Opera's Golden Age In Postcards

LUCY WEIDT (Marie Louise Charlotta Weidt.) 1876-1940 German Soprano Studied with Papier-Paumgartner.Soprano at the Vienna Hofoper for the better part of a quarter of a century. Lucie Weidt’s career was no provincial affair by any means. In Vienna and made her operatic début at Leipzig in 1900. Elisabeth in Tannhäuser was her Vienna début rôle in 1902. While the Hofoper remained the center of her activities until her retirement in 1926, Weidt’s remarkable dramatic soprano voice led to engagements in Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Brussels, Buenos Aires and New York. The Marschallin and Kundry were generally regarded as her finest interpretations. In 1919 she created to role of "The Nurse" (Amme) in Die Frau ohne Schatten. After retirement, she taught in Vienna and resided there till her death.

as Mephistopheles "Faust" Gounod Lev Sibiryakov (Spivak Leib) 1869-1938 Ukranian Bass Studied with Fiorini in Odessa and Italy with Rossi. Opera debut in Odessa. Italian debut In 1895 Sibiryakov made his italian debut. Appearing at La Scala in Milan 1897 - 1900. Sang at (Teatro San Carlo, Naples). Later he appeared in Tbilisi, Kharkov, Kiev and Baku. 1902- 1904 1909 -1921soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. 1902- 1903 he also sang at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Guest appearances followed in Riga , Boston , London (Covent Garden, Berlin , Paris , Brussels , Monte Carlo. 1921 taught at the Warsaw Conservatory

Karel Burian 1870 – 1924 Czech tenor Studied singing under Franz Pivoda in Prague. Debut as Jeník in Bedřich Smetana’s The Bartered Bride at the opera house in Brno 1891. Joined opera house in Reval for the 1892-1893 season. He sang at the opera house in Aachen during the 1893-1894 season, notably appearing in the world premiere of Leo Blech's first opera, Aglaja.

Adelina Agostinelli 1882 -1954 Italian Soprano Studied in Milan with Giuseppe Quiroli , Debut 1903 , Fraschini Theater Pavia , as Fedora "Fedora" Giordano, 1904 appeared at the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan " Simón Boccanegra" Verdi , Travelled to f South America , Russia , Spain , England , Italy and in other European countries . Between 1908 and 1910 Metropolitan Opera House of New York ;retired from the theater in 1929 , and taught singing

as Tosca "Tosca" Puccini Irene Abendroth 1872-1932 Polish Soprano Studied Milan with the elder Lamperti and later with in Vienna with Lamperti-Aurelie and Jager-Wilczek Debut Vienna 1889 as Amina "Sonnambula" .She was a member of the comany's in Riga ,Hamburg, Vienna and Dresden.Her roles included Tosca , Sieglinde, Desdemona, Norma, Venus , Lucia and Rosina.

as Brunhilde "Die Walkure" Wagner Ellen Gulbranson (Ellen Norgren) 1863-1946 Swedish Soprano Studied at the Stockholm Conservatory under Julius Gunther and then in Paris with Ellen Kenneth and Mathilde Marchesi and Blanche Marchesi. Debut in 1889 as Amneris "Aida" Verdi in Stockholm,and also sang the Wagnerian roles of Brünnhilde and Ortrud . In 1896, she made her first appearance at the Bayreuth Festival, also appeared in London at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden .After retiring from the stage in 1915 she worked as a singing teacher . Her roles include Kundry , Brunhilde , Isolde and Ortrud

as Brunhilde "Die Walkure" Wagner Ellen Gulbranson (Ellen Norgren) 1863-1946 Swedish Soprano Studied at the Stockholm Conservatory under Julius Gunther and then in Paris with Ellen Kenneth and Mathilde Marchesi and Blanche Marchesi. Debut in 1889 as Amneris "Aida" Verdi in Stockholm,and also sang the Wagnerian roles of Brünnhilde and Ortrud . In 1896, she made her first appearance at the Bayreuth Festival, also appeared in London at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden .After retiring from the stage in 1915 she worked as a singing teacher . Her roles include Kundry , Brunhilde , Isolde and Ortrud

