She began her career
in 1945 at the Municipal Theater of Lecce, where she made her debut as Gilda in
‘’Rigoletto’’. In 1948 she won the first prize in a singing competition of the
RAI. In the 1949-1956 seasons she was often heard at the Teatro dell'Opera di
Roma. In 1955 she appeared at the Teatro alla Scala in the premiere of the
opera ‘’Il Giuduzio Universale’’ by V. Tosatti. She also gave guest
performances in Spain, West Germany, France and Switzerland. In the post-war
years she sang as a guest, on stages of Italy, Austria and Greece. Her best
performances on stage included Elvira in ‘’I Puritani’’, Gilda in
‘’Rigoletto’’, Rosina in ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’ and Musetta in ‘’La Bohème’’.
HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY SITE. MY NAME IS ASHOT ARAKELYAN. I’M A RECORD COLLECTOR. GREATEST OPERA SINGERS IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE AND THE ONLY WEBSITE ENCYCLOPEDIA ON WORLD WIDE WEB. IT PROVIDES BIOGRAPHIES, CHRONOLOGICAL INFORMATION, PHOTOS, LABELS AND SOUND SAMPLES TO OVER 2500 OPERA SINGERS. ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS ARE WELCOME AND WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED.
Greatest Opera Singers
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Robert Burg (Baritone) (Prague, Czech Republic 29 March 1890 – Radebeul, Germany 9 February 1946)
His real name was
Robert Bartl. After initial studies in mathematics, he was trained by Hans
Pokorny in Prague. He made his debut in 1914 at the Theater of Aussig as
Valentin in ‘’Faust’’ by C. Gounod. In the 1915-1916 season he sang at the
Deutschen Theater in Prague and made guest appearance at the Stadttheater in
Augsburg. Since 1916 he was a member of the Hofoper (since 1918 Staatsoper) in
Dresden. Here he appeared until 1944. Together with artists such as Tino
Pattiera and Meta Seinemeyer he was significantly involved in the Verdi
Renaissance of the 1920’s in Germany. On 14. 1. 1918 he performed in Dresden in
the world premiere of the opera ‘’Der Eroberer’’ by Jan Brandts-Buys, on 9. 9.
1926 in Hindemith's' ‘’Cardillac’’, on 21. 5. 1925 the title role in the world
premiere of Ferruccio Busoni’s' ‘’Doktor Faust’’, in 1930 in the world premiere
of Mark Lothar's opera ‘’Lord Spleen’’. From 1933 to 1942 he sang at the
Bayreuth Festival. In 1935 he appeared at the Festival of Sopot as Hans Sachs
in ‘’Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’’ and as Colonna in ‘’Rienzi’’, in 1924 and
1928 he sang at the Vienna State Opera, in 1924 and 1931 at the Städtische Oper
in Berlin. He also performed in Zurich, Munich, Amsterdam and Budapest. Robert
Burg suffered a heartbeat during a concert in Dresden.
André Baugé (Baritone) (Toulouse 4 January 1893 - Clichy-La-Garenne 25 May 1966)
He was the son of an operetta singer Anna Tariol-Baugé (1872-1949) and a singing teacher. Originally
he wanted to become a painter, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and
exhibited a portrait in the Parisian ‘’Salon’’. He received his education under
his parents. In 1912 he made his debut in Grenoble under the name André
Grillaud. In 1914 he became a soldier in the French army, in the war he was
twice wounded and appointed Knight of the Legion of Honor. In 1917 he joined to
the Opéra-Comique of Paris (debut: Frédéric in ‘’Lakmé’’). Until 1925 he was a member
of the Opéra-Comique, where in 1923 he appeared in the world premiere of ‘’La
brebis égarée’’ by Darius Milhaud. In 1924 he sang at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo the
role of Escamillo in ‘’Carmen’’, in 1925
at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris in ‘’Monsieur Beaucaire’’ of Messager and then appeared mostly in
operettas. In 1929 he became a director of the Théâtre Trianon-Lyrique in
Paris, in the 1936-1937 season sang at the Opéra de Marseille, in 1938 at the
Théâtre Châtelet, in 1940 at the Théâtre Mogador in Paris. In 1934 he performed
at the Théâtre Lyrique de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris in the premiere of the
opera ‘’Fragonard’’ by Gabriel Pierné. He also participated in several French
films. Since 1946 he became a professor of the École normale de Musique in
Paris. Married the soprano Suzanne Laydeker.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Marie Goetze (Contralto) (Berlin, Germany November 2, 1865 - Berlin, Germany February 18, 1922)
She received her
education at the Sternska Conservatory. She studied singing also under Désirée
Artôt. She made her debut at the Berlin Kroll Opera as Azucena in ‘’Trovatore’’ and sang here in the
1884-1887 seasons, in Hamburg she appeared from 1887 to 1890. In the 1890-1891
season she appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.In 1892 she became
the first contralto at the Berlin Opera House. In 1907 she performed in
Stockholm at a concert.
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Germaine (Léontine Angélique) Lubin (Soprano) (Paris, France 1 February 1890 – Paris, France 27 October 1979)
She attended the
Collège Sévigné in Paris and originally wanted to study medicine. Then she
trained under Isnardon and Martini at the Conservatoire National in Paris. She
was also taught by the famous Felia Litvinne. In 1912 she made her debut at the
Opéra-Comique in Paris as Antonia in "Les contes d'Hoffmann". In 1913
she appeared in the premiere of the opera "Le Pays" by Guy Ropartz.
In 1914 she was engaged by the Grand Opéra in Paris and remained for thirty
years. In 1927 she had a special success there as Octavian in the premiere of
the R. Strauss’s "Rosenkavalier". She appeared at the Grand Opéra in
the world premieres of the operas "La Légende de St. Christophe" by
Vincent d'Indy (6. 6. 1920), "Maximilien" by Darius Milhaud (5. 1. 1932)
and "La Chartreuse de Parme" by Henri Sauguet (16. 3. 1939). In 1930,
her Leonore was admired at the Grand Opéra in "Fidelio" under Bruno
Walter, in 1928 her Cassandre in "Les Troyens" by H. Berlioz. In 1930
she sang in Amsterdam the title role in Gluck's "Iphigénie en
Tauride". Guest performances have brought her great international success.
