Mathilde Sessi by Reutlinger (1)

Mathilde Gabriele Sessi, born Alexander (1846-1934); Austrian soprano.
She was descended from the Sessi-family of famous operasingers (the 5 Sessi sisters Marianna, Impératrice, Anna Maria, Victoria and Carolina). Although her birth name was Alexander, for the stage she used the name Sessi.
She started her career in Vienna and then got engagements in Berlin, Frankfurt and Brussels.In 1870 she had her debut in London at Covent Garden as Lucia in “Lucia di Lammermoor” and in that same year in Paris, at La Salle Ventadour, as Alina in Donizetti’s “Alina, Regina di Golconda”. She sang several seasons at Covent Garden and her most famous rôles were Zerlina in “Don Giovanni”, Marguerite in “Faust”, Marie in “La fille du regiment”, Ophélie in “Hamlet”, Violetta in “La Traviata”, the Countess in “Le nozze di Figaro”, the Queen of the Nigt in “Die Zauberflöte”, Marzelline in “Fidelio” and Cecilia in “Il Guarany”.

She married Baron Ludwig von Erlanger (of Frankfort), uncle of Baron Frederick d’Erlanger (the composer). She had a rather short career because after her marriage she soon retired from the stage.