No kora Liepājā uz galvenajām lomām Berlīnē: latviešu tenora Artūra Priednieka-Kavaras starptautiskā karjera starpkaru periodā

Abstract

The article brings to the spotlight Latvian tenor Arthur Cavara (Artūrs Priednieks-Kavara, 1901–1979), one of the most outstanding Latvian operatic tenors of the 20th century in the context of his international career successfully developed in Germany in the 1930s. In both the recently established Latvian Republic and Europe, the interwar period was a very intensive and, at the same time, very contradictory time due to the historical conditions, social processes and political regimes, but it was also the time of opportunities when one of the centres of art life longed for by Baltic musicians was Berlin. Arthur Cavara was one of a few Latvian singers gifted with unique voice qualities, working capacity and a vast repertoire, who managed to develop a successful career on operatic stages in Berlin in a very short time, thus engraving his name in European opera history of the interwar period. In 1927 the young opera choir singer from Liepāja was not hired by Latvian National Opera, and he decided to go to Berlin to study vocal art with Louis Bachner (1882–1945). In a few years, Priednieks-Kavara developed a successful operatic career in Germany, becoming one of the leading tenors of Krolloper un Die Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin, participating in guest performances in other countries, including South America, and finally, he was critically acclaimed in Latvia, too. The Second World War and related circumstances stopped the singer’s career at its peak, Cavara, together with his family, emigrated first to Germany, a well-known country to him, and afterwards to the USA, where he worked as a vocal coach and opera director. A great deal of facts regarding the life of Latvian tenors in Berlin was documented in letters published in Latvian press of the interwar period and autobiographical works by another opera singer and writer Mariss Vētra (1901–1965), who often met Cavara both in Germany and Latvia. The article traces the career of Cavara until the emigration in 1944.