So she sang in 1931 at the Salzburg Festival the part of Donna Anna in "Don
Giovanni", at the Covent Garden Opera in London in 1937 as Alceste by
Gluck and the Ariane in "Ariane et Barbe-bleue" of Dukas, in 1938 the
role of Kundry in "Parsifal". At the Bayreuth Festival she appeared in
1938 as Kundry, in 1939 as Isolde in "Tristan und Isolde". In 1933 she
sang at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo the role of Octavian in
"Rosenkavalier", at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in
"Castor et Pollux" by Rameau (1935). In 1942 she sang the role of
Charlotte in ‘’Werther’’ at the centenary for Jules Massenet in Paris. In 1944
she was arrested on suspicion of collaboration with the German occupying
forces, but the subsequent process completely rehabilitated. In 1950 she gave a
final concert at the Paris Salle Gaveau. Later she taught singing in Paris and
among her pupils were Régine Crespin, Udo Reinemann, Nadine Denize, Émile
Belcourt, Pierre Fleta and Rachel Yakar.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Robert Jysor (Baritone) (Neuilly Saint Front (Aisne) le 23/05/1893 - Les Mureaux le 05/11/1982)
His real name was
Robert Bidaut. His father was a doctor, who died during the World War I. He
received his first vocal lessons from his mother, who was a singer. Then he appeared
in Montmartre cabarets and noticed by the director of Gaîté-Lyrique who helped
him to join the troupe alongside with Louise Dhamarys, Georges Foix and Leon Ponzio.
He sang the repertoire of baritone (Rip, Les Saltinbanques, Le Grand Mongol, 1922).
He appeared in the premieres of ‘’Amour de Princesse’’ by Louis Urgel (October
1923) and ‘’La Hussarde’’ by Félix Fourdrain (February 1925). On October 9,
1926 he made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in ‘’Manon’’. He appeared in ‘’Les contes d'Hoffmann’’, ‘’La Traviata’’, ‘’Paillasse’’,
‘’Lakmé’’, ‘’Herodiade’’. He appeardd in the premieres of ‘’Le Poirier de
Misère’’ by Marcel Delannoy (1927) and ‘’Resurection’’ of Franco Alfano (1927).
Between 1928 and 1930 he also shared the room of Ba-Ta-Clan directed by Jean
Casanova at 50 boulevard Voltaire; he joins the Rozani, Henri Monval, Régianne,
Clairefeuille and Jane Morlet to interpret his favorite roles De Montlandry of
the Little Duke, Jean Robichon of the Cockade of Mimi Pinson, Brissac of the
Musketeers at the Convent, Pippo of the Mascotte, Surcouf de Surcouf, Rodolphe
of the Little Bride, and Didier de la Teresina. In 1931, after a change of
direction and a series of disagreements with the Opéra-Comique, he left his
theatre. He joins André Randall, Xavier Lemercier, R. Vincent, J. Brochard, F. Saala,
R. Carlez, V. Troïzka and E. Carise on the stage of the Folies-Bergères. In
1932 he appeared in a series of short films made for Paramount with Champini
and Tramel directed by Karkoff. Then continued his career at the music halls,
performing in Bobino (1934) with Marainne Oswald and Mireille. At the Théâtre
de Belleville (1935) with La Houppa. In 1938 with Georgette Plana, Pierre
Clarel and Antonin Berval at the Alambra (1938). In 1938 he perfomed on the
Radio des Mélodies by Marcel Vidal-Saint-André. After the Second World War his
career seems to fall asleep little by little. In 1951 he made one of his last
appearances at the Théâtre du Châtelet opposite Luis Mariano and Janes Rhodes.
Friday, December 7, 2018
Fanny Heldy (Soprano) (Ath, Hainaut, Belgium 29 February 1888 - Neuilly-Sur-Seine, France 13 December 1973)
Her real name was Marguerite-Virginie
Emma Clementine Deceuninck. Her father was Belgian, her mother was English. She
received her education at the Conservatory of Liège and made her debut in 1910 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels
as Elena in ‘’Ivan le Terrible’’ of Gunsbourg. She stayed there for two
seasons, then sang in Vichy and Aix-les-Bains and was engaged in 1917 by the
Opéra-Comique in Paris. Here she made her debut as Violetta in ‘’Traviata’’. For
more than twenty years she was a soloist of this opera house and since 1920
(debut as Juliette in ‘’Roméo et Juliette’’ by C. Gounod) also became a member
of the Paris Grand Opéra. Here she sang in several world premieres: on March
14, 1921 in ‘’Antar’’ by Gabriel Dupont, on October 23, 1924 in ‘’Nerto’’ by
Charles-Marie Widor, on January 12, 1928 in ‘’La Tour de Feu’’ by Sylvio
Lazzari, on 15th May 1929 in ‘’Persée et Andromède’’ by J. Ibert, on 21. 3. 1935
in ‘’Le Marchand de Venise’’ by Reynaldo Hahn. At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo she
appeared on 11. 3. 1937 in the premiere of the opera ‘’L'Aiglon’’ by Honegger
and Ibert, whose title role was composed for her. In 1923 she was celebrated at
the La Scala in Milan as Louise in G. Charpentier’s opera ‘’Louise’’ under A. Toscanini.
In 1925 and 1928 she sang with similar success the part of Mélisande in ‘’Pelléas
et Mélisande’’. In 1926 and 1928 she made guest appearances at the Covent
Garden Opera in London as Manon of J. Masssenet, Concepcion in M. Ravel's ‘’L'Heure
espagnole’’. In 1927 she was a guest at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. In
1939 she retired from the stage and then lived with her husband Marcel Boussac at
a castle in the Loire Valley.
Yvonne Brothier (Soprano) (Saint-Julien-l'Ars, Vienne 6 June 1889 - Paris, France 22 January 1967 )
Since 1910 she
studied singing at the Conservatoire de Paris under Paul Vidal, Albert Wolff
and Marguerite Long. She also received her education at the Paris Sorbonne and
at the École du Louvre. After her appearances in Brussels (1914), she began her
real stage career in 1916 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Here she made her
debut as Lakmé. For almost twenty years she was one of the most prominent
artists of this house. On 8. 4. 1920 she sang there in the premiere of the
opera ‘’Le Sauteriot’’ by Sylvio Lazzari and on 9. 3. 1923 in the world premiere
of Samuel-Rousseau's opera ’’La Hulla’’. In 1923 she sang at the Opéra-Comique
in a gala performance of ‘’Le roi d'Ys’’ by Lalo on the composer's 100th
birthday. Since 1931 she was also heard at the Grand Opéra in Paris and
performed there in 1931 in the premiere of the opera ‘’Virginie’’ by A. Bruneau.
In 1927 she guested in Amsterdam as Mélisande in the Dutch premiere of this
opera ‘’Pelléas et Mélisande’’ by Debussy and in 1928 as Micaela in ‘’Carmen’’.
In 1929 she was heard at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo as Sophie in ‘’Werther’’ and
as Suzanne in ‘’La Croisade des Dames’’. From 1934 to 1939 she participated in
the annual seasons lyric organized by Maurice Lehmann at the Théâtre
Porte-Saint-Martin. In 1939 she retired from the stage, since then she taught singing
in Paris.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Maurice Dubin (Tenor) (1885-1950)
Maurice’s career
spanned more than 50 years in Europe and the United States and without
exception was referred to as “The Great Russian Tenor”.
