Opera's Golden Age In Postcards

as Bar-Kokéba in “Le fils de l’Étoile” by Erlanger, CREATOR at the Grand Opéra Paris 1896 ALBERT ALVAREZ (Raymond Gourron) 16 January 1861- 26 February 1933 Studied singing with the Martini in Paris. 1886 debut at the Opera of Ghent as Gounod’s Faust. He then sang in Lyon and Marseille in 1892 and came to the Grand Opera of Paris .Sang 06.20.1894 in the premiere of Massenet’s “Thaïs” as Nicias, 1895 in the world premiere of “La Montagne Noire” by Augusta Holmès, 1897 Walther von Stolzing in the Paris premiere of “Meistersinger” by Wagner (in french language), in 1897 the world premiere of. Messidor,” by Bruneau 1901 in the world premiere of “Astarte” by Xavier Leroux, 1904 “Le fils de l’Étoile” by Erlanger, at the Grand Opéra Paris also in 1896 at the premiere of the opera “Hellé” by Duvernoy, 1898 “La Burgonde” by Vidal and 1905 at the premiere of the opera “Fredegonde” by Guiraud. In Monte Carlo, he starred in the world premieres of operas “Messaline” by De Lara (21/03/1899) and “Hélène” (dedicated to Nellie Melba) by Saint-Saëns (02/18/1904) .Guested 1893-1903 at Covent Garden Opera London. Here he sang on the 20/06/1894 Araquil in the world premiere of the opera “La Navarraise” by Massenet, 1893 in the world premiere of “Amy Robsart” by De Lara. In 1899-1903 he was the Metropolitan Opera New York (debut as Roméo in “Roméo et Juliette” by Gounod). In 1907-08 he undertook a major tour of Belgium and Germany. He worked as a teacher in Paris. Roles included Raoul in ‘Les Huguenots’ by Meyerbeer, Sigurd, in the opera of the same name by Reyer, Des Grieux in Massenet’s “Manon,” ,Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Siegmund in “Die Walküre,” Radames in “Aida” and Othello by Verdi, Fernand in “La Favorite,” by Donizetti, José in “Carmen”, Jean in “Le Prophete” by Meyerbeer, Rodrigue, in “Le Cid” by Massenet ,Matho in the “Salammbô” by Reyer, Hoffmann in “The Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach,” Tristan in “Tristan and Isolde” by Richard Wagner and Faust in “La damnation de Faust” by Berlioz.

as Lakme' in "Lakme" by Delibes Yvonne De Treville ( Edyth Le Gierse) 1881-1954 American Soprano Studied in Paris with Mathilde Marchesi Debutt in 1897 with the Castle Square Opera Company in New York. Returned to Paris in 1899 and continued her study with Mathilde Marchesi. Debut 1902 at the Paris Opéra-Comique as Lakmé.Guest appearances in Stockholm (1903 and 1910), St. Petersburg (1904-05), Bucharest, Budapest, Nice, Berlin and Prague. Sang at at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, 1907-1909 seasons 1909 and 1910 she appeared at the Vienna Court Opera. 1910 Frankfurt . and Cologne, 1911 Hannover. In 1912 she returned to America, where she continued her career now primarily as a concert singer. Later she taught singing in New York.

Berta Kiurina 1882-1933 Austrian Soprano Studied piano first at the Vienna Conservatory, then G. Geiringer Gesang. In 1905 she, discovered by G. Mahler, came to the Wr. State Opera, where she was engaged until 1921 and 1926/27. She also appeared at the Salzburg Festival and as a guest in Berlin. K., from 1931 as a teacher at the Musikakad. active, was married to the singer Hubert Leuer (from 1904 at the Wr. Staatsoper).

as Carmen "Carmen" by Bizet Marie Gutheil-Schoder 1874-1935 German Soprano he debuted in the secondary role of the First Lady at the Weimar Court Opera in The Magic Flute in her native city of Weimar in 1891. Gustav Mahler engaged her for the Vienna State Opera in 1900, where she remained until 1926. She appeared at the Royal Opera House as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier in 1913. One of her famous roles was her portrayal of a "strange, Nietzschean" Carmen. She was seen in the 1914 Vienna premiere of Richard Strauss's ballet, Josephslegende as Potiphar's Wife. She created Esmeralda in the world premiere of Franz Schmidt's opera Notre Dame in the same year. Gutheil-Schoder created the fiercely difficult single role of Arnold Schoenberg's monodrama Erwartung in 1924 in Prague; earlier that year, she performed his Pierrot lunaire. Mahler termed her "a musical genius," and she was highly regarded as a musician and singing-actress, although she seemed to be, as one Viennese critic wrote, "the singer without a voice." In her later career, she became a stage director of opera.

