Bialystok-Stavenuiter's photos

Giuseppe Ciampi (1832-1892); Italian bass. He was a pupil of Luigi Ricci. In 1849 he started his singing career at Padua as a comprimario. In 1850 he had his first chance in Gorizia (Görz) to sing more important roles like Oroveso in Bellini's "Norma". In 1857 at the Teatro dell' Armonia in Trieste he sang at the première of "Il Diavolo a quattro", an opera composed by his teacher Luigi Ricci. In 1857 he also appeared in Rome at the Teatro Apollo. In 1859/60 he performed at the Teatro San Samuele in Venice and the Teatro Carignano in Turin. In 1860 he made a guest appearance in Brussels and in the same year at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, where he was very successful as Geronimo in Cimarosa's "Il matrimonio segreto". He made further successful guest appearances in Paris, Monte Carlo, Vienna, St. Petersburg and all the major Italian opera houses. From 1861-1880 and again from 1887-1890 he performed regularly at London Covent Garden. In 1890 he retired from the stage at the Teatro Malibran in Venice with a performance of Donizetti's "Linda di Chamounix".

Gottardo Aldighieri (1824-1906); Italian baritone. He studied with Foroni and Lombardi in Verona and Lamperti in Milan. In 1858 he made his debut at the Teatro Nuovo di Novara as Germont in Verdi's "La Traviata". He spent the next two years performing in minor Italian theatres. In 1861 he made his debut at La Scala in the title role of Verdi's "Nabucco" opposite his wife Maria Spezia as Abigaille. In 1862 he was engaged by the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. He appeared as a guest at all the major opera houses throughout Italy during the 1860s and 1870s. He returned to the Teatro di San Carlo in 1869 to perform the role of Raoul in the world premiere of Gaetano Donizetti's "Gabriella di Vergy". In 1876 he created the role of Barnaba at the première of Ponchielli's "La Gioconda" at La Scala Milan. Aldigghieri wrote the text for the song "Il baccio" composed by Luigi Arditi, who devoted this famous waltz song to him.. He was married to the soprano Maria Spezia-Aldighieri, who also had an important opera career in Italy. Maria Spezia Aldighieri (1828-1907); Italian soprano. She studied singing with Foroni in Verona. In 1849 she made her debut at the Teatro Filarmonico Verona in the title role of Bellini's "Beatrice di Tenda". In 1852/53 she was engaged at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. The next two decades she performed in the leading opera houses of Italy (Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples etc.) She made guest appearances at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Her performance of Violetta in Verdi's "La traviata" at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice in 1854, is credited for popularizing the opera after it had initially flopped at its premiere in 1853. In 1857 she debuted at La Scala Milan as Valentine in Meyerbeer's "Les Huguenots" and in that same year she created the role of Mathilde in Ronchetti's opera "Pergolese" with the tenor Antonio Giuglini in the title role. She was married to the baritone Gottardo Aldighieri. In 1861 at La Scala she portrayed Abigaille opposite her husband in the title role of Verdi's "Nabucco". In 1862 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples she sang Amalia to her husband's Renato in Verdi's "Un ballo in Maschera. One of her last performances was at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in 1872 in the title role of Bellini's "Norma".

Bernhard Pollini, born Baruch Pohl (1838-1897); German tenor/baritone. In 1857 he made his debut at Cologne as Arturo in Bellini's "I Puritani". He then joined an Italian Opera company, where he sang the baritone repertoire and finally became it's Impresario. This appeared to be his true vocation and he became one of the most important Opera Directors of his era. He sang as a baritone at the Hoftheater von Dessau and at the Opernhaus von Riga (1860/61). In 1864 he was Director of the Opernhaus von Lemberg (Lvov) followed by several years of leading Impresario of the Italian Opera in St. Petersburg and Moscow.In 1874 he moved his activities to Hamburg, where he was appointed Director of the Opera. In 1876 the Stadttheater von Altona came also under his supervision and in 1894 even the Thalia Theater.He brought the Hamburg Opera on a high artistic level and he showed a special skill in contracting significant singers and conductors. He continued his work as a Director until his death in November 1897. In 1889 he married the famous soprano singer Bianca Bianchi (1858-1947), who first, sang at the Hofoper von Wien and Munich but since her marriage, at the Hamburg Opera. Among the other great singers, which he engaged for Hamburg were Albert Niemann, Katharina Klafsky and the young Anna Bahr-Mildenburg.

