Opera's Golden Age In Postcards

FEODOR IVANOVICH CHALIAPIN (February 13 ,1873 – April 12, 1938) Russian Bass Largely self-taught, he began his career at Tbilisi and the Imperial Opera, St. Petersburg in 1894. He was then invited to sing at the Mamontov Private Opera (1896–1899); his first role there was as Mephistopheles in Gounod's Faust, At Mamontov he also met Sergei Rachmaninoff, who was serving as an assistant conductor there and with whom he remained friends for life. Rachmaninoff taught him much about musicianship, including how to analyze a music score, and insisted that Chaliapin learn not only his own roles but also all the other roles in the operas in which he was slated to appear. With Rachmaninoff he learned the title role of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, which became his signature character , On the strength of his Mamontov appearances, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow engaged Chaliapin, where he appeared regularly from 1899 until 1914. During the First World War, Chaliapin also appeared regularly at the Zimin Private Opera in Moscow. In addition, from 1901, Chaliapin began touring in the West, making a sensational debut at La Scala that year as the devil in a production of Boito's Mefistofele, under the baton of one of the 20th century's most dynamic opera conductors, Arturo Toscanini Chaliapin's last stage performance took place at the Monte Carlo Opera in 1937, as Boris. He died the following year of leukemia, aged 65, in Paris, where he was interred

Nikolay Figner as Werther 'Werther" Massenet NIKOLAY FIGNER (Nikolay Nikolayevich Figner ) (1857–1918), Russian Tenor Studied with Vassily Samus, I. P. Pryanishnikova and Camille Everardi at the St Petersburg Conservatory.Debut at Naples in Gounod's Philémon et Baucis in 1882 . Further study with Francesco Lamperti in Italy .Sang the principal tenor role in the world premiere of the revised version of Alfredo Catalani's Edmea . He sang roles such as Arnold in Rossini's William Tell, the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Carlo in Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix.Leading tenor at the Mariinsky Theatre .Sang Alexander Borodin (Vladimir in Prince Igor), Alexander Dargomyzhsky (the Prince in Rusalka), and Anton Rubinstein (Sinodal in The Demon).

Nikolay Figner as Werther 'Werther" Massenet NIKOLAY FIGNER (Nikolay Nikolayevich Figner ) (1857–1918), Russian Tenor Studied with Vassily Samus, I. P. Pryanishnikova and Camille Everardi at the St Petersburg Conservatory.Debut at Naples in Gounod's Philémon et Baucis in 1882 . Further study with Francesco Lamperti in Italy .Sang the principal tenor role in the world premiere of the revised version of Alfredo Catalani's Edmea . He sang roles such as Arnold in Rossini's William Tell, the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Carlo in Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix.Leading tenor at the Mariinsky Theatre .Sang Alexander Borodin (Vladimir in Prince Igor), Alexander Dargomyzhsky (the Prince in Rusalka), and Anton Rubinstein (Sinodal in The Demon).

Marcelle Demougeot (Jeanne Marguerite Marcelle Decorne) 1876-1931 French Soprano Studied in Dijon with Charles Laurent and at the Paris Conservatory with Hettich.Debut 1902 at Palais Garnier Paris as Donna Elvira in “ Don Giovanni” by Mozart . In 1904 she sang in the premiere of “Le fils de l’étoile” by Camille Erlanger, and 1906 as Cypris in “Ariane”, by Massenet .1907-09 seasons she sang at the provincial theaters and later at Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon and Vichy. In 1921 she sang at the Palais Garnier Paris as Brunnhilde in ”Die Walkure’’. In 1930 she sang Brünnhilde in the Ring cycle. in Strasbourg. She was considered the most important French Wagnerian soprano of her generation and she also sang Fricka in “Rheingold” by Wagner. Kundry in “Parsifal” by Wagner .She also sang roles such as Aida in “Aida” by Verdi , Valentine in “Les Huguenots” by Meyerbeer, Mathilde in “William Tell” by Rossini, Cyria in “Ariane” by Massenet and Marguerite in “La Damnation de Faust” by Berlioz. Dejanire “Déjanire” by Saint-Saens .She was also a noted concert singer .She retired in 1925 and taught singing

Katharina Wilhelmina Fleischer-Edel 1873-1928 German Soprano. Studied at the Conservatory of Cologne with August Iffert and at Dresden.Stage debut 1893 at Dresden in concert with the Dresden Choral Society.Opera debut 1894 as bridesmaid in “Die Freischutz” She went to the Hamburg Opera in 1897 and remained for 17 years . She guested including in Bayreuth, Paris, Saint Louis , Stockholm , Vienna, London, New York ,Zurich ,Prague and Bayreuth.She sang the Wagner roles of Sieglinde “Die Walkure” ,Eva “Meistersanger”,Elizabeth “Tannhauser” ,Brangaene ‘Tristan & Isolde” , Guntrune “Gotterdammerung” as well as Desdemona “Othello” Verdi and Marguerite “La Damnation of Faust” Berloiz.She taught singing at Dresden

