Libero De Luca (Tenor) (Kreuzlingen, Switzerland 1913 - Horn, Switzerland 1998)

After studying architecture, he was trained by Max Kraus in Munich as baritone (1932-1934), but then retrained as tenor in Zurich by Alfredo Cairati. After winning a first prize at an international voice competition in Geneva, in 1941, he made his professional debut the following year at the Solothurn Municipal Theatre. After one season at the Bern Municipal Theatre, he joined to the Zurich Opera (1943-1949). There he sang in the premieres of the operas ‘’Der unsterbliche Kranke’’ by Hans Haug (1947) and ‘’Die schwarze Spinne’’ of W. Burkhard (1949). In 1948 he performed at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and at the Teatro San Carlo in Napoli, in 1949 at the Covent Garden Opera in London; He was also a guest at the opera houses of Brussels, Munich and Vienna. In 1949 he became the first tenor of the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where he appeared in numerous operas of French repertoire. He also sang at the Paris Grand Opéra, thus  in 1948 as Edgardo in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’ opposite Lily Pons. Until 1960 he was a soloist of two major Parisian opera houses. Also at the concert area he had a successful career with appearances in Zurich, Basel and Bern, in Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Paris. In 1961 he retired from the stage. Later he became a full-time voice teacher in Horn, Switzerland, near Lake Constance.

Chronology of some appearances

1941 Solothurn Municipal Theatre

1942 Bern Municipal Theatre

1943 -1949 Zurich Opera

1948 Buenos Aires Teatro Colon

1949 London Covent Garden

1949 Paris Opéra-Comique

Ettore Campana (Baritone) (Savignano sul Rubicone 1875 - Los Angeles 1941)

He studied singing at the Liceo Musicale in Pesaro and made his debut at the Teatro Comunale in Cesenatico as Marcello in ‘’Boheme’’ (1902). Around 1910 he went to USA and became a principal baritone of  Bevani  Opera Company. After his retirement, he taught singing in Los Angeles. His wife was the famous actress Esperanza Susanna.

Chronology of some appearances

1902 Cesenatico Teatro Comunale Boheme (Marcello)

1910 Oakland Idora Park Faust (Valentin)

1912 Mexico City Theatre Arbeu Aida (Amonasro)

1916 Pasadena Cauldron Club Concert

1917 Los Angeles Auditorium Concert

Eugène Graux (Tenor) (Hellemmes-Lille, France 27. 01. 1895 – Amiens, France 05 05. 1963)

Graux studied singing at the Conservatoire de Lille under Alphonse Capon (1913). After the war, where he was wounded, he was admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris (1920). Probably he made his debut at the Grand-Théâtre de Nancy, he was very successful. He made guest appearances at the Grand-Théâtre de Bordeaux, l'Opéra de Lyon, le Casino municipal de Cannes, l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo. In 1928 he made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in Paris as Gérald in ‘’Lakmé’’ (1928). In 1931 he was appointed professor of singing at the Conservatoire de Lille. He never made records.

Chronology of some appearances

1921? Grand-Théâtre de Nancy

1928 Paris Opéra-Comique

Josip Križaj (Bass) (Vevče, Ljubljana 5 March 1887 – Zagreb 30 July 1968)

He received his vocal training in Ljubljana and in Munich. In 1907 he made his debut at the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Here he appeared up to 1913. From 1913 to 1940 he became one of the most popular artists of Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. He sang several roles here in first performances of operas for Yugoslavia: the title hero in Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" and Dosifey in his "Khovantchina" (1926), the Ochs in "Rosenkavalier", King Philip in Verdi's "Don Carlo", the King Mark in "Tristan und Isolde" and Wotan in "Rheingold". On 12. 11. 1935 he sang the role of Marko in Zagreb in the world premiere of the Croatian opera "Ero s onoga svijeta" by Jakov Gotovac. His repertoire included Rocco in "Fidelio", the Kezal in "Prodaná nevěsta ", Figaro in "Nozze di Figaro", Hans Sachs in "Meistersingern", the Wanderer in "Siegfried" and Gurnemanz in "Parsifal". Married the famous soprano Paula Trauttner (Ruma, Croatia 1888 – Zagreb, Croatia  1976).