As Arlette in " Jean de Nivelle" CREATOR 1880 opera Comique Juliette Bilbaut-Vauchele (Juliette Maria Angélique Bilbaut ) 1855-1925 French Soprano Studied at the School of Music of Douai, first the violin, then voice and continued her studies at the Paris Consevatiore. Debut 25 December , 1877 at Opera Comique as Isabelle in the “Le Pre-aux-Clercs” by Herold ,Her roles at the Opera Comique included Cherubino in “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart ; Queen of the Night and Pamina in “The Magic Flute” by Mozart; ; Micaela in Carmen by Bizet; Benjamin in “Joseph”by d’Etienne Méhul. Prascovia in L’Etoile du Nord by Meyerbeer; Athenaeus)in “les Mousquetaires de la Reine” by Halevy ; Catarina “les Diamants de la Couronne” by Auber At the Opera Comique she created the following roles: 30 December 1878 Suzanne in “Suzanne” byf Emile Paladilhe; 8 March 1880 Arlette in “Jean de Nivelle”by Léo Delibes ; 31 December, 1881 Henri Fideline in “ la Taverne des Trabans” by d'Henri Maréchal ; 23 March, 1882 Armande in “Galante adventure”by Ernest Guiraud.

as Carmen "Carmen" Bizet Mafalda Salvatini 1886-1971 Italian Soprano She studied voice in Paris with Pauline Viardot-Garcia and Jean de Reszke. She later studied with Julius Lieban in Germany .Debut in 1908 Berlin State Opera as Aida "Aida" Verdi, remained at Berlin until 1914.In 1914 sh was at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, remaining until 1923. She returned to the Berlin State Opera from 1924-1926 She then returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin where she was active until her retirement from the stage in 1932. She was a guest Vienna State Opera Dresden, Riga. Netherlands and Belgium, including La Monnaie in Brussels Roles include Aida, Turandot , Rachel , Santuzza , Senta , Car,en and Tosca

Musetta - Florence Easton 1882-1955 Alcindo _ ? Dahn Rodolfo - Francis McLennan 1873-1935 Marcello- Herman Bachmann 1864-1937 Mimi - Frieda Hempel 1885-1955 Colline- Cornelius Bronsgeest 1878-1957 Schunard-Baptiste Hoffman 1864-1937

as Des Grieux "Manon" Massenet Thomas Salignac (Eustase Thomas-Salignac) 1867-1943 French Tenor Studied at the Paris Conservatry under Victor Alphonse Duvernoy . Debut in 1893 at the Opéra-Comique in " Richard Coeur-de-Lion " Debut at the Metropolitan New York in 1896 as Don Jose "Carmen" . Sang at Covent Garden London 1897-1899 and then returned to the Metropolitan 1898-1903 alternating with Covent Garden . Returned to the Opera Comique in 1905 .became a Professor of singing at the Fontainebleau American Conservatory in 1923

as Pedro "La Habanera" Laparra CREATOR 1908 opera Comique Thomas Salignac (Eustase Thomas-Salignac) 1867-1943 French Tenor Studied at the Paris Conservatry under Victor Alphonse Duvernoy . Debut in 1893 at the Opéra-Comique in " Richard Coeur-de-Lion " Debut at the Metropolitan New York in 1896 as Don Jose "Carmen" . Sang at Covent Garden London 1897-1899 and then returned to the Metropolitan 1898-1903 alternating with Covent Garden . Returned to the Opera Comique in 1905 .became a Professor of singing at the Fontainebleau American Conservatory in 1923

