Inge Borkh

Inge Borkh (born Ingeborg Simon, 26 May 1921 – 26 August 2018) was a German operatic dramatic soprano. She was first based in Switzerland, where she received international attention when she appeared in the first performance in German of Menotti's The Consul in Basel in 1951. From 1952 a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, she appeared at leading opera houses in Europe and the Americas, and at festivals such as Bayreuth and Salzburg. Trained first as an actress, she was admired for both singing and stage presence, especially in the Richard Strauss roles Salome and Elektra. She also performed in contemporary opera, such as the premiere of Josef Tal's Ashmedai in Hamburg in 1971. She recorded complete operas and recitals. She was awarded the Hans-Reinhart-Ring, the highest honour for theatre professionals in Switzerland.

Borkh was born Ingeborg Simon in Mannheim, in 1921. Some sources, including Oxford Music Online, give her year of birth as 1917. Her father, a diplomat, was Jewish. The family left Germany in 1933 and moved to Austria, followed by Switzerland in 1938. She trained to be an actress at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna and also had some training in dance, both of which served her well in opera, as she became known both for her voice and for her dramatic intensity. Borkh worked as an actress, first at the Landestheater Linz in Austria from 1937 and a year later at the Theater Basel in Switzerland.