Dolly Castles (Ethel Castles) 1884-1971 Australian Soprano She was born in Bendigo, she appeared for several seasons with the J,C, Williamson Company and made her way to America where she appeared as the principal soprano in the first production of the musical The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, based on the OZ books of L. Frank Baum (music by Louis Gottschalk), which was shown in Los Angeles on 31 March 1913. She retired from the stage after World War 1, In Australia she appeared in the original Australian cast of the J.C. Williamson’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia Limited as The Princess Zara at the Princess Theatre which premiered on January 20, 1905 and which closed after 18 performances. She was in the credits for a revival of The Sorcerer produced at the Criterion Theatre in Sydney in December 1905 and also in the Sydney 1905 season where she was in the revival of the title role of Princess Ida.

Derek Oldham 1887 – 1968 English Tenor After performing in concerts as a boy soprano and working as a bank clerk, Oldham began a professional performing career in 1914. With the outbreak of World War I, he joined the Scots Guards, serving with valour. After the war, he joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, singing the tenor leads in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas for three years. He then starred in musicals and operettas in the West End in the 1920s, including Madame Pompadour, The Merry Widow, Rose-Marie and The Vagabond King. He returned to the D'Oyly Carte for brief periods from 1929 to 1937. Oldham continued singing, recording and acting through the 1940s, also appearing in several films. He concentrated on legitimate theatre in the 1950s, acting until the age of 70. He maintained a lifelong interest in Gilbert and Sullivan, serving as an officer of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. He finally retired to Hampshire during the last ten years of his life.

as Manon Lucy Bertrand 1896-1975 Soprano Wife of Jacques Béranger (Mézières, 20, director of Swiss theater. Debut la Monnaie de Bruxelles, on March 1, 1926 in Manon (Manon). Then sings Lakmé (Lakmé), Carmen (Micaela), Bohème (Mimi), Mireille (Mireille), the Barber of Seville (Rosine) and the King of Ys (Rosenn).

as Biju "Le Postillon de Lonjumeau" by Adam Hippolyte-Adolphe Belhomme 1854 - 1923 French bass or bass-baritone Studied with Boulanger and Ponchard at the Paris Conservatoire. Debut as Baskir in “Lalla-Roukh” at the Opéra-Comique in 1879 .Sang much of the repertoire for the basses chantantes at the Opéra-Comique up to June 1886 and then again from 1891 to 1916, He also spent time at the opera houses of Lyon , Marseille and Brussels . He created at the Opera Comique Mathurin in “Monsieur de Floridor” by Lajarte 1880, Crespel in “Les contes d'Hoffmann” ny Offenbach 1881,Cordier in “ Les fugitives” by Fijin 1899,Tripalarga in “ La jota” by Laparra 1911 ,Le bohême in ‘ Louis” by Charpentier 1900, Le sonneur in “Marchande d’allumettes” , Hémistikos in “La Marriage de Télémaque “ by Terrass 1910,père Vincent in “ Noel” by Erlanger 1910,Landry in “ On ne badine pas avec l’amour” by Pierne 1910,Albornas in”La sorcière” by Erlanger1912,Le précepteur in “Le voile de bonheur” ny Pons 1911,Un ainé in “Léone” by Rousseau 1910. Roles Carmen (Escamillo and Dancaïre), Cendrillon (Pandolphe), La fille du régiment (Sulpice),Madama Butterfly (the Bonze), Mignon (Lothario), Tosca (Sacristan) and Werther (Le bailli)

Alice Esty 1864 – 1935 American soprano Toured United States with the violinist Camilla Urso.Went to England 1891, and performed with the singer Adelina Patti at the Royal Albert Hall and then joined the Carl Rosa Opera Company, Besides touring with the Carl Rosa company through the 1890s, she had numerous concert engagements around the United Kingdom, singing with the Royal Choral Society, the Philharmonic Society, and other groups. She continued singing into the 1910s, working with the Moody-Manners Opera Company as well as the Carl Rosa company.Around 1920 she began teaching in the Carl Rosa Opera Company's newly formed opera school. Roles include Mimi in the first British staging of Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème (1897), Eva in the British premiere of Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Effie Deans in the premiere of Hamish MacCunn's opera Jeanie Deans. She also sang in Charles Gounod's Faust, Georges Bizet's Carmen, Wagner's Lohengrin and Tannhäuser, and several other operas.