Marc Bonnehée (1828-1886); French baritone who created the role of Guy de Montfort in Verdi's "Les Vêpres Siciliennes" in 1855 at the Grand Opéra Paris. He started his vocal studies at the Toulouse Conservatory and finished them at the Conservatoire National de Paris. In 1853 he made his debut at the Grand Opera Paris as Alphonse in Donizetti's "La Favorita". Until the end of his career in 1873 he was engaged by the Grand Opéra. In 1855 he created the role Of Guy de Montfort at the première of Verdi's "Les Vêpres Siciliennes". In 1858 he created Stello de Nici in Halévy's "La Magicienne" and in 1860 Julien de Médicis in Poniatowski's opera "Pierre de Médicis". In 1865 he made very successful guest appearances in Spain. His most memorable roles were William Tell in Rossini's "Guillaume Tell", Count Luna in Verdi's "Il Trovatore", Enrico in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor", Cinna in Spontini's "La Vestale" and Lusignan in Halévy's "La Reine de Chypre". Later in his career he was a vocal teacher in Paris and in 1879 he was appointed as a professor at the Conservatoire National de Paris. On the photo he is seen as Nélusko in Meyerbeer's "L'Africaine".

Marc Bonnehée (1828-1886); French baritone who created the role of Guy de Montfort in Verdi's "Les Vêpres Siciliennes" in 1855 at the Grand Opéra Paris. The dedication is made to the baritone Vincenzo Cottone (1838-?) and is written and signed by Marc Bonnehée. It reads as follows: All'amico e collega Vi' Cottone Ma' Bonnehée Madrid* 30 Aprile 1866 *In the season 1865/66 at the Teatro Real in Madrid Bonnehée was singing together with Cottone in a number of performances of Verdi's "Il Trovatore". Tamberlick and Nantier-Didiée (see next photos) were in the same performance.

Luigi Fioravanti (1829-1887); Italian bass. He was the son of the famous bass-buffo Giuseppe Fioravanti, grandson of the no less prestigious opera composer Valentino Fioravanti (1764-1837) and nephew of another opera composer, Vincenzo Fioravanti (1799-1877). Although his father objected to a stage career, he made his debut in 1847 at the Theatre of Trani as Prefetto (The Prefect) in Donizetti's "Linda di Chamounix". He had then at the Teatro Nuovo of Naples -just like his father Giuseppe and his older brother Valentino Fioravanti (1827-1879)- a great career in the Buffo repertoire. Here he remained for a period of ten years and was highly admired by the audience. In 1854 he sang at the Teatro Regio Turin not only his buffo repertoire, but also some more serious roles. He made guest appearances at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples (1856), the Teatro Capranica and the Teatro Aliberti in Rome (1857) and the Teatro Canobbiana in Milan (1858 and 1860). In 1860 he also appeared in Vienna. In the following years he regurlarly appeared in all the major opera houses of Italy. His most memorable roles were the title role in "Don Pasquale", Dulcamara in "L'elisir d'amore" and Basilio in "Il barbiere di Siviglia".