Nina Pack (Annette Marie Ballay) 1869-???? French Soprano Studied at the Paris Conservatory and engaged by the Opera Comique and made her debut as a soul in “la Tempete” by Duvernoy in 1889.In 1890 she created Fathma in “Zaire” by de la Nux at the Palais Garnier in Paris. She also sang in Geneva.Roles included Sieglinde in “Die Walkure” by Wagner m Valentine in “Les Huguenots” by Meyerbeer , Carmen in “Carmen” by Bizet , Scazzone in “Ascanio” by Saint-Seans , Hilde in “Sigurd” by Reyer , Santuzza in “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Mascagni , Madeline in “Rigoletto” by Verdi , Selika in “L’Africaine” by Meyerbeer and Berthe in “Le Prophete by Meyerbeer.

as Marguerite in "Faust" by Gounod LILLIAN BLAUVELT (1873 - 1947) American Soprano She was a graduate of the National Conservatory of Music. Blauvelt sang in concerts in New York City and Brooklyn prior to becoming the soprano of the West Presbyterian Church, 42nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in 1893. In January 1893 she sang the air (music) for Aida, from Act I and the duet for Aida and Amneria from Act II, with Mrs. Luckstone-Myers, a contralto. The Sunday concert was held at Music Hall She performed with the New York Symphony at Carnegie Hall. In the ninth season of Symphony Concerts for Young People, 1904, the program was devoted to works by Bizet, Gounod, Verdi, and Richard Wagner. Blauvelt and Edward P. Johnson were soloists with the orchestra conducted by Frank Damrosch .She sang before an audience numbering 3,000 at the Asbury Park, New Jersey Casino in July 1904 The following month Alice Roosevelt Longworth attended a concert given by the Bar Harbor, Maine Choral Society, during which Blauvelt sang. She replaced Ella Russell in a solo quartet at a Christmas 1904 performance of The Messiah. It was presented by the Oratorio Society at Carnegie Hall. In 1905 Blauvelt signed a six year contract with Fred Whitney to appear in comic opera.. She was a soloist for a February 1905 New York Symphony Concert given at Alexander Hall on the campus of Princeton University. She sang Una Voce Poco Fa by Rossini. Five first violins were added to the orchestra to restrain the brass effect. The same year she sang in a production of Stabat Mater. The music was written by Antonín Dvořák in 1876. Her solo was part of a tribute to Dvořák held at Carnegie Hall on March 14. The composer died in 1904. Stabat Mater is the most popular of his choral works outside of his native Czechoslovakia. Blauvelt was chosen to sing the soprano portion of a Verdi composition at a memorial concert to the composer held in Rome, Italy, in 1905. She appeared at the Lyceum Theatre in Rochester, New York, in November 1905, for the first production of The Rose of the Alhambra. The comic opera was written by Charles Emerson Cook and directed by F. C. Whitney. It was her first work in light opera after working for years in grand opera. Blauvelt received encores until she was compelled to refuse further acknowledgements. In 1906, she starred in Victor Herbert's The Magic Knight. In December 1912 she returned from Europe and performed in a solo quartet in The Messiah at the Aeolian Hall.

as Elio in "Chopin" by Orefice Ferruccio Coradetti 1858-1944 Italian Baritone Studied with Giuseppe Faini. Sang in at the famous Italian opera theatres. In 1898 he sang in Holland , where he performed among other things as Marcello in Dutch premiere of Puccini’s ‘’La Boheme’’, He appeared in London and Paris, Berlin , Amsterdam, Buenos Aires and Montevideo . He also sang in Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Barcelona. In 1901 he sang at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome in one of six premieres of Mascagni’s opera ‘’Le Maschere’’. In 1905 and 1911 he was to be heard once more there in ‘’Fedora’’, ‘’La Boheme‘', ‘’La Fanciulla del West’’ and ‘’Linda di of Chamounix’’. In 1904 he sang at the Teatro Lirico, Milan in the premieres of two prize-winning operas of the Sonzogno competition, on 15. 5. 1904 in ‘’Manuel Menendez’’ of Lorenzo Filiati, one day later, on 16. 5. 1904 in ‘’La Cabrera’’ of Gabriel Dupont (with Gemma Bellincioni as a partner). In 1910 he took part at Rome in the premiere of the opera ‘’Malbruk’’ of Leoncavallo in the title role, in 1913 at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome in the premiere of V. Tommasini’s ‘’Uguale Fortuna’’. In 1914 he went to North America; here he guested first in Boston, later in New York. Then, however, he turned more and more to the teaching and was active as a music critic and music journalist.