Maria De Macchi 1870-1909 Italian Soprano Studied with Boccabadati in Milan.Debut 1889 Teatro Grand as a Mezzo singing Laura in 'La Gioconda". Appeared throughout Italy and toured Russia, Portugal and Spain .Guest performances Prague, Bucharest, Berlin in 1904 she made guest appearance at the Metropolitan opera in New York; . . 1902 she appeared at the Teatro Verdi in Vicenza in the premiere of the opera ‘’'Cecilia’’ Orefice. Roles ‘’Lucrezia Borgia’’ of Donizetti ‘’Gli Ugonotti’’, ‘’Aida’’ and ‘’Cavalleria rusticana’’. In 1909 she appeared for the last time at the Teatro Lirico in Milan as Carmen in Bizet’s ‘’Carmen’’.

Goro in ‘’Madama Butterfly’’ Puccini CREATOR La Scala Milan 17/2/1904 Gaetano Pini-Corsi 1860-1935 Italian Tenor debuted probably in 1881 in Empoli as Ernesto in ‘’Don Pasquale’’ of Donizetti. In 1886 at the Teatro Comunale in Catania he appeared as Elvino in Bellini’s ‘’La Sonnambula’’. Later he specialized in comprimario roles and was known as a Mime, David and Cassio. From 1892 to 1906 Pini-Corsi appeared frequently as a guest at La Scala. In 1899 he sang there as David in ‘’Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’’ and also created the role of Mime in the Italian première of ‘’Siegfried’’. On 17. 2. 1904 he sang the role of Goro at La Scala in the premiere of Puccini’s ‘’Madame Butterfly’’, In 1907 he took part at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna in the premiere of I. Montemezzi’s ‘’Paolo e Francesca’’. In 1912 he appeared at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Still in 1923 he performed at the Teatro Regio in Parma as Goro in ‘’Madama Butterfly’’ and sang at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo as Mime in ‘’Siegfried’’. (bio information from forgotten opera singers.)

as Violetta 'La Traviata" Verdi Dame NELLIE MELBA GBE (Helen Porter Mitchell) (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931), Australian Soprano Melba was taught to play the piano and first sang in public around age six.She was educated at a local boarding school and then at the Presbyterian Ladies' College. She studied singing with Mary Ellen Christian (a former pupil of Manuel García) and Pietro Cecchi, an Italian tenor, who was a respected teacher in Melbourne. In her teens, Melba continued to perform in amateur concerts in and around Melbourne, and she played the organ at church. Making her professional debut in Melbourne concerts in 1884. On the strength of local success, she travelled to London in search of an opportunity.Her debut at the Princes' Hall in 1886 made little impression, and she sought work unsuccessfully from Sir Arthur Sullivan, Carl Rosa and Augustus Harris.She then went to Paris to study with the leading teacher Mathilde Marchesi, who instantly recognised the young singer's potential: Melba made such rapid progress that she was allowed to sing the "Mad Scene" from Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet at a matinée musicale in Marchesi's house in December the same year, in the presence of the composer.Her talent was so evident that, after less than a year with Marchesi, the impresario Maurice Strakosch gave her a ten-year contract at 1000 francs annually. After she had signed, she received a far better offer of 3000 francs per month from the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels, but Strakosch would not release her and obtained an injunction preventing her from performing .The matter was resolved by Strakosch's sudden death.She made her operatic debut four days later as Gilda in Rigoletto at La Monnaie on 12 October 1887.. It was at this time, on Marchesi's advice, that she adopted the stage name of "Melba", a contraction of the name of her home city.Her Covent Garden début in May 1888, in the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor. She received a friendly but not excited reception The following year, she performed at the Opéra in Paris, in the role of Ophélie in Hamlet; She travelled across Europe to St Petersburg to sing for Tsar Nicholas II: and sang in Paris, Brussels, Vienna , Milan, and Berlin Melba sang the role of Nedda in Pagliacci at Covent Garden in 1893, soon after its Italian premiere. The composer was present, and said that the role had never been so well played before.[19] In December of that year, Melba sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York for the first time. As at her Covent Garden debut, she appeared as Lucia di Lammermoor, Her Roles included mostly in the lyric soprano repertoire, but with some heavier roles also. She sang the title roles in Herman Bemberg's Elaine and Arthur Goring Thomas's Esmeralda. Her Italian parts included Gilda in Rigoletto, the title role in Aida Desdemona in Otello, Luisa in Mascagni's I Rantzau, Nedda in Pagliacci, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Violetta in La traviata, and Mimi in La bohème. In the French repertoire, she sang Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Marguerite in Faust, Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots, the title role in Saint-Saëns's Hélène, which was written for her, and Micaëla in Carmen.