Maurice began his
career under the tutelage of Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky when he was just 7 years
old. In later years in England, he was coached by Hugo Heinz and represented by
H. Bernhardt. His appearances included among others, the Royal Albert Hall and
a command performance before King George V of England, as solo artist with a
125-piece symphony orchestra, conducted by Thomas Beecham. One of his favourite
operatic roles of all time was in “Cavalleria Rusticana”. Maurice was in
popular demand all over the United Kingdom where he was likened to the late
Caruso. It was said he was one of the world’s greatest voice technicians and
had a brilliant range from a low F to an F above high C.
Maurice and his
partner Rosie Dubin (Mezzo Soprano) emigrated to America in 1922 after World
War 1. In 1925 Maurice produced his own opera in Chicago. Whilst continuing his
opera and concert work in the Northwest of America, he sang for President
Roosevelt. In the 1930’s he was originator and director of the Northwest Civic Opera
company of Seattle. In addition, Maurice together with Ivan Novikoff opened up
the Russian School of Ballet and Opera.
In 1937 Maurice took
the Grand National Opera Company on tour of the West Coast of America,
producing a number of popular operas and some lesser known works such as the
Chocolate Soldier and Billy Forget Me Not.
Maurice’s last big
work was a concert presented during the opening ceremonies of the First Narrows
Bridge (Galloping Gertie) in 1940.
Maurice and Rosie
toured all over America but made Gig Harbour their permanent home. After the
Second World War, Maurice continued to teach Voice coaching and technique until
illness forced him into retirement.
Maurice died in June 1950.
I wish to thank Katherine
Gorman for providing information and photo
Monday, December 3, 2018
Dmitri Tarkhov (Tenor) (Penza, Russia March 30, 1890 – Moscow, Russia October 5, 1966)
He was born in the
family of a railway engineer. In 1908, after graduating from high school, he
entered the law faculty of Moscow University. From 1915 to 1918 he studied at
the Moscow Conservatory with V.M. Zarudnaya. In addition he perfected his vocal
under N. P. Davydova. These classes lasted only three months, but they gave a
lot to the young singer. He made his debut in Saratov (1918). In the 1920s-1930s
he performed on the operatic stages of Sverdlovsk, Perm, Saratov, Astrakhan,
Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd), Baku and other cities, performing the leading tenor
parts (Lensky, Berendey, Prince, Synodal, Igorevich, Faust, Herman, Golitsyn,
Canio, Radames, Jose, Alfred, Duke). He also sang in the theaters of Moscow
(“People’s House”, “Free Opera”, the musical theater named after Stanislavsky
and Nemirovich-Danchenko). From 1936 to 1958 he worked at the All-Union Radio.
He was one of the main singers of the opera group formed on the radio. This
period includes a number of the best performing achievements of the singer. He
sang the parts of Don Juan (“The Stone Guest” by A. S. Dargomyzhsky), Des Grieux
and Cavaradossi (“Manon Lescaut” and “Tosca” by G. Puccini), Riccardo (“Ballo
in maschera” by G. Verdi), Kiribeyevich (“The merchant Kalashnikov ”by A. G. Rubinshtein)
etc. From 1948 to 1966 he taught in the class of singing at the Gnessin State Musical
College. When he was a student at the Moscow Conservatory, he worked with M. M.
Ippolitov-Ivanov in composition. He wrote a series of romances (not published).
A lot of energy was spent by him in the sphere of literary activity, working as
translator. On the radio, using his literary texts, the operas Fra-Diavolo by
Aubert and Gioconda by A. Ponchielli were produced and recorded. He translated
in Russian songs of Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and others.
Friday, November 30, 2018
Hermine Bosetti (Soprano) (28 September 1875, Vienna - 1 May 1936, Hohenrain or Munich)
Her real name was Hermine
von Flick. She studied singing under Ms. Aurelie Jäger-Wilczek in Vienna and
made her debut in 1898 at the Hoftheater in Wiesbaden as Ännchen in ‘’Freischütz’’.
She remained there until 1900 and in the 1900-1901 season sang at the Vienna
Court Opera. Since 1901 until her retirement (1926) she was a member of the
Munich Court Opera. In 1903 she appeared in the
Munich premiere of the opera ‘’Le Donne curiose’’ by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (in the
Residenztheater) as Colombine, in 1906 she sang here (again at the Residenztheater)
in the premiere of the opera ‘’I quattro rusteghi’’ by E. Wolf-Ferrari, in 1912
at the Court Opera in the world premiere of the opera ‘’Franfreluche’’ by Wilhelm
Mauke. In 1910 she created G. Puccini's Butterfly for Munich, in 1911 the
Octavian in R. Strauss’s ‘’Rosenkavalier’’ and J. Massenet's Manon, in 1913 the
Zerbinetta in ‘’Ariadne auf Naxos’’ by R. Strauss. She appeared as a guest in
1905 and 1914 at the Berlin Court Opera, in 1910 at the Court Opera in Dresden,
in the 1908-1911 seasons several times at the Vienna Court Opera, in the 1905-1915 seasons at the Court Theater
of Stuttgart, in 1907 at the Deutsches Theater in Prague, in 1908 at the Vienna
Volksoper, from 1906 to 1915 at the Frankfurt a.M. Opera House, also at the
opera houses of Cologne and Leipzig, at the Stadttheater in Bremen, in 1906 and
1907 at the Riga Opera House, in 1912 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels
and in 1921 at the Stadttheater in Basel. Guest performances also brought her
great successes in Russia; she sang in St. Petersburg among others as a partner
of Mattia Battistini. In 1912 she made guest appearances at the Municipal
Theater of Zurich as Susanna in ‘’Figaros Hochzeit’’, Violetta in ‘’Traviata’’ and as Frau Fluth in ‘’Lustigen
Weibern von Windsor’’. At the Covent Garden Opera (1907) she appeared in ‘’Bartered
bride’’ by B. Smetana's and ‘’Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’’ of R. Wagner. In
1913 she was heard at His Majesty's Theater of London in the English premiere
of the Richard Strauss’s opera ‘’Ariadne auf Naxos’’. The same season, again at
the Covent Garden Opera she sang the role of Octavian in R. Strauss’s ‘’Rosenkavalier’’.
She remained active until 1926 at the Munich Opera (1924-1926 as a guest). From
1924 to 1930 she was a teacher at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt a.M., then
in Munich. Her daughter Elly Bosetti appeared in the 1930’s as soprano (debut
in 1935 at the Municipal Theater of Bamberg as Lola in ‘’Cavalleria Rusticana’’).