Enrico Tamberlick (1820-1889); Italian tenor who created the role of Don Alvaro in Verdi's "La forza del destino" in St. Petersburg (1862). Enrico Tamberlick, who flourished during the middle of the 19th century was a tenor of high rank. He belonged to the class of "tenore di forza" and used to make a tremendous effect with his high C, which he produced with immense power. His voice was one of great richness of tone and volume. His delivery was grand and noble, his phrasing perfect and he sang with a great depht of expression. His elocution was so fine that every word was delivered with full effect and his dramatic power was unusually great. He was seen to best advantage in heroic parts, in which his fine figure and majestic bearing, together with the power and resonance of his voice, were displayed. Such parts as Jean de Leyde in "Le Prophète", Arnold in "Guillaume Tell", Manrico in "Il Trovatore", Otello in Rossini's "Otello", Pollione in "Norma", Poliuto in "Les Martyrs" and Robert in "Robert le Diable". In 1841 he made his debut at the Teatro Fondo in Naples as Tybalt in Bellini’s "I Capuleti ed i Montecchi" under the name of Enrico Danieli (his mother's name). The following two years he continued his career in Naples at the Teatro Fondo and at the Teatro San Carlo (under the name of Tamberlick). His voice was not yet develloped into the tenor it would become later. From 1843 on he performed in Spain ( Madrid, Barcelona etc.) and Portugal (Lisbon). In 1850 he appeared in London and made his Covent Garden debut as Masaniello in Auber’s "La Muette de Portici". He became so great a favourite that he was engaged there every season until 1864, with the exception of the season 1857/58 when he was engaged at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris. Of equal importance during the years 1850/63 was St. Petersburg (the Mariinsky Theatre) where he made guest guest appearances. Here he created the role of Don Alvaro in Verdi's "La forza del destino" on 10 November 1862. He made his initial guest appearance at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris in 1858, returning there many times until 1877. In 1874 he made a tour of the USA and he was the first tenor of importance who visited South America, singing at Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Ayres and Montevideo. He performed Alfredo in "La Traviata" -with Sofia Vera Lorini as Violetta- for the opening of the original Teatro Colón opera house in Buenos Aires in 1857. He retired from the stage with a tour through Spain in 1881, but he continued giving occasional concerts.

Constance Nantier-Didiée (1831-1867); French mezzo-soprano who created the role of Preziosilla at the première of Verdi's "La forza del destino" in St. Petersburg (1862). She was a pupil of the famous French tenor Gilbert Louis Duprez. In 1849 she made her debut at Turin as Giulia in Mercadante’s “La Vestale”. In 1852 she appeared in Paris at the Théâtre-Italien and in the same year she made a tour in the South of France with an Italian Opera troupe. From 1853 until 1864 she belonged to the leading singers of the Covent Garden Opera in London.In 1853 she sang at the English première of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” the role of Maddalena and in the same year at the English première of Berlioz’s “Benvenutto Cellini” the role of Ascanio. In 1855/56 she made an extended and very successful tour in the USA. She made guest appearances at Paris, St. Petersburg and Moscow. Her last guest appearance was at Madrid where she died at the age of only 36.

Constance Nantier-Didiée (1831-1867); French mezzo-soprano who created the role of Preziosilla at the première of Verdi's "La forza del destino" in St. Petersburg (1862). The dedication written and signed by Nantier-Didiée reads as follows: a mon bon ami excellent docteur souvenir affectueux de C Nantier 1866

Theodor Wachtel (1823-1893); German tenor. He made his debut in 1849 as Arturo in “Lucia di Lammermoor”. The first decade of his carreer was not very successful, performing in a number of small town German operahouses. From 1863 till 1868 he was associated with the “Berliner Hofoper” where he made his debut also in “Lucia di Lammermoor” but this time in the role of Edgardo. In 1865 he sang at Covent Garden in the English première of “L’Africaine” the role of Vasco da Gama with Pauline Lucca as Selika. In the 1870s he made several America-tours. His most famous role was Chapelou in Adam’s “Le postillon de Lonjumeau” ; his high tenor voice and brillant high C from the chest made him the perfect interpretor for this role. In Germany he performed “Le postillon de Lonjumeau” over a 1000 times.