Alexander Kirchner (Alexander Schramek) 1880 –1948 Austrian Tenor Studied with Adolf Robinson in Brno and Amalie Materna in Vienna. Debut in 1909 at the Vienna Court Opera as Des Grieux in ''Manon'' Massenet. 1911-12 Royal Opera in Stockholm, 1913-14 German Opera House in Berlin, Bayreuth Festival of 1914 and also in 1914 appeared in the premiere of the opera ''Mandragola'' Waghalter. 1916 in the première of the second version of the opera''Ariadne auf Naxos' Strauss in the role of the Bacchus. He gave guest performances in London, Holland, Switzerland, Paris and Vienna. Roles Included Don José in ''Carmen'', Manrico in ''Trovatore'' and Tamino in the ''Magic flute''. .

as Theseus in Jean-Philippe Rameau 's Hippolyte et Aricie Jean-Francois Delmas 1861-1933 French Bass Studied with Bussine and Odin in Paris.Debut at the Opera in 1886 . Capulet in Romeo and Juliett when premiered at the Opera in 1888.Sang baritone and bass roles Mephistopheles, Wotan , Iago Bluebeard , Marco , Hans Sachs

Blanche Marchesi 1863-1940 French Mezzo Soprano Daughter and pupil of Mathilde Marchesi, a German mezzo-soprano who became a teacher of legendary stature, based in Paris, and mentor to Nellie Melba, Mary Garden and a host of other famous names. Blanche's debut, at an advanced age, came in 1900, as Brünnhilde in Prague. In Britain she worked for a time with the Moody-Manners company, singing the title-role in the 1903 Scottish premiere of La gioconda. Her concert career was also extensive. She later lived and taught in London.

as Scarpia "Tosca" Puccini Jorgen Bendix 1892-1972 Danish Baritone

LILLI LEHMANN (Elisabeth Maria Lehmann) (24 November 1848-17 May 1929) German Soprano Her father, Karl-August Lehmann, was a singer (Heldentenor) while her mother, Maria Theresia Löw was a soprano. Her first lessons were from her mother, After singing small parts on the stage, for example in Mozart's Magic Flute at Prague in 1866, and studies under Heinrich Laube in Leipzig Lehmann made her proper debut in 1870 in Berlin as a light soprano in Meyerbeer's Das Feldlager in Schlesien. She subsequently became so successful that she was appointed an Imperial Chamber Singer for life in 1876.Sang in the first Bayreuth Festival in 1876 , New York Metropolitan Opera in 1885–1899 .London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1899 and sang in Paris and Vienna in 1903 and 1909 respectively. In 1905, she sang at the Salzburg Festival,

LILLIAN NORDICA (Lillian Norton) 1857-1947 American soprano, Nordica grew up from the age of six in Boston, studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, and then gave recitals in the United States and London before resuming study in Milan. In 1879 she made her debut in Milan as Donna Elvira in W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni and in Brescia, Italy, as Violetta in Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata. After singing in many Italian, German, and Russian cities, she made her Paris Opéra debut in 1882 as Marguerite in Charles Gounod’s Faust. In 1887 Nordica first appeared in London at Covent Garden and until 1893 performed there and at Drury Lane in such parts as Lucia, Donna Elvira, and Aida. In 1894 she was engaged at Bayreuth, Germany—the first American to be so honoured—as Elsa in Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin, and her tumultuous reception was such that she thereafter concentrated on Wagnerian parts. In 1895 she sang Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where she remained until 1909, excelling especially as Brünnhilde and Kundry. After retiring from the Metropolitan, she launched a world farewell tour that ended in 1913 when her ship grounded in the Gulf of Papua in December. She contracted pneumonia and died of complications of the disease.