Monday, November 19, 2018
Elisabeth Rethberg (Soprano) (Schwarzenberg, Germany 22 September 1894 – Yorktown Heights, New York 6 June 1976)
Her real name was
Lisbeth Sättler. Already in her childhood, she showed an amazing musical talent
and performed Schubert songs at the age of seven. First she studied piano
(1912-1913), then singing at the Conservatory of Dresden, and finally with the
Dresdner educator Otto Watrin. She made her debut at the Dresdner Hofoper in
1915 as Arsena in "Zigeunerbaron" and had her first great success
there as Agathe in "Freischütz". In 1919 she sang the role of Empress
in the Dresden premiere of "Frau
ohne Schatten" by R. Strauss. On 11. 12. 1917 she appeared in Dresden in
the premiere of Hans Pfitzner's "Christelflein", on 23. 2. 1920 in
Hugo Kaun's "Der Fremde". Then
she performed at the Hofopern in Vienna and also in Berlin. She was very
successful at the Leipzig Gewandhaus concerts. She remained in Dresden until
1922 and then joined to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she had
brilliant successes from 1922 to 1942. Her debut role in New York was Aida.
Here she also sang in 1928 in the premiere of Respighi's "Campana sommersa". Arturo Toscanini called her voice the most
beautiful soprano he has ever heard. In the 1928-1940 seasons she performed
again and again at the San Francisco Opera,
from 1934 to 1941 at the Chicago Opera; she also appeared at the Ravinia
Festival near Chicago. In 1923 and 1928 she sang at the Havana Opera, in 1925 and from 1934 to 1939 at the Covent
Garden Opera in London, in 1929 at La Scala in Milan (as Aida under Toscanini)
and in 1934 at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. In 1936 she appeared with great
success in R. Strauss’s
"Rosenkavalier" at the Covent Garden Opera in London. She was
also heard in her native country: on June 6, 1928 she appeared in the title
role at the Staatsoper in Dresden in the world premiere of R. Strauss’s opera
"Die Ägyptische Helena". At the Salzburg Festival she sang the role
of Konstanze in Mozart’s "Entführung aus dem Serail" (1922), in 1933
she performed as Leonore in "Fidelio" and in 1937 as Donna Anna in
"Don Giovanni", in 1933 she sang the soprano solo in the G. Verdi’s
‘’Requiem’’. Concert tours have taken her through North America, Canada,
Australia and Europe. Her first husband was the merchant Albert Doman. In 1957
she married the baritone George Cehanovsky (1892-1986). In 1942 she retired from
the stage. In 1944 she gave a final concert at the New York Town Hall. She
continued to live in New York. Her repertoire included Aida, Donna Anna,
Desdemona, Leonora in "Trovatore", Butterfly, Tosca, Agathe in
"Freischütz", Maddalena in "Andrea Chénier", Sieglinde,
Elsa, Elisabeth in "Tannhäuser" and Sieglinde in "Walküre".
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Hans Duhan (Baritone) (Vienna, Austria January 27, 1890 - Vienna, Austria March 6, 1971)
He studied at the
Vienna Academy of Music and made his debut in 1910 at the Municipal Theater of
Opava, where he performed until 1913, in the 1913-1914 season he was engaged by
the Municipal Theater of Teplice-Schönau. In 1914 he became a member of the
Vienna Court Opera. He remained a principal baritone of this opera house until
the end of his stage career (1940). In Vienna, Hans Duhan gained great
popularity, as well as at the Salzburg Festival, where he repeatedly appeared
in Mozart roles. In 1922 he sang the part of Don Giovanni at the Salzburg
Festival. In 1922 and 1927 he appeared there as Count in ‘’Figaros Hochzeit’’,
in 1928 as Papageno in ‘’Zauberflöte’’. Until 1937 he gave recitals there,
which were highly appreciated by festival audiences. On 4. 10. 1916 he appeared
in Vienna in the premiere of the revision of the Richard Strauss’s opera
‘’Ariadne auf Naxos’’, in 1934 in the world premiere of F. Lehár's operetta
‘’Giuditta’’ (20. 1. 1934). He guested in Amsterdam in 1922 (and again in 1924
in a guest performance by the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera with ‘’Ariadne
auf Naxos’’). His repertoire included King Solomon in ‘’Königin von Saba’’,
Amfortas in ‘’Parsifal’’, Frank in ‘’Toten Stadt’’, Scarpia in ‘’Tosca’’ and
Escamillo in ‘’Carmen’’. In 1930 he created the song cycle ‘’Reisetagebuch aus
den österreichischen Alpen’’ by Ernst Krenek. In 1938 he sang in Vienna in the
world premiere of the oratorio ‘’Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln’’ by Franz
Schmidt. Since 1932 he was appointed as a professor of the Vienna Music
Academy. He also worked as director and conductor at the Vienna State Opera. He
also composed several vocal works.
Marise Beaujon (Soprano) (Lyon, France 12 October 1890 – 16 August 1968 Paris, France)
She was discovered at
an amateur singing competition by the director of the Lyon Opera Gaston
Beyle.She made her debut at this opera house in 1919 as Micaela in ‘’Carmen’’.
For ten years she sang at provincial French theaters before she was engaged by
the Grand Opéra in Paris in 1921. Here she made her debut as Mathilde in
‘’Guillaume Tell’’ by G. Rossini. Until 1930 she remained a celebrated member
of the Grand Opéra, where in 1928 she sang the title role in the premiere of G.
Puccini's ‘’Turandot’’. In 1926 she performed in Madrid, Barcelona and Monte
Carlo, in 1928 in Brussels, in 1929 in Cairo. In 1928 she sang the part of
Marguerite in ’’Faust’’ at the Covent Garden Opera in London. In 1927 she
appeared at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo as Marshal in ‘’Rosenkavalier’’, Rezia in
‘’Oberon’’, Marina in ‘’Boris Godunov’’ and as Thaïs in J. Massenet’s
‘’Thaïs’’. She also performed at the opera houses of Liège and Antwerp. In 1930
she joined to the Opéra-Comique in Paris.Here she made her debut as Tosca. in
1932 she appeared at the Théâtre Mogador in Paris in J. Offenbach’s operetta
‘’Orphée aux enfers’’, but soon she retired from the stage for health reasons,
after she had again achieved one of her great successes at the Opéra-Comique in
the title role of G. Charpentier’s ‘’Louise’’.
