Tribulations
During the voyage home in March 1925, news came to the ship that Friedrich Ebert had died - and for the first time Adolf Hitler spoke again openly in Munich. His April engagements complete, and with Maria back, Erb returned to Munich ready to resume his work. But Bruno Walter had left Munich for the Berlin-Charlottenburg Städtische Oper in 1922: his successor Hans Knappertsbusch had little time for the Swabian tenor, whose contract expired in summer 1925. It was not renewed. After 12 years at Munich he was permitted a farewell (15 June) in Das Nachtlager in Granada (hardly a showcase) and Erb, who loved Munich, left in bitterness. A year later his baritone colleague Brodersen died, and was replaced by Heinrich Rehkemper: the bass Paul Bender, at Munich since 1903, remained.
Ivogün would not remain under Knappertsbusch, and went to the Berlin-Charlottenburg Oper. In 1926 Erb, Ivogün and their accompanist Michael Raucheisen were giving recitals in Bremen, and shortly before a Duetten-abend Erb tripped on the hotel steps and broke his right leg. Two painful months later in Berlin he resumed singing with Lieder-abends and a Matthew Passion. In 1927 he appeared in London, Covent Garden, as Belmonte, with Paul Bender as Osmin, and after this he sang in Berlin, in The Hague, in Halle, Düsseldorf and Mannheim, as Belmonte, Tamino, Loge, Bacchus, Ernesto and Florestan and in Der Corregidor. In summer 1929 he sang the Matthew Passion at La Scala, Milan, to a very enthusiastic audience.
That July while swimming in the Starnbergersee Erb was dashed against a rock by the sea and found later on the beach by Frau Ivogün. By luck his life was saved, but the convalescence was long and painful and he never fully recovered. In January 1930 he reappeared before the public with Ivogün, and still in much pain travelled to Holland to sing Florestan. In June 1930 he made his last operatic appearance, a performance worthy of his powers, at the Berlin-Charlottenburg Oper under Furtwängler, as Florestan. In April 1931 Erb and Ivogün were divorced, torn apart by deep and conflicting feelings. Two years later he learnt that she had married Michael Raucheisen, his former accompanist, with whom he had hoped to work again: it was a doubly crushing blow.
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