as Ramon "La Habanera" Laparra CREATOR Opera Comique 1908 Paul Seveilhac 1866-1942 French Baritone Appearing at Covent Garden 1904 , Sang Manhattan , Chicago Opera in America . Debut at Opera Comique 1908 . Created severel roles at Opera Comique Ramon in "La Habanera" Laparra 1908. Married to Soprano Pauline Donalda 1906 and performed together in concert and Opera . Roles included Valentine, Mercutio , Silvio , Amonasro , Don Jose and . Petroni

as Pilar "La Habanera" Laparra CREATOR Opera Comique 1908 Helene Demellier 1883-???? French Soprano Debut Opera comique 1905 as Louise "Louise" Charpentier , Created Rhodis "Aphrodite" Erlanger 1906 , Melisande "Ariane et Barbe-Bleu" Dukas 1907 , Pilar "La Habanera" Laparra 1908 ' Other roles included Samntuzza , Mignon and Charlotte

as St Bris "Les Huguenots" Meyerbeer Henry Laskin ???? bass baritone Sang at Manhattan and Philadelphia Opera 1909-1910 . Paris debut 1913 as Le Roi 'Lohengrin" by Wagner , Opera Comique debut 1918 as Nilakantha "Lakme" Delibes . Sang at the Monnaie in Brussels . Roles included Spectre " Hamlet" , Mephistpheles "Faust" , Old Hebrew "Samson et Dalilah " , Sparafucile "Rigoletto" . Escamillo ' Carmen" and Rhamfis "Aida"

Luisa Tetrazzini 1871 – 1940 Italian coloratura soprano Her first voice teacher was her elder sister, Eva Tetrazzini (1862–1938), who also was a successful singer. Later studied at the Instituto Musicale in Florence. According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (second edition, 1980), she made her operatic debut in Florence in 1890. The role was Inez in Meyerbeer's L'Africaine, . The first part of her career was spent mainly in the Italian provincial theaters and touring in Russia , Spain and South America .American debut in San Francisco in 1905. 1907 T debut as Violetta in La traviata at Covent Garden in London, 1908 at Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera Company, Appeared at the Met for only one season, in 1911-12 Guest appearances 1911 to 1914 with the Boston Opera Company and Chicago Grand Opera Company .Roles Lucia, Violetta, Gilda,Titania . Filine and Rosina

as Philine "Mignon" Thomas Luisa Tetrazzini 1871 – 1940 Italian coloratura soprano Her first voice teacher was her elder sister, Eva Tetrazzini (1862–1938), who also was a successful singer. Later studied at the Instituto Musicale in Florence. According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (second edition, 1980), she made her operatic debut in Florence in 1890. The role was Inez in Meyerbeer's L'Africaine, . The first part of her career was spent mainly in the Italian provincial theaters and touring in Russia , Spain and South America .American debut in San Francisco in 1905. 1907 T debut as Violetta in La traviata at Covent Garden in London, 1908 at Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera Company, Appeared at the Met for only one season, in 1911-12 Guest appearances 1911 to 1914 with the Boston Opera Company and Chicago Grand Opera Company .Roles Lucia, Violetta, Gilda,Titania . Filine and Rosina

Luisa Tetrazzini 1871 – 1940 Italian coloratura soprano Her first voice teacher was her elder sister, Eva Tetrazzini (1862–1938), who also was a successful singer. Later studied at the Instituto Musicale in Florence. According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (second edition, 1980), she made her operatic debut in Florence in 1890. The role was Inez in Meyerbeer's L'Africaine, . The first part of her career was spent mainly in the Italian provincial theaters and touring in Russia , Spain and South America .American debut in San Francisco in 1905. 1907 T debut as Violetta in La traviata at Covent Garden in London, 1908 at Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera Company, Appeared at the Met for only one season, in 1911-12 Guest appearances 1911 to 1914 with the Boston Opera Company and Chicago Grand Opera Company .Roles Lucia, Violetta, Gilda,Titania . Filine and Rosina