Theodor Wachtel (1823-1893); German tenor. He made his debut in 1849 as Arturo in “Lucia di Lammermoor”. The first decade of his carreer was not very successful, performing in a number of small town German operahouses. From 1863 till 1868 he was associated with the “Berliner Hofoper” where he made his debut also in “Lucia di Lammermoor” but this time in the role of Edgardo. In 1865 he sang at Covent Garden in the English première of “L’Africaine” the role of Vasco da Gama with Pauline Lucca as Selika. In the 1870s he made several America-tours. His most famous role was Chapelou in Adam’s “Le postillon de Lonjumeau” ; his high tenor voice and brillant high C from the chest made him the perfect interpretor for this role. In Germany he performed “Le postillon de Lonjumeau” over a 1000 times.

Francisco d’Andrade, born Francisco Augusto de Andrade E Silva (1859-1921); Portuguese baritone. He was the son of a jurist; initially he also studied law, but from 1881 on he received singing lessons by Manuel Carreira, Luiz da Costa and José Romano in Lisbon. From 1886 on further vocal training in Milan, where he was the pupil of the voice teachers Miraglia and Ronconi. In 1882 he made his stage debut at San Remo as Amonasro in Aïda. In the following years he had his first success in Italy, Spain and Portugal, including at La Scala Milan and at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. In 1886 he made a guest appearance at Covent Garden London in Verdi’s “Ballo in maschera”, where he had great success till 1890, e.g. as Giorgio Germont in “La Traviata”, as Enrico in “Lucia di Lammermoor” and as Count Luna in “Il Trovatore”. In 1886 he performed at Moscow as Telramund in “Lohengrin” and also as Wolfram in “Tannhäuser”, one of the few non-Italian rôles that he sang. In 1888 – at the Teatro San Carlo Lisboa- he sang at the première of “Donna Bianca” , an opera by the Portugese composer Alfredo Keil.In 1889 he came to Berlin with an opera company of impressario Gardini. He was so succesfull with his performances as Figaro in “Barber of Seville”, as Rigoletto and above all as Don Giovanni, that he decided to settle in Berlin. From 1906-1916 he was a regular singer at the “Berliner Hofoper”. From 1891-1910 he was almost every year a guest at the Frankfurt Opera; also at the Zürich Opera in the years 1894,1896, 1901 and 1909. Guest appearances led him to music centers in Germany, Holland, Austria, Russia, England and Scandinavia, most of the time in the rôle of Don Giovanni. In this rôle he was considered to be unmatched; his fascinating portrayal of Don Giovanni was recorded in several famous paintings by his friend the painter Max Slevogt. He performed on stage till 1919; ultimately only as Don Giovanni. Another star-rôle was Figaro in Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. He dominated a stage repertory of 56 rôles in six languages. When Portugal entered the first World War, he had to leave Berlin and Germany. He lived then in Portugal, where in May 1918 he was on the stage for the last time (Figaro). In 1919 he returned to Berlin but two years later he suddenly died of a stroke. In 1906 Francisco d’Andrade made 10 gramophone records for the Lyrophon Company. He was the younger brother of the tenor Antonio d’Andrade (1854-1942). On the photo he is seen as Rodrigo in Verdi's "Don Carlos". The dedication reads as follows: Souvenir de Francesco* d'Andrade Elberfeld Dec. 1888 * His real first name was "Francisco" but abroad he was called often/called himself "Francesco"