Vladimir Rosing 1890-1963 Russian Tenor ,Took private singing lessons with Ioakim Tartakov. Debut 1910 in concert . In 1910, he left for Europe for further study with Sir George Power (London), Giovanni Sbrillia and Jean de Reszke (Paris). Operatic debut at the Theater of Musical Drama in St. Petersburg as Trike in ‘’Eugene Onegin’’ (1912). and appeared there as Lensky (‘’Eugene Onegin’’), Pretender (‘’Boris Godunov’’) and Walther von Stolzing (‘’Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’’). In 1914 he became a director of the London Opera House ‘’Kingaway’’. From 1913 to 1921 he gave 104 recitals in London. In the 1915-1916 season he appeared with success at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. In 1921, as a member of the Car Rosa Opera Company, he sang the part of Cavaradossi in G. Puccini’s ‘’Tosca’’. The same year he sang at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in the following operas: ‘’The Queen of Spades’’ (Hermann), ‘’Pagliacci’’ (Canio), ‘’Faust’’ (Faust) and ‘’Carmen’’ (Don Jose). The made guest appearances In Brussels (Théâtre de la Monnaie) and Madrid (Teatro Reale). Since 1921 he lived in USA, where made appearances at the opera houses of Chicago and New York. He sang on stage up to 1930.

as Mefistofele in " Mefistofele" by Boito Ettore Borucchia 1858-1944 Italian Bass Debut in 1883 at the in Genova and appeared there almost every season until 1905. In the 1888-1890 seasons he made guest appearances at the Teatro San Carlo in Lisbon. In 1901 Bologna and 1903 Rome as a partner of Enrico Caruso, he sang the role Sparafucile in G. Verdi’s ‘’Rigoletto’’.

as Walther in "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" by Wagner Erik Enderlien 1887-1947 German Tenor After his studies he made his debut in 1912 at the Court Opera of Dresden, where he remained till 1917..He sang at Bayreuth , Vienna, Rome, Manheimm,Copenhagen,Geneva.After his retirment he was a congressman in Berlin

Lola Beeth 1860-1941 Austrian Soprano She debuted as "Elsa" in Lohengrin at the Metropolitan Opera House, on December 2, 1895. She was a member of the Vienna Opera Company who had previous experience singing in Berlin and Paris. As early as the summer of 1892 Beeth appeared at the Vienna Court Opera as Juliet in a production of Gounod' Roméo et Juliette. Her New York City performance was hampered by nervousness and having never sung the role in the Italian.Beeth sang an aria from La Juive (The Jewess) at the Metropolitan Opera House on January 11, 1896. Beeth was named as a favorite pupil by Mathilde Marchesi, who tutored her in singing in Paris. After the release of her book, Marchesi and Music, Marchesi planned to visit the United States, but her intended tour was canceled.

as Kundry in "Parsifal" by Wagner Melanie Kurt 1881-1941 Austrian Soprano Studied with Marie Lehmann in Berlin.Debut in Lubeck 1902 as Elizabeth in "Tannhauser" by Wagner .She sang in Leipzig , Berlin. London,Salzburg,Milan, Vienna ,Dresden and New york.Gradually retired from stage in 193 and taught singing in Berlin.In 1938 she fled to New York where she remained

NIKOLAJ SEVERESKY ( 1875-1941) Russian Baritone Was an exiled Russian - French opera singer ( baritone ) and actor , including playing Tsar Peter the Great in the Swedish film Karl XII and Charles XII, Part II .

Jeanne Marcy 1865-???? Belguim Soprano Debut 1896 at Opera Comique as Donna Anna "Don Juan" . Created the role of Crobyle in "Thais" at the Opéra de Paris 16 March 1894 . Other roles included : Frie , Woglinde , Helmwige in "The Ring Cycle" Wagner

Ivan Altchevsky 1876-1917 Russian Tenor Began Studies with his brother and then with Plecek, he went to Paris for further study with Felia Litvinne.Debut at the Marinsky ,He sang at Monnaie Brussels, London covent garden, Manhattan, Paris and Monte Carlo

as Mime in "Siegfried" by Wagner Paul Kuhn 1874-1966 German Tenor He studied singing in Breslau and performed at important opera houses and festivals in Germany and Austria like the Bavarian State Opera, the Bayreuth Festival, the Darmstadt Opera, and the Salzburg Festival. He notably portrayed the role of Mateo in the world premiere of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Violanta at the National Theatre Munich in 1916. In 1917, he created the role of Bernardo Novagerio in the premiere of Hans Pfitzner's Palestrina at the Prinzregententheater. In 1933, he and his wife, Charlotte Kuhn-Brunner, moved to the United States for political reasons

as Salome in "Salome" by Strauss Annie Krull 1876-1947 German Soprano Studied in Berlin with Hertha Brämer, and made her stage debut in 1898 at the Plauen Stadttheater as Agathe in Der Freischütz. From 1900 to 1912, she sang at the Dresden State Opera, where in 1901 she created the title role in Paderewski's Manru and Diemut in Richard Strauss' early opera Feuersnot. Strauss, who had admired her dramatic qualities, then chose her to be the first Elektra. A year after its premiere in Dresden on 25 January 1909, she repeated the role at London's Royal Opera House. It was the first time a Strauss opera was performed in Britain. Krull sang regularly in several other German opera houses (Mannheim, Weimar, Leipzig, Cologne, Karlsruhe and Schwerin) as well as appearing in Brno (1905) and Prague (1907). Amongst the other roles she sang were Leonore in Fidelio, Senta in The Flying Dutchman, Elsa in Lohengrin, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, Margiana in Der Barbier von Bagdad, Marta in Tiefland, and Valentine in Les Huguenot