Xenia Belmas (Soprano) (Tschernigow, Ukraine 23 January 1890 – Durban, South Africa 2 February 1981)
She trained at the
Conservatory of Kiev under Päts and made her debut in 1913 at the Odessa Opera,
where she had her first successes as Wagnerian singer and as Tatiana in
Tchaikovsky's ‘’Eugene Onegin’’ and remained the leading singer of this opera
house until 1921. In 1921 she left with her husband, the conductor Alexander
Kitschin, Russia and settled in Wiesbaden. After further studies in Italy, she
gave a series of brilliant concerts in Paris (1925) and until 1927 guested at
the Grand Opéra in Paris, especially as Aida. In 1928 she was celebrated at
concerts in Berlin, where her recordings were made. In 1929 she toured with an
Italian opera troupe Australia. In 1931 she gave a concerts in Monte Carlo. In
1932 she made guest appearances in the Baltic States. Opposite her husband she
made guest appearances through South
Africa (1934), then she taught singing in Durban.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Hipolito Lazaro (Tenor) (Barcelona, Spain 1887 - Barcelona, Spain 1974)
His voice was
discovered during military service. He made his debut at the Teatro Novedades
in Barcelona in 1910 without special study of singing. After studies with
Ernesto Colli in Milan, he sang in
London and Manchester, England in 1913 under the name Antonio Manuele. He first
created a sensation at La Scala when he sang in the world premiere of
Mascagni's Parasina (1913). In 1918, Lazaro came to the Metropolitan opera,
where he sang for three seasons, performing 8 roles in 34 performances. He
appeared as a guest at all of the world's great opera houses, and also created
roles in Mascagni's Piccolo Marat at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome in 1921, and
in Giordano's Cena delle Beffe at La Scala in 1924. During the Spanish Civil
War he was for a short time the director of the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona. He
gave a farewell concert in New York in 1940, but appeared again at the Teatro
Liceo in 1944 and at the Havana Opera in 1950. He had a wide-ranging, timbred,
considerably vibrant, extended, bold, resilient even if slightly guttural voice
with a brilliant metallic shine, and a passionate approach to singing.
Chronology of some
appearances
1910 Valencia Teatro
Prencesa Favorita (Fernando)
1911 Milano Teatro Dal Verme Boheme (Rodolfo)
1912 Il Cairo Teatro Abbas Boheme (Rodolfo)
1914 Roma Teatro Costanzi Boheme (Rodolfo)
1914 Roma Teatro Costanzi Favorita (Fernando)
1914 Montevideo Teatro Solis Boheme (Rodolfo)
1914 Montevideo Teatro Solis Favorita (Fernando)
1914 Buenos
Aires Teatro Coliseo Fanciulla del West
(Dick Johnson)
1914 Buenos
Aires Teatro Coliseo Favorita (Fernando)
1914 Rio de Janeiro
Teatro Municipal Fanciulla del West (Dick Johnson)
1914 Rio de Janeiro
Teatro Municipal Favorita (Fernando)
1914 Barcelona Teatro
Liceo Favorita (Fernando)
1915 Buenos
Aires Teatro Colon Boheme (Rodolfo)
1915 Buenos
Aires Teatro Colon Fanciulla del West
(Dick Johnson)
1915 Rio de
Janeiro Teatro Municipal Boheme
(Rodolfo)
1915 Porto Alegre Teatro San Pedro Boheme (Rodolfo)
1915 San PaoloTeatro
Municipal Boheme (Rodolfo)
1915 Montevideo
Teatro Solis Carmen (Don Jose)
1915 Roma Teatro
Costanzi Fanciulla del West (Dick Johnson)
1916 Havana Teatro Nacional Boheme (Rodolfo)
1916 Havana Teatro Nacional Fanciulla del West (Dick
Johnson
1917 Mexico City Teatro Arbeu Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)
1918 Mexico City Plaza de Toros Favorita (Fernando)
1920 Lisbon Teatro
San Carlo Boheme (Rodolfo)
1920 Havana Teatro Nacional Boheme Fanciulla del West
(Dick Johnson)
1920 Havana Teatro Nacional Favorita (Fernando)
1920 Mexico City Teatro Arbeu Fanciulla del West (Dick
Johnson)
1920 Mexico City Teatro Arbeu Favorita (Fernando)
1927 Havana Teatro
Nacional Carmen (Don Jose)
1928 Firenze Politeama
Fiorentino Carmen (Don Jose)
Monday, October 22, 2018
Mária Basilides (Contralto) (Ilosvár, Hungary November 11, 1886 – Budapest, Hungary September 26, 1946)
She received her
education at the Music Academy of Budapest. In 1911 she made her stage debut at
the Volksoper in Budapest; she made her debut in ‘’Quo vadis?’’ by Nouguès. In
1915 she was engaged by the National Opera of Budapest, where she was so
popular, that in 1934 she became a lifelong member of this House. Here, on 24.
4. 1932, she sang in the premiere of ‘’Székely fono’’ by Zoltán Kodály. She
made successful guest appearances at the Berlin State Opera, at the state
operas in Dresden and Munich, at the Opera in Prague and at the Antwerp Opera
House. She also toured in Brussels (1929), The Hague (1929) and in Bucharest,
gave very successful concerts in Berlin (1927-1929) and London (1930). One of
her last stage performances was in Budapest, where she sang the part of an old countess
in ‘’Pique Dame’’ by Tchaikovsky (1945). She was considered an outstanding
concert singer. In 1937 she sang in a cathedral concert at the Salzburg
Festival. She was one of the first singers to support Hungarian folk music,
rediscovered by Bela Bartók and Zoltan Kodály, and had a great influence on the
entire musical life of her time in Hungary. She made a few records for
Parlophon and HMV.
Marion Talley (Soprano) (Nevada, Missouri, USA December 20, 1906 – Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA January 3, 1983)
She was a musical
prodigy and she began singing at the age of five. She was only 15, when settled
in Kansas City. She showed an amazing talent in piano and violin playing. Then
she studied with Frank La Forge in New York, where she also gave her first
concerts. After additional education in Europe she made her debut in 1926 -
only 19 years old - at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as Gilda in
"Rigoletto" (opposite Giacomo Lauri-Volpi and Giuseppe de Luca). She
had a sensational success. Both the critics and the audience enthusiastically
celebrated them. A special train was used from her hometown Kansas City to New
York. The following three seasons she remained a member of the Metropolitan
Opera. There she sang in 1926 in the premiere of "Le Rossignol" by I.
Stravinsky. At the Metropolitan Opera her repertoire included the Queen of the Night in
"Zauberflöte", Lucia di Lammermoor, the Olympia in ‘’Les contes
d'Hoffmann’’, the Philine in "Mignon" and the Queen of Shemakan in N.