Ossip Petrov (1806-1878); Russian bass. He started singing in a church choir and continued his career by singing in Russian provincial theaters. In 1830 he was discovered by the Director of the Imperial Opera in St. Petersburg, who saw him perform on stage in Kursk and offered him an engagement. In St. Petersburg he made his debut with great success as Sarastro in Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte". From 1830 until his death in 1878 he remained at the Mariinsky Theatre. He created the following roles: Susanin in Glinka's "A Life for the Tsar" (1836) Ruslan in Glinka's "Ruslan and Lyudmila" (1842) The Miller in Dargomyzhsky's "Rusalka" (1856) Ozias in Serov's "Judith" (1863) Prince Vladimir in Serov's "Rogneda" (1865) Leporello in Dargomyzhsky's "The Stone Guest" (1872) Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Maid of Pskov" (1873) Varlaam in Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" (1874 Prince Gudal in Anton Rubinstein's "The Demon" (1875) Pan Golova in Tchailovsky's "Vakula the Smith" (1876) His 50th anniversary as a singer was a cause for national celebration. On 21 April 1876 -on the stage of the Maryinsky Theatre- he was presented with a gold medal, a personal gift of Tsar Alexander II. Tchaikovsky wrote a Cantata on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th jubilee of the singer. Petrov's 52-year career continued until the night before he died. His wife was the Russian contralto Anna Petrowa-Vorobyowa (1816-1901). On the photo he is seen in his creator role of Ivan Susanin in Glinka's "A life for the Tsar".

Dmitri Slaviansky, born Prince Dmitri Alexandrovitch Agreneff (1834-1908); Russian bass and famous choir master of the Slaviansky Russian Chorus. The Slaviansky Russian Chorus was founded by Dmitri Alexandrovitch Agreneff in 1858. He was born of the highest nobility in Moscow and adopted later in his career the name of Slaviansky to indicate his work –the unearthing of the Russian and Slavic folk melodies. He traveled among the peasants and the poor working people of all Russia, and spent several years among the villagers and primitive peoples of Siberia, living in their huts, learning the thoughts and emotions of their souls as they expressed them in simple ditties and ballads. Through this extensive work he wrote the song that is now sung around the world: song of the Volga Boatman and hundreds of folk songs of the Slav races. Czar Alexander II liked to listen to Prince Dmitri's folk music and bestowed upon him the title "Slaviansky". The title the Czar gave him is untranslatable, but it seems to denote something like "The Very Slavic One" or perhaps "The Preserver of Slavic Heritage". At any rate, he was so proud of the title that he preferred it to his family name of Agreneff. Mr. Slaviansky's Russian Chorus first consisted of a double quartet. He toured Russian many times and this chorus soon became one of the most famous international choirs of the world. At the time of his death, in 1908, his youngest daughter, Mme Margarita Slaviansky succeeded him in the role of conducting. She was trained by her father from her earliest childhood in his work and finished her musical education in Milan and Berlin. The Slaviansky Russian Chorus made extensive international tours in Europe and North America.

Ivan Melnikov (1831-1906); Russian baritone. He studied singing at the Conservatory of St. Petersburg with Gavriil Lomakin and in Milan with Repetto. He started his career at the Opera of Kiev (1865/67). In 1867 he made his debut at the Imperial Opera in St. Petersburg as Riccardo in Bellini's "I Puritani". The first two years he only performed in Italian operas. Then he turned his interest to the independent Russian Opera, whose roles he sang from now on. Until 1890 he was a highly respected member of this leading Russian Opera house. He performed in St. Petersburg in a number of musically and historically important world premieres of Russian operas. In 1872 he created the role of Don Carlos in the premiere of Dargomyshski's "The stone guest" and in 1873 Prince Tokmakov in Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Maid of Pskov". In 1874 he sang the title role in the first complete performance of Mussorgsky 's "Boris Godunow". In 1875 he created the title role in Rubinstein's "The Demon" and in 1890 Igor in Borodin's "Prince Igor". He also created roles in four of Tchaikovsky's operas: Prince Vyazminsky in "Oprichnik" (1874), a devil from hell in "Vakula the Smith" (1876), Prince Kurlyatev in "The Enchantress" (1887) and Count Tomsky in "The Queen of Spades" (1890). In 1890 the highly respected artist ended his career with a performance of Prince Igor. During the years 1890/92 he was general director of the Mariinsky Theatre. In 1897 he undertook a last farewell tour. In 1906 he published his autobiography. On the photo he is seen as The Demon in Rubinstein's eponymous opera.

