Johann Strauß Theater (both in Vienna),
and after that in Berlin and Hamburg. He was a particular favourite of Franz Lehár. From 1930 on,
he had also a considerable film career (until 1951). His daughter Hannelore Bollmann was a well-known movie
actress. His voice was certainly not first-rate, but he was quite skillful in using it.
I would like to thank Anton Bieber for the Johann Strauß recording, with relative pictures.
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