Chronology of some appearances

1907-1913 Ljubljana Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre

1913-1940 Zagreb Croatian National Theatre

Umberto Bagnoli (Tenor)

Bagnoli was a lyric tenor, who around 10 years appeared at the Italian provincial operatic houses. His repertoire included Almaviva in ‘’Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Duca in ‘’Rigoletto'', Elvino in ‘’Puritani’’, Turiddu in ‘’Cavalleria Rusticana’’. Later he became an operetta singer. Bagnoli never made records.

Chronology of some appearances

1904 Salò  Teatro Sociale Rigoletto (Duca)

1906 Napoli  Teatro Bellini Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1906 Cava dei Tirreni  Teatro Comunale Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1906 Cava dei Tirreni  Teatro Comunale Puritani (Elvino)

1906 Salerno  Politeama Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1906 Salerno  Politeama Puritani (Elvino)

1906 Napoli  Teatro Bellini Traviata (Alfredo)

1906 Vallo Lucano  Teatro Comunale Barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva)

1911 Lisbona  Coliseo Recrejos Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1912 Lisbona Coliseo Recrejos Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1915 Parma Reinach La figlia di madama Angot (Pitou)

1925 Parma Reinach Mazurka bleu (Klandage)

Astra Desmond (Contralto) (Torquay, England 10 April 1893 – Faversham, England 16 August 1973)

In 1919 she made her debut in a concert in London. In the following years she sang various opera roles at the Covent Garden Opera (including the Ortrud in ‘’Lohengrin’’ under Sir Henry Wood) and at the Sadler's Wells Opera in London. She sang a variety of solo roles in oratorios; her interpretation in Elgar's ‘’The Dream of Gerontius’’ was unparalleled. She performed songs in 12 different original languages. In 1937 she learned Norwegian to be able to recite the songs of Edvard Grieg in the original language. She sang these in a series of broadcasts of the BBC London and was awarded in 1943 by the Norwegian King Hakon VII with a medal. Great concert tours earned her success in Europe as well as in North America, in 1938 she undertook a major Scandinavian tour, in 1939 she traveled the Balkan countries, performing in Athens, Belgrade, Sofia and Budapest. In 1945 she received a teaching assignment at the Royal Academy of Music in London, which she held until 1967. She published very readable articles about interpretation of the songs of Dvořák, Sibelius and Grieg. She made records for Decca and HMV.

Hertha Stolzenberg (Cologne 13. 2. 1889 – Oberstdorf 18. 3. 1960)

After her education in Cologne and Berlin she made her debut in 1910 at the Komische Oper in Berlin. In the 1911-1912 season she sang at the Stadttheater of Kiel, from 1912 to 1924 at the German Opera House (Städtische Oper) in Berlin, where she had a huge success. Here she created in 1913 the part of Minnie in the premiere of G. Puccini's "La Fanciulla del West", in 1919 Fiora in the German premiere of I. Montemezzi's "Amore dei tre Re". In 1914 she appeared there in the world premiere of the opera "Mandragola" by Ignaz Waghalter. From 1924 to 1932 she worked at the Staatstheater of Hannover. Here she appeared in 1927 in the premiere of opera "Herrn Dürers Bild" by J. G. Mraczek. She made guest appearances at the major German opera stages and in Holland and was known for her concerts on German radio. In 1932 she gave up her stage career. She spent her old age in Oberstdorf, Allgäu.

Chronology of some appearances

1910 Berlin Komische Oper

1911-1912 Kiel Stadttheater

1912-1924 Berlin Städtische Oper

1924-1932 Hannover Staatstheater

Carrere (Tenor)

                                                                           Arnold (1921)

He made his debut at the Opéra Comique in Paris as Radames in G. Verdi’s ‘’Aida’’ (1918).