Rimsky-Korsakov ‘s ‘’The Golden Cockerel’’. She appeared at the Metropolitan
Opera until 1929. A triumphant North American tour in 1928 marked the peak of
her career, which ended as quickly as it had begun. In 1929 she retired to her
farm and did not appear again until 1933. In 1933 she appeared as Gilda at the
Chicago Opera, but without success. In 1934 she tried Vitaphone sound film,
later she became a radio singer. In 1939, encouraged by successes on American
radio, she reappeared at the concert hall, but remained without any major
successes, whereupon she withdrew from musical life. Then she lived in
Hollywood. She was briefly married the pianist and accompanist Michael
Raucheisen (1889-1983).
Carl Jöken (Tenor) (Krefeld, Germany 3. November 1893 - Hamburg, Germany 7. April 1971)
First he studied
chemistry and from 1914 to 1918 as a soldier took in the First World War.
Without proper vocal studies he made his debut in 1918 at the Stadttheater of
Krefeld as Manrico in "Trovatore". In the 1920-1923 seasons he was a
soloist of the Stadttheater in Freiburg i. Br., Since 1923 he appeared at the
Berlin Staatsoper. Here he sang the parts of Pinkerton in "Madame
Butterfly" and Eisenstein in "Fledermaus" and also participated
in the Berlin premiere of L.
Janáček’s "Jenufa" (1924).
Although he had in his repertoire roles such as Tamino in
"Zauberflöte", Rodolfo in "La Bohème" and Cavaradossi in
"Tosca", but he gladly took over also buffo roles like Pedrillo in
"Entführung aus dem Serail", Don Curzio and Basilio in "Figaros
Hochzeit", David in "Meistersingern"and Mime in the Ring Cycle.
In 1928 he appeared at the Berlin State Opera in the world premiere of Franz
Schreker's "Der singende Teufel". Until 1934 he remained a member of
the Berlin State Opera. During this time he also appeared at the Berlin Kroll
Opera, u.a. 1927 in the world premiere of "Royal Palace" by Kurt
Weill. He later turned mainly to the operetta, after he had tremendous
successes in 1930 at the Metropol Theater in Berlin in Millacker's
"Bettelstudent" and in the premiere of "Das Veilchen vom
Montmartre" by Kalmán. In 1930 he
sang in Amsterdam in "Fledermaus" under Bruno Walter, the same
performance was repeated at the Covent Garden Opera in London. In the 1931-1932
season he worked at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, especially in buffo
repertoire, and worked there in 1931 in the premiere of Stravinsky's
"Oedipus Rex". Since 1933 he had a huge successes at the Berlin
Theater of the West in operettas such as "Die lockende Flamme" by
Künnecke (world premiere on 27. 12. 1933), "Der Page dsr Königs"
(1933) and "Der goldene Pierrot"
by Walter W.Goetze. The career of the singer took a long time, even in
1956 he sang at the Hamburg Operetta Theater. Married the actress and cabaret
artist Käthe König. With his second wife Edith Schollwer, who performed in
operettas, he made a few records on Electrola.
Germaine Cernay (Mezzo-Soprano) (28 April 1900, Le Havre - 19 September 1943, Paris)
Her real name was Germaine Pointu. At first, she wanted to become a
pianist, but then she studied voice at the National Conservatory in Paris with
the teachers Albers und Engel. She made her debut in 1925 at the Paris Grand
Opéra as Euryclée in ‘’Pénélope’’ by Gabriel Fauré. In 1927 she came to the
Opéra-Comique in Paris, where she first sang smaller roles, then roles like
Charlotte in ‘’Werther’’, Carmen, Mignon, and Geneviève in ‘’Pelléas et
Mélisande’’. In 1930 at that house she took part in the world premiere of the
opera ‘’Le Sicilien’’ by Omer Letorey. She had important successes at the
Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and on French provincial stages. She gave
guest performances in North Africa, in Switzerland, in England, Ireland and
Italy, where she appeared in the 1939 Florence May Festival as Florenz in
Ravel's ‘’L'Enfant et les sortilèges’’. In a broadcast of French Radio she even
undertook the soprano role in ‘’Pelléas et Mélisande’’. She was regarded as one
of the leading French concert altos of her generation, above all as a great
Bach interpreter. She was on the point of entering a convent when she suddenly
died. In addition to her exquisitely cultured (above all in the high register)
voice, her ingenious art of delivery as well as her mastery of phrasing were
treasured. She represented a voice type which the French designate
'Galli-Marié' (after the great prima donna, Célestine Galli-Marié).
Monday, October 15, 2018
Max Kuttner (Tenor) (Baden, Austria 24 February 1883 - Straubing, Germany 17 October 1953)
After a technical education Kuttner worked
first as a designer in Frankfurt am Main, but there he also trained as a
singer. In 1905 he made his debut at the Lortzing Theater in Berlin. After
training his voice, he began his stage career in 1904 at the Court Theater of
Weimar and sang since 1906 at the Lortzing Theater in Berlin. He specialized in
the tenor buffo roles in which he proved to be a superior actor. He sang
Jacquino in "Fidelio", Pedrillo in the "Entführung aus dem
Serail", Monostatos in the "Zauberflöte". His career took place
mainly at various Berlin theaters. He moved to the field of operetta in the
twenties and had great success as an operetta tenor in Berlin. He became known
as a radio and record singer. In 1933 he left Germany as a Jew and finally came
to China. There he appeared in operettas in Shanghai (1940-1941). After the
Second World War, he returned to Germany, where he died in 1953 in Straubing in
Bavaria. Married the opera singer Nelly Bondy, who sang in Weimar and at the
Komische Oper in Berlin.
Georgy Nelepp (Tenor) (Bobruika, Ukraine, 20 April 1904 - Moscow, 18 June 1957)
He studied at the Leningrad Conservatory and made his debut, as
Lensky, with the Kirov in 1930, remaining with the company until 1944. In that
year he moved to the Bol'shoy, where he had his most significant success.
Nelepp possessed a lyric-dramatic tenor capable of an amazing range and
intensity of expression, making him an ideal exponent of such roles as
Florestan, Gustavus III, Manrico, Radames, Don José, Sobinin (‘’A Life for the
Tsar’’), Dmitry (‘’Boris Godunov’’), Golitsin (‘’Khovanshchina’’), Yury (‘’The
Enchantress’’), Hermann, Andrey (‘’Mazepa’’) and Sadko, several of which he
recorded. He sang in approximately 20 complete opera sets, among which his
agonized portrayal of the obsessive Hermann in the Melodiya recording of The
Queen of Spades is an unrivalled achievement.
