Theodor Bertram (2)

Theodor Bertram (Baritone) (Stuttgart 1869 - Bayreuth 1907). The son of the baritone Heinrich Bertram (1825-1903) and the dramatic soprano Marie Bertram-Mayer (1838-1882), he studied singing under his father and made his debut in 1889 at the Stadttheater in Ulm as Eremit in ‘’Freischütz’’. In 1891 he joined to the Stadttheater in Hamburg, the next year he was engaged by the Kroll-Oper in Berlin. In the 1893-1899 seasons he worked at the Hofoper in Munich. During Wagner's festival in Munich he appeared with great success as Hans Sachs and Wotan. In 1897 he sang in Munich in the premieres of the operas ‘’Sarema’’ of Alexander Zemlinsky and ‘’Theuerdank’’ of Ludwig Thuille. Two years later he performed in the premiere of S. Wagner’s opera ‘’Der Bärenhäuter’’. In 1899 he was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Here he appeared till 1901 not only in Wagner’s operas, but also as Mr. Fluth in ‘’Lustigen Weibern von Windsor’’ by Nicolai and Pizarro in ‘’Fidelio’’. He made guest appearances in Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston. In 1892 he sang for the first time at the Bayreuth Festival in ‘’Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’’ and appeared till 1906 also as Fliegender Holländer, Amfortas in ‘’Parsifal’’ and Wolfram in ‘’Tannhäuser’’. Cosima Wagner appreciated his interpretations, particularly his Wotan. In 1902 he was engaged by the Hofoper in Vienna, then he made guest appearances in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Stuttgart, sang at the Deutschen Theater in Prague (1901-1905), at the Stadttheater in Zurich (1903-1905), at the Royal Opera in Stockholm (1904) and at Covent Garden in London (1900, 1903 and 1907). In the 1901-1906 seasons he performed regularly at the Oper in Frankfurt am Main. Since 1897 he was married to the soprano Fanny Moran-Olden (1855-1905). She died in 1905 of mental illness. His second wife, singer Lotte Wetterling died on 21. 2. 1907 in a ship disaster. After her death he began to drink heavily and eventually committed suicide by hanging in Bayreuth. According to his last wish, he was buried in Holland at the side of Lotte Wetterling.