Chronology of some appearances

1918 Paris Opéra Comique Aida (Radames)

1919 Paris Opéra Comique Otello (Otello)

1919 Paris Opéra Comique  Samson et Dalila (Samson)

1921 Paris Opéra Comique  Guillaume Tell (Arnold)

1922 Paris Opéra Comique  Herodiade (Jean)

1923 Paris Opéra Comique  Trovatore (Manrico)

Abby Richardson (Mezzo-Soprano) (USA 1892 - ?)

                                                                              Carmen

As a child she came to France and became a pupil of Rose Caron in Paris. In 1910 she made her debut in Nantes, in 1911 she created the role of Rosalia in the French premiere of d'Albert's  "Tiefland" at the Nice Opera. She married the director of this opera house Pierre Chereau. For three seasons, the artist was engaged at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. She often gave guest appearances at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, at the Teatro Liceo of Barcelona and at French Provincial theaters. In 1938 she sang the part of Geneviève in ‘’Pelléas et Mélisande’’ at Vichy Casino. Later she led an opera class at the Conservatoire Rachmaninoff in Paris. She made a few recordings for Columbia.

Chronology of some appearances

1910 Nantes Opera

1911 Nice Opera

1910’s Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1910’s Paris Opéra-Comique

Antonio Amiel (Tenor)

I think Amiel appeared only in Spain and Argentina. He had a short career.

Chronology of some appearances

1910 Barcellona  Teatro Novedades Boheme (Rodolfo)

1911 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Coliseo Rigoletto (Duca)

1912 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Marconi Tosca (Cavaradossi)

1912 Buenos Ayres  Teatro Marconi Traviata (Alfredo)

1914 Valencia  Teatro Principal  Rigoletto (Duca)

Josef Gostic (Tenor) (Stara loka, Slovenia March 5, 1900 – Belgrad, Serbia December 25, 1963)

                                                                             Parsifal

First he studied at the Conservatory of Ljubljana, then completed his education in Vienna. In 1929 he made his debut at the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 1937 he became the first tenor of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, where he and appeared until the end of his career. Guest appearances brought him successes in Berlin and Dresden, in Prague and Belgrade, later also in Paris (1953) and London. Since 1943 he often appeared as a guest at the Volksoper in Wien, since 1944 also at the Staatsoper in Wien. Since 1958 he was a regular member of this opera house. On 14. 8. 1952 at the Salzburg Festival he sang the role of Midas in the premiere of Richard Strauss’s opera ‘’Die Liebe der Danaë’’. In 1955 he sang at the London Stoll Theater in the English premiere of the opera ‘’Ero s onoga svijeta’’ by J. Gotovac under the direction of the composer. In 1958 he was a guest at the London Covent Opera. Most of his repertoire included heroic roles. He continued his career until the sixties.

Chronology of some appearances

1929 Ljubljana Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre

1937 Zagreb Croatian National Theatre

1943 Wien Volksoper

1944 Wien Staatsoper

1952 Salzburg Festival

1955 London Stoll Theater

1958 London Covent Garden

Voldemars Ancarovs-Kadikis (Tenor) (Odessa, Ukraine 26. 03. 1902 – Germany, Hannover ? 31. 01. 1982)

He was a soloist of the Latvian National Opera, Riga. In 1935 he sang in operetta at the Theater an der Wien. In 1940’s he appeared at the opera houses of Hamburg, Munich, Berlin, Hannover, Aachen and Oldenburg.  In addition he his voice was heard on broadcasting stations in Germany.

Chronology of some appearances

1930’s Riga Latvian National Opera

1935 Theater an der Wien

1940’s Hamburg, Munich, Berlin

1940’s Hannover, Aachen, Oldenburg

1940’s Germany Radio broadcasting stations

Ivan Levar (Baritone) (Rakek, Slovenia 8. 09. 1888 – Ljubljana, Slovenia 28. 11. 1950)