Maria Dolina, born Maria Ivanovna Sajuschkina Gorlenko (1868-1919); Russian contralto. Her voice was discovered by Garcia-Wilde and trained mainly by Kondratiev. Final studies were carried out with Carelli in Naples, with Mastriani in Milan and finally in Paris. In 1886 she made her debut at the Marienskij Theatre in St. Petersburg as Vanya in Glinka's "A life for the Tsar" (Ivan Susanin). She was engaged immediately and remained at the Mariiinsky until 1904. Here in 1890 she sang at the premiere of Borodin's "Prince Igor" under the direction of Edouard Naprawnik. Also in 1890 she created the role of Polina at the premiere of Tchaikovsky's "Pique Dame/Queen of spades" and from the same composer in 1892 the role of Laura in "Iolanta". In 1896 she sang at the Mariinsky the role of Hansel in the Russian premiere of Humperdinck 's "Hansel and Gretel". She made guest appearances in Moscow and other Russian theaters and abroad in Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Constantinopel, Sofia, Belgrad, Zagreb, Dresden and Rouen. Her repertoire consisted of more than 50 roles, mostly in the field of Russian and French Opera. As a concert singer she was very successfully in a vast repertoire.

Josef Paleček (1840-1915); Czech bass. In 1864 he made his debut at the Provisional National Theatre in Prague as Sarastro in Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte". Soon he performed important roles like Mephisto in "Faust", Falstaff in "Die lustigen Weibern von Windsor", Figaro in "Le nozze di Figaro" and the Cardinal in "La Juive". Here he sang at three world premières of operas by Smetana: as Kmet in "Die Brandenburger in Böhmen" (1866), as Kruschina in "Die verkaufte Braut" (1866) and as Benes in "Dalibor" (1868). In 1869 he joined the Italian Opera company in Moscow, but the following year he transferred to the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. In 1874 he created the role of Rangoni in Mussorgksky's "Boris Gudonov" and in 1880 Sergey Kiribeyevich in Rubinstein's "The merchant Kalashnikov". At the Mariinsky he had a great career that lasted 40 years. Aleksandra Levitskaya (1858-1947); Russian contralto/soprano. In 1879 she created the role of Olga in Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugen Onegin". At his time she was a student at the Moscow Conservatory.Tchaikovsky worried whether the public would accept his opera, which lacked traditional scene changes. He believed that its performance required maximum simplicity and sincerity. With this in mind, he entrusted the first production to the students of the Moscow Conservatory. There is very little known about Aleksandra Levitskaya. She was engaged at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, but It is plausible she had a rather short career. On the photo Paleček is seen as Mephisto and Levitskaya as Marguerite in Gounod's "Faust".

Nikolai Figner (1857-1918); Russian tenor. He studied singing in St. Petersburg with Ippolit Pryanishnikov and Camillo Everardi and in Naples with De Roxas. Here in Naples in 1882 he made his debut at the Teatro Sannazaro in Gounod's opera "Philémon et Baucis". In the following years he sang at the opera houses of Parma and Bologna and made international guest appearances at London, Madrid, Bukarest and St. Petersburg.. At the opera of Parma he performed in Aida and La Gioconda together with his future wife Medea Mei (they got married in 1889). In 1887-1904 and in 1907 he was engaged at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. In 1887 he sang the title role in the Russian premiere of Verdi 's "Otello" and since 1889 he celebrated here many triumphs together with his wife. The singer couple had a large influence on Russian musical life of their epoch. The with them befriended composer Tchaikovsky completed on their country estate in the vicinity of Tula his opera "Pique Dame", which he dedicated to the two artists. In the premiere in St. Petersburg (1890) Nikolai Figner sang the the role of Hermann and Medea Mei-Figner the role of Liza. In 1892 they performed in another Tchaikovsky première; Mei-Figner created the title role of Iolanta and Figner the role of Count Vaudémont. In 1903 the singer couple divorced. In the years 1907/10 he sang at various private opera companies in Russia. During the period 1910/15 he was director of the Narodny Dom Theatre at St. Petersburg. In the turmoil of the Russian revolution of 1917 the once idolized artist completely impoverished.