Elisabeth Böhm Van Endert (Soprano) (Neuss 31. 12. 1876 † Zürich 27. 02. 1956)
She began her singing studies with Wally Schauseil in Düsseldorf and continued with Richard Müller in Dresden. First she appeared in concerts and oratorio parts. At the instigation of the great conductor Ernst von Schuch, who appeared in Dresden, she turned to the stage career. She made her stage debut in 1907 at the Hofoper in Dresden (as Marguerite in ‘’Faust’’), where she remained until 1910. From 1910 to 1913 she was engaged by the Court Opera in Berlin (where she had already performed in 1909), from 1913 to 1921 she was a soloist of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin-Charlottenburg, in the 1921-1923 seasons she sang at the Staatsoper in Berlin. Here she appeared as Pamina in ‘’Zauberflöte’’, Micaela in ‘’Carmen’’, Freia in '’’Rheingold’’, Eva in ‘’Meistersingern’’, Marguerite in ‘’Faust’’, Rosalinde in ‘’Fledermaus’’ and Octavian in ‘’Rosenkavalier’’. Guest performances and tours led the artist to England, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland. In the 1920s she undertook two major North American tours. During her Dresden engagement she appeared on 25. 1. 1909 in the world premiere of the opera ‘’Elektra’’ by R. Strauss. After 1923 she gave only single stage performances, but was mainly to be heard as a concert soloist, such as 1926 on a Holland tour and, also in 1926, in London. In her second marriage she was married the director of the Electrola record company, Leo Curth. After her retirement she lived in Berlin and taught singing, but in 1935she emigrated to North America.
Chronology of some appearances
1907-1910 Dresden Hofoper
1910-1913 Berlin Court Opera
1913-1921 Berlin-Charlottenburg Deutsche Oper
1921-1923 Berlin Staatsoper
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Mafalda Salvatini (Soprano) (Baiae, Italy 17 October 1886 - Lugano, Switzerland 13 June 1971)
Santuzza
Her father was an officer of the Neapolitan army and she was already
orphaned when she was four. She studied singing under Jean de Reszke and
Pauline Viardot-Garcia in Paris. In 1908, during a guest performance at the
Berlin Court Opera, she caused a sensation as Aida and from 1911 to 1914 she
was a member of this opera house. In 1912 she performed at the Hofoper in
Munich, in 1913 at the Grand Opéra in Paris, where she performed as Valentine
in "Les Huguenots" of G. Meyerbeer. In the 1914-1923 seasons she was
engaged by the German Opera House in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Although in the
1924-1926 seasons she again appeared at the State Opera (the former Hofoper) in
Berlin, but came back in 1926 to the German Opera House, where she continued
her career until 1932. In 1926 she created for Berlin the title role in G.
Puccini’s opera "Turandot", where she scored one of her greatest
successes. In 1927 she was a guest at the Dresden State Opera, in 1922 and 1928
at the Vienna State Opera, in 1928 at the Riga Opera House. She also made guest
appearances in Holland and Belgium, but never in her native Italy. At the
beginning of the thirties she married the Lithuanian Ambassador in Germany.
After her retirement she lived in the Swiss canton of Ticino.
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Willis James Flanagan (Tenor) (Holyoke, Massachusetts 1882 - ?)
He began as a baritone studying with Murrie 1920's in Italy, France and Germany, making extensive tours singing. He then studied in London to become a tenor finishing his studies with Mr Addison Price the composer and vocal teacher. He has sung in London Palladium, Queens Theater and many other concerts hall in England with the best of the stars, one of them being Nordica. In Italy he appeared as Paul Castello.
I wish to thank his grandchild Michelle Dennis for providing me information and photos
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Laczó István (Tenor) (September 16, 1904, Szombathely, Hungary - September 27, 1965 Budapest, Hungary)
He initially studied
architecture and then trained as singer mostly in Italy. In 1935 he made his
debut at the National Opera in Budapest and remained a member of this opera
house until the end of his career. Before the World War II, he guested at the
Grand Opéra in Paris, also in Turin and Rio de Janeiro. His repertoire included
Otello, the Manrico in ‘’Trovatore’’, Radames in ‘’Aida’’, Kalaf in
‘’Turandot’’, Arnoldo in ‘’Guglielmo Tell’’, Turiddu in "Cavalleria
Rusticana’’ and Canio in "Pagliacci". In 1963 he was appointed
Honored Artist of the Hungarian People's Republic.
Chronology of some
appearances
1935-1950’s
Budapest National Opera
Lajos Laurisin (Tenor) (March 26, 1897, Kalocsa, Hungary - January 10, 1977, New York City, New York, United States)
He received his
education in Budapest under Szidi Rákosi and Béla Szabados. From 1926 to 1944
he was a member of the Budapest National Opera. At this opera house he sang a
varied repertoire and his roles included Duke in "Rigoletto", Canio
in "Pagliacci", Cavaradossi in "Tosca", Kalaf in
"Turandot" and Rodolfo in "La Bohème". In addition, he was
a famous operetta singer. His brother was the composer Miklós Laurinsin
(1893-1949).
Chronology of some
appearances
1926-1944 Budapest
National Opera
Endre Rösler (Tenor) (November 27, 1904, Budapest, Hungary - December 13, 1963, Budapest, Hungary)
Almaviva
First he studied with
Géza Laszló in Budapest, then under Giuseppe de Luca in Milan and Edoardo
Garbin in Brescia. In 1927 he made his debut at the National Opera in Budapest
as Alfredo in "La Traviata". On 24. 4. 1932 he sang at the Budapest Opera
in the world premiere of Zoltán Kodály's "Die Spinnstube". He made
successful guest appearances in Vienna, Milano, Florence, Leipzig and Munich.
At the Budapest Opera his repertoire included the title part in Händel’s
"Xerxes", Count Almaviva in ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Belmonte in
"Entführung aus dem Serail", Don Ottavio in "Don Giovanni",
Ferrando in "Così fan tutte", Lenski in "Eugene Onegin",
Florestan in "Fidelio", Max in "Freischütz", Erik in "Fliegenden
Holländer", Loge in "Rheingold" and Schuiskij in "Boris
Godunov". Since 1953 he taught singing at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music
Budapest; one of his students was Eva Marton.
Chronology of some appearances
1927 Budapest National Opera Traviata
(Alfredo)
1932 Budapest National
Opera Die Spinnstube (-)
Gabor Carelli (Tenor) (Budapest, Hungary 1915 – New York 22 January 1999)
He studied law and
singing at the Franz Liszt Conservatory in Budapest. After two years of further
education in Italy (also under Beniamino Gigli), he made his debut in Florence
and then sang at the Italian opera houses. Then he went to North America, where
from 1951 to 1974 he was a member
of the Metropolitan Opera in New
York (almost 26 years) and sang mainly as tenor buffo. Here he made his debut
as Don Curzio in ‘’Nozze di Figaro'’ (which he sang there 111 times) and was
heard in 56 roles and in over a thousand performances there. His repertoire
included Arturo in ‘’Lucia di
Lammermoor’’, Abbé in ‘’Adriana
Lecouivreur’’, Borsa in ‘’Rigoletto’’ (which he sang 118 times), Gaston in ‘’La
Traviata’’, Trin in ‘’La Fanciulla del West’’, Elemer in ‘’Arabella’ by R.
Strauss, Count Almaviva in ‘’Il Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Ernesto in ‘’Don
Pasquale’’, Rodolfo in ‘’La Bohème’’, Pinkerton in ‘’Madama Butterfly’’, Duka
in ‘’Rigoletto’’, Cavaradossi in ‘’Tosca’’,
Alfredo in ‘’La Trvaiata’’,
Captain in ‘’Wozzeck’’and as Tonio in ‘’La Fille du régiment’’. During two
seasons he also worked in Israel. Since 1964 he taught singing at the Manhattan
School of Music New York.
Chronology of appearances
1951-1974 New York Metropolitan Opera
Maria Russo (Mezzo-Soprano)
She was to young to
sing in Guy Golterman’s grand operas At
MUNY and Kiel, but St Louis
Mezzo-Soprano Maria’Russo’s career was ‘moved along’ by the impressario.
Golterman arranged auditions with the Met’s Fausto Cleve. He also contacted
Fortuno Gallo on her behalf. Maria persisted in New York. She found her role
‘Carmen’: First with the Charles Wagner Opera Company 1952 tour. This was
followed by a 10-weeks tour of South America with the South America Opera Company.others in the company
were Jan Pierce, Robert Weede and Herbs Nelli.
Her concert debut was with the St Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1949. In
New York she was coached by several of the Met’s conductors including Caesar
Sodero. Dramatic lessons by the Met’s Desire Defrere. The girl from the St Louis
‘Hill’ neighborhood did well. She never forgot Guy Golterman. Maria Russo never
came back to St Louis. I believe she stayed in New York.
By Ed
Golterman
Thursday, August 16, 2018
John Gläser (Tenor) (Berlin 12. June 1888 – Frankfurt am Main 27. May 1968)
He studied singing in Berlin, where he was already soloist of the court and cathedral choir. From 1909 to 1910 he was a member of the choir at the Berlin Komische Oper. As soloist he made his debut in 1911 at the Stadttheater of Ulm and then sang at the Court Theater of Altenburg (Thuringia). In 1912 he joined to the Opera House of Wroclaw, here he appeared five years. In 1917 he was engaged by to Opera of Frankfurt a.M., where he remained until the end of his career. Here, on 21.1.1920, he sang the role of Elis in the premiere of the opera ‘’Der Schatzgräber’’ by Schreker. He participated in the German premieres of the Mussorgsky’s operas ‘’Boris Godunov’’ (1913, in Wroclaw/as Dimitri) and ‘’Khovantchina’’ (1924, Frankfurt aM/as Galitzyn). On 10. 3. 1917 he sang at the Opera House of Wroclaw in the world premiere of the opera ‘’Eros and Psyche’’ by Lubomir Rózycki. He made guest appearances in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Vienna. At the Salzburg Festival (1926) he appeared as Bacchus in ‘’Ariadne auf Naxos’’ by R. Strauss. In 1942, at the Frankfurt Opera, on the occasion of his 25th anniversary he gave his farewell performance as Canio in ‘’Pagliacci’’. Since then he lived in Frankfurt and taught singing. Married the soprano Agnes Werninghaus.
Chronology of some appearances
1909-1910 Berlin Komische Oper
1911 Ulm Stadttheater
1911 Altenburg Court Theater
1912-1917 Wroclaw Opera House
1917-1942 Frankfurt a.M. Opera
1926 Salzburg Festival
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Arne Ohlson (Tenor) (Uddevalla, Sweden 2. 01. 1911 – Märsta, Sweden 1. 05. 2000)
He initially studied violin and music theory in Uppsala and Stockholm, but then trained by John Forsell, Joseph Hislop and Augustin Kock at the Stockholm Academy of Music. In 1941 he made his stage debut at the Royal Opera in Stockholm as Don Ottavio in "Don Giovanni". Until 1966 he was the first lyrical tenor of this opera house. In 1957 he appeared in the Swedish premiere of A. Berg's "Wozzeck". From 1948 to 1968 he was one of those singers, who made the Drottningholm Festival a first-class musical event. From 1966 to 1974 he worked at the Academy of Music in Aalborg. Since 1974 he taught singing in Stockholm and Uppsala.
Chronology of some appearances
1941-1966 Stockholm Royal Opera
Carlo Galeffi (Baritone) (Malamocco 4 June 1884 – Roma 22 September 1961)
Galeffi studied singing under the pedagogues Di Como, Sbriscia and later with Antonio Cotogni. He made his debut 1903 at the Teatro Quirino in Roma as Enrico in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’. In her book Una Voce nel Mondo, Toti Dal Monte wrote, that Galeffi is the best baritone of her time.
Chronology of some appearances
1907 Roma Teatro Quirino Pagliacci (Tonio)
1908 Roma Teatro Adriano Amica (Rinaldo)
1908 Palermo Teatro Massimo Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1908 Messina Teatro Vittorio Emanuele Pagliacci (Tonio)
1908 Roma Teatro Adriano Carmen (Escamillo)
1910 Lisbona Teatro San Carlos Carmen (Escamillo)
1910 Buenos Ayres Teatro Coliseo Pagliacci (Tonio)
1910 Buenos Ayres Teatro Coliseo Rigoletto (Rigoletto)
1910 Rosario di Santa Fè Teatro Colon Pagliacci (Tonio)
1910 Boston Opera House Pagliacci (Tonio)
1911 Philadelphia Teatro Metropolitan Pagliacci (Tonio)
1911 Rio de Janeiro Teatro Municipal Amica (Rinaldo)
1912 Milano Teatro alla Scala Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)
1913 Firenze Politeama Fiorentino Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1914 San Pietroburgo Teatro Petit Pagliacci (Tonio)
1915 Montevideo Teatro Solis Carmen (Escamillo)
1916 Pesaro Salone Pedrotti Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1917 Genova Politeama Genovese Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1918 Roma Teatro Costanzi Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1919 Firenze Teatro Della Pergola Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1919 Chicago Civic Opera House Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1920 New York Lexington Theater Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1920 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)
1921 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)
1921 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1922 Milano Teatro La Scala Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)
1924 Milano Teatro La Scala Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)
1925 Milano Teatro La Scala Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1925 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Pagliacci (Tonio)
1927 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)
1929 Milano Teatro La Scala Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1929 Milano Teatro La Scala Lohengrin (Tetralmondo)
1930 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Boheme (Marcello)
1930 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Cavalleria Rusticana (Alfio)
1935 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1936 Trieste Teatro Verdi Ballo in maschera (Renato)
1938 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colon Carmen (Escamillo)
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