First he studied singing under Unger in Vienna, then from 1909 to 1912 completed his education at the Academy of Music and Theater in Vienna. In the 1912-1913 season he was engaged as the first baritone by the Opera Theater  in Moravian Ostrava. From 1913 to 1914 he appeared at the Aachen City Theater. His repertoire included part from operas of Wagner, Verdi and Mozart. He made guest appearances in Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg, Lübeck, Graz, Prague and Breslav. In the 1914-1918 seasons he was a member of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. Here he participated in opera premieres of G. Puccini’s ‘’La Fanciulla del West’’ and R. Strauss’s ‘’Salome’’. In 1918 he joined to the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Ljubljana and worked here up to 1924. His repertoire included Figaro, Rigoletto, Scarpia in ‘’Tosca’’, Tonia in ‘’Pagliacci’’, Athanaël  in ‘’Thais’’ and many other parts. Since 1924 he started to appear as an actor and his star role was Jago in Shakespeare’s ‘’Otello’’.

Chronology of some appearances

1912-1913 Moravian Ostrava Opera Theater

1913-1914 Aachen City Theater

1914-1918 Zagreb Croatian National Theatre

1918-1924  Ljubljana Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre

Marcel Génio (Tenor) (Paris, France 5. 7.1899 – Paris, France 5. 21 1980)

He studied singing at the Conservatoire de Paris under legendary opera singers André Gresse and Thomas Salignac and obtained there a few singing prizes and medals. He made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in ’’le Bon roi Dagobert’’ by Marcel Samuel-Rousseau (1927). His repertoire included Sciarrone in ‘’Tosca’’, Schmidt in ‘’Werther’’, Beppe in ‘’Pagliacci’’, Yamadori in ‘’Madama Butterfly’’, Nathanael/Spalanzani in ‘’les Contes d’Hoffmann’’, Hadji  in ‘’Lakmé‘’, Poet in ‘’Louise’’ etc.

Chronology of some appearances

1927 Paris Opéra-Comique le Bon roi Dagobert (Marcel Samuel-Rousseau) (Debut)

1928 Paris Opéra-Comique Sarati le Terrible (Francis Bousquet) (Premiere)

1928 Paris Opéra-Comique Riquet à la houppe (Georges Hüe) (Premiere)

1929 Paris Opéra-Comique la Femme et le pantin ou Conchita (Zandonai) (Premiere)

1930 Paris Opéra-Comique d'Angélique Jacques Ibert (Premiere)

1930 Paris Opéra-Comique Le Fou de la Dame (Marcel Delannoy) (Premiere)

1931 Paris Opéra-Comique Cantégril (Roger-Ducasse) (Premiere)

1932 Paris Opéra-Comique Eros vainqueur (Pierre de Bréville) (Premiere)

1932 Paris Opéra-Comique Vieux garçons (Louis Urgel) (Premiere)

1933 Paris Opéra-Comique Tarass Boulba (Marcel Samuel-Rousseau) (Premiere)

1933 Paris Opéra-Comique Frasquita (Franz Lehar)

1935 Mon Ami Pierrot (le Perroquet) (Samuel Barlow) (Premiere)

1935 Paris Opéra-Comique Gargantua (Antoine Mariotte) (Premiere)

Silvano Benedetti (Tenor) (Rome 1900 – Rome 1962)

Born Silvano Proietti, son of sculptor Vincenzo Proietti (1876-1945) and Agata Monti (1873-1948), he was baptised at S. Giovanni Laterano and changed his family name into Benedetti in 1928. The reason is still not clear.

There is evidence of public performances already since 1924 in Rome – under the name Silvano Monti (using the surname of his mother, Agata Monti) or even Silvio Monti. In an very early review from “Piccolo Giornale d’Italia”, he appears as “tenore Proietti”.

He took lessons with the famous teacher Giovanni Villa (from Rome). Between 1928-1930 (at least) he participates to the courses of Gemma Bellincioni at the “Teatro Sperimentale Internazionale della Giovane Lirica” in Rome. At some point he had also an interaction with Maestro Giulio Moreschi, tenor, the adoptive son of castrato Alessandro Moreschi.

He sang mainly romantic opera: roles (or excerpts) from Rigoletto (Duca), Luisa Miller, Boheme (Rodolfo), Lodoletta (Mascagni), Masnadieri (Verdi), Lucia di Lammermoor, Faust, Fedora, Gioconda, Traviata (Alfredo), Turandot (Calaf), Aida (Radames), L’Africana, Fanciulla del West.

His career was interrupted in the middle of the 1930s, when it was at its most promising point, due to a sudden neurological loss of hearing – which, seemingly, happened  on stage during a performance of Lucia di Lammermoor. This dramatic event would mark his life forever.

He was a Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia. After participating as a volunteer to the First World War as an aviator, he was later an ufficiale of Civil Engineering during the Second World War, especially in Albania. During the escape from Albania, he was a prisoner of the German SS in the Lager of Semlin (Belgrad) – being able to return to Italy at the beginning of 1944 hidden in a wagon of cows. By this time his hearing handicap became worse.

After having to give up the musical career, he worked at the Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici in Rome until his death, a work that he started already during his musical career.

He died tragicly in the night between 27th and 28th March 1962.

His grandson Flavio Ferri-Benedetti (born 1983) is a countertenor.

Newspaper excerpts:

“Il tenore Proietti ha esordito con la sua squillante voce dando molto a sperare nella carriera che gli auguriamo brillantissima” [Piccolo Giornale d’Italia]

“il tenore Silvano Monti, una vera promessa dell’arte lirica.” [Piccolo Giornale d’Italia]

“grande promessa per l’arte” [Tribuna]

“gi® tanto applaudito nella Bohçme...” [Messaggero]

“Il giovane tenore romano S. Benedetti... fin dalle prime note, il Benedetti si impose all’attenzione del pubblico per la sua bella voce maschia, calda, estesissima, educata ad ottima scuola, per l’accento appassionato e il fraseggio impeccabile, per la signorilita del tratto e la spigliatezza dell’azione scenica. I primi consensi si manifestarono alla “gelida manina” cantata con arte mirabile e, contrariamente all’uso invalso, nel tono voluto dalla partitura: gli applausi crebbero poi via via, culminando al duetto con Mimê, al finale del primo atto [...] alla fine del terzo atto e del quarto, il Benedetti, chiamato dagli scroscianti battimani degli spettatori, dove presentarsi alla ribalta per ben cinque volte... Successo quindi schietto e caloroso che rappresenta per questo giovane tenore romano un buon battesimo d’arte e un ottimo auspicio per il suo avvenire, il quale confermera, senza dubbio, dinanzi ai migliori e pi÷ vasti pubblici, quel riconoscimento che alle magnifiche doti vocali e interpretative del Benedetti, ha dato, con vibrante entusiasmo, Ancona.” [TRIBUNA, Boheme, Ancona Teatro delle Muse, 1930]

I would like to thank Flavio Ferri-Benedetti for the information and photos.

Bernd Aldenhoff (Tenor) (Duisburg, Germany 14. 6. 1908 – München, Germany 8. 10. 1959)

                                                                            Tannhäuser

He was one of the best German heldentenors of his time. Originally he was a carpenter. He studied singing under Julius Lenz in Köln and made his debut at the Oper in Köln (1932). His repertoire included  Florestan in ‘’Fidelio’’, Lohengrin, Siegmund in ‘’Walküre’’, Matthias in ‘’Evangelimann’’ of W. Kienzl, Titelrolle in ‘’Der arme Heinrich’’ of H. Pfitzner, Pedro in ‘’Tiefland’’ of E. d'Albert, Bacchus in ‘’Ariadne auf Naxos’’, Herodes in ‘’Salome’’ and Ägisth in ‘’Elektra’’ of R. Strauss, Fabiano in ‘’Der Günstling’’ of R. Wagner-Régeny, Rodolfo in ‘’La Bohème’’, Titelrollen in ‘’ Les contes d'Hoffmann’’ of Offenbach and in ‘’Sly’’ of E. Wolf-Ferrari.

Chronology of appearances

1930-1932 Stuttgart Opernhaus (Chorist)

1932-1933 Köln Oper (Debut)

1934-1935 Darmstadt Theater

1937 Zoppot festival

1935-1938 Erfurt Theater an das

1938-1944 Düsseldorf Opernhaus

1939 Frankfurt a.M. Opernhaus

1943-1952 Dresden Staatsoper

1944 Wien Volksoper

1950 Berlin Komischen Oper

1950 Wien Staatsoper

1951-1952 Bayreuth festival

1952-1957 Frankfurt a.M. Opernhaus

1954 Florence Teatro Comunale

1954-1955 New York  Metropolitan Opera

1955 Paris Grand Opéra

1956 München Staatsoper

1957 Bayreuth festival

1957 London Covent Garden

1957 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1959 Milano La Scala

1959 Lisbon Teatro San Carlo

1959 Zurich Opernhaus

1959 Duisburg Stadttheater

Lorenz Fehenberger (Tenor) (Upper Bavaria, Germany August 24, 1912 - Munich, Germany July 29, 1984)

He studied singing under Elisabeth Wolff in München and made his debut in 1939 at the Stadttheater in Graz in R. Strauss’s ‘’Rosenkavalier’’. In the 1941-1945 seasons he was engaged by the Staatsoper in Dresden and joined in 1946 to the Bayerische Staatsoper in München. On 9. 8. 1949 at the Salzburg festival he sang the role of Haemon in the premiere of the opera ‘’Antigonae’’ by Carl Orff. Here he appeared as soloist in G. Rossini’s ‘’Stabat Mater’’ (1949/1962). He returned for the ‘’Schöpfung’’ of J. Haydn (1951), after two years sang also in ‘’Judas Makkabaeus’’ of G. F. Händel. In 1964 he guested in ‘’Christus am Ölberge’’ of L. van Beethoven, in 1967 in W. A. Mozart's ‘’Requiem’’ and took over in 1949 a small part in performances of ‘’Zauberflöte’’. Guest performances led him to the famous opera theaters of Italy, Austria, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland, also to the Scandinavian lands and South America (Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, 1951). At the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino he sang in 1951 the part of Golo in ‘’Genoveva’’ by R. Schumann (the Italian première of this opera). In the 1951-1952 season he appeared in several parts at the Arena di Verona. In 1953 he appeared at the Covent Garden among other things as Apollo in the première there of the opera ‘’Die Liebe der Danaë’’ of R. Strauss. Still in 1976 he performed at the Staatsoper in München in the premiere of the opera ‘’Die Versuchung’’ of  Josef Tal. In 1977 he appeared for the last time in München in ‘’Rosenkavalier’’. His repertoire included Radames in ‘’Aida’’, José in ‘’Carmen’’, Lohengrin, Duke in ‘’Rigoletto’’, Walther von Stolzing in ‘’Meistersingern’’, Alvaro in ‘’La Forza del Destino’’, Pinkertton in ‘’Madaa Butterfly’’and Cavaradossi in ‘’Tosca’’.

Chronology of some appearances

1939 Graz Stadttheater

1941-1945 Dresden Staatsoper

1946 München Bayerische Staatsoper

1949 Salzburg festival

1951 Buenos Aires Teatro Colón

1951 Firenze Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

1951-1952 Arena di Verona

1953 London Covent Garden

1962 Salzburg festival

1964 Salzburg festival

1967 Salzburg festival

1976-1977 München Staatsoper

Hans Beirer (Tenor) (Wiener Neustadt, Austria June 23, 1911 - Berlin, Germany June 24, 1993)

                                                                                Tristan

First he studied medicine in Vienna, then vocal at the Vienna Music Academy. He was a pupil of Tino Pattiera and Paul Neuhaus. He made his debut in 1936 at the Landestheater in Linz (Danube) as Hans in B. Smetana's ‘’The Bartered Bride’’. In the 1937-1939 seasons worked at the Stadttheater in Basel and St. Gallen, then, until 1941, he appeared as an operetta singer at the Mellini-Theater in Hannover. During the World War II he sang at the Theater of Nollendorfplatz in Berlin in operetta roles (among other things as Danilo in ‘’Lustigen Witwe’’ and Barinkay in ‘’Zigeunerbaron’’). In 1943 he was engaged by the Städtische Oper (Deutsche Oper) in Berlin, where he made his debut as Nando in ‘’Tiefland’’ of E. d'Albert. He remained connected to this opera house throughout his career. In 1948 he appeared there in the world premiere of the opera ‘’Circe’’ by Werner Egk. Since 1958 he was a member of the Staatsoper in Hamburg. From 1962 to 1987 he performed at the Staatsoper  in Vienna (there took place in 1987 his last appearance as Ägisth in ‘’Elektra’’ by R. Strauss). In the 1950-1951 season he appeared at La Scala as Tannhäuser and Parsifal, the next year in ‘’Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’’ (under  W. Furtwängler). He sang at this famous opera house also in 1957 as Tristan and again came back in 1967 for Tannhäuser. At the Teatro San Carlo in Naples he performed in the 1949-1950 season in ‘’Wozzeck’’by A. Berg. The role of Walther von Stolzing he sang at the City Center Opera of New York (1950). In 1955, 1957, 1958, in the 1960-1961 season and also in 1968 he guested at the Grand Opéra in Paris and performed in such a parts like Siegfried, Tannhäuser, Otello, Tristan, Erik, Florestan, Samson Siegmund and Tannhäuser.  At the Teatro Comunale in Bologna he was heard in 1957 as Siegfried, at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as Tristan (1963), at the Teatro San Carlo in Lisbon as Samson (1961). He also appeared as a guest in Barcelona, ​​ Lyon (1964/1965), Toulouse (Otello), Brussels (1962-1963) and London (1953). At the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome he guested in 1949 as Parsifal (opposite Maria Callas and Cesare Siepi). Guest performances also took him to the Staatsoper of Munich and Stuttgart, additionally to the Opéra de Marseille and The Royal Danish Opera Housea and also Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. In the 1958-1962 seasons he performed at the Bayreuth Festival as Parsifal, Tristan (1959) and Tannhäuser (1961). At the Salzburg Festival of 1951 he made guest appearances in ‘’Wozzeck’’ and ‘’Zauberflöte’’. On 23. 5. 1971 he performed at the Staatsoper in Vienna in the world premiere of the opera ‘’Der Besuch der alten Dame’’ by G. von Einem. In 1972 he sang the role of Alfred in ‘’Fledermaus’’ at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. At this house he worked over 40 years and became its honorary member. On his 75th birthday in 1986 he sang in Berlin the role of Herod in ‘’Salome’’ by R. Strauss. He was interested in many things and also worked as writer and painter.

Chronology of some appearances

1936 Linz Landestheater

1937-1939 Basel/ St. Gallen Stadttheater

1939-1941 Hannover Mellini-Theater

1942 Berlin Theater of Nollendorfplatz

1943 Berlin Städtische Oper

1949 Roma Teatro dell'Opera

1950 New York City Center Opera

1950-1952 Milano La Scala

1953 London Covent Garden

1955 Paris Grand Opéra

1957 Paris Grand Opéra

1957 Bologna Teatro Comunale

1958 Paris Grand Opéra

1958-1962 Bayreuth Festival

1960-1961 Paris Grand Opéra

1961 Lisbon Teatro San Carlo

1962-1963 Brussels La Monnaie

1963 Buenos Aires Teatro Colón

1964 Opéra National de Lyon

1965 ​​ Opéra National de Lyon

1968 Paris Grand Opéra

1958 Hamburg Staatsoper

1962-1987 Vienna Staatsoper

1972 Berlin Deutsche Oper

1986 Berlin Deutsche Oper

Ernst Gruber (Tenor) (Vienna, Austria 20 December 1918 – Berlin, Germany 24 August 1979)

                                                                               Tristan

He studied singing with Karl Rössl-Majdan and Hans Depter in Vienna. In 1947 he made his debut at the Theater in Graz as Max in ‘’Freischütz’’ by Weber. From 1947 to 1948 he performed at theaters in Switzerland and Hungary. In 1949 he was engaged by the conductor Hermann Abendroth at the Nationaltheater in Weimar. Since 1953 he appeared as Heldentenor at the Opernhaus in Leipzig. At the same time he was a soloist of the Staatsoper in Dresden. One of his greatest successes was in Leipzig, where in 1962 he sang the part of Rienzi. Since 1964 he was a member of the ensemble of the Staatsoper in Berlin. Guest performances have taken him to the opera houses of Frankfurt a.M., Budapest,  Amsterdam. He also appeared in Barcelona, Lisbon, Poland, Finland and Romania as well as in the USA. His repertoire included also Radames in ‘’Aida’’ and Otello.

Chronology of some appearances

1947 Graz Theater

1947-1948  Switzerland/Hungary Opera Houses

1949 Weimar Nationaltheater

1953 Leipzig Opernhaus

1953 Dresden Staatsoper

1962 Leipzig Opernhaus

1964 Berlin Staatsoper

Ion Dumitrescu (Tenor) (Giovanni Dimitresco) (Iaşi, Romania 30 December 1860 - London, England 4 March 1913)

First he studied in Iaşi, then in Bucharest under Giuseppe Cima. In 1885 he made his debut at the National Opera in Bucharest in the title role in G. Verdi's ‘’Ernani’’. After further studies in Milan with famous pedagogue Francesco Lamperti, he sang with great success at the Teatro Filodrammatico in G. Verdi's ‘’Rigoletto’’ and ‘’Trovatore’’. In the 1888-1889 season he undertook an Australian tour as a member of Italian opera company. In 1890 and 1892 he had a huge success at the Covent Garden Opera in London; here his repertoire included Don Ottavio in ‘’Don Giovanni’’, Enzo in ‘’Gioconda’’, Radames in ‘’Aida’’ and José in ‘’Carmen’’. In the 1890-1892 seasons he was a member of the Carl Rosa Opera Company, which made guest tours through England. Later he made guest appearances in Barcelona, Zurich (1901), Warsaw, Kiev, Moscow and St. Petersburg. His interpretation of Vasco in ‘’L'Africaine’’ and Raoul in ‘’Huguenots’’ was considered unsurpassed and compared to Enrico Tamberlik’s interpretation. He retired from the stage in 1912. Probably he committed suicide. Dimitresco never made records.

Chronology of some appearances

1888 Melbourne  Her Majesty's Trovatore (Manrico)

1888 Melbourne  Her Majesty's Carmen (Jose)

1888 Melbourne  Her Majesty's Rigoletto (Duca)

1888  Rio de Janeiro  Teatro Municipal Carmen (Jose)

1889 Sidney  New Opera House Carmen (Jose)

1889 Melbourne  Her Majestic's Ballo in maschera (Riccardo)

1890  Torino  Teatro Balbo Rigoletto (Duca)

1897 Parma  Teatro Regio Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1897 Parma  Teatro Regio Pagliacci (Canio)

1897 Santiago del Cile  Teatro Municipal Trovatore (Manrico)

1898 Napoli  Teatro Bellini Traviata (Alfredo)

1898 Rio de Janeiro  Teatro Lirico Ugonotti (Raoul)

1899  Napoli  Teatro Bellini Ballo in maschera (Riccardo)

1899 Roma  Teatro Nazionale Rigoletto (Duca)

1900 Lisbona Teatro San Carlo Robert le diable (Robert)

1901  San Paolo  Teatro Santana Pagliacci (Canio)

1901 San Paolo  Politeama Trovatore (Manrico)

1901 Rio de Janeiro  Teatro Lirico Ugonotti (Raoul)

1902 Napoli Teatro San Carlo Ernani (Ernani)

1903 Trieste Verdi Germania (Federico)

1909 Quito Teatro Sucre Ernani (Ernani)

1910 Lima Teatro  Forero Ernani (Ernani)

1910 Lima Teatro  Forero Mefistofele (Faust)

1911 Genova  Teatro Carlo Felice Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton)

1911 Lecce  Politeama Greco Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton)

1911 Carpi  Teatro Comunale Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton)

1911 Roma  Teatro Nazionale Pagliacci (Canio)

1912 Bologