Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld by Albert

Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1836-1865); German tenor who created the rôle of Tristan in Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” at the Munich Hofoper in 1865. He was the son of the famous painter Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872). In 1854 he made his debut at Karlsruhe as Naphtali in Méhul’s “Joseph”, but his big success came with his performance of Robert le Diable in Meyerbeer’s eponymous opera. Next there were engagements in Wiesbaden, Frankfurt a.M. and Düsseldorf. In 1860 he was engaged as first tenor at the “Hofoper Dresden”, where he stayed until his death. He was chosen by Richard Wagner to sing the première of “Tristan und Isolde” on June 10, 1865. In July the opera was repeated 4 times. His last performance was on July 9. 1865 as Erik in “Der fliegende Holländer”. At July 21, 1865 he died just 29 years old. He was married to the soprano Malvina Garrigues (1825-1904), who created the rôle of Isolde in “Tristan und Isolde”.

On the photo from 1865 he is seen as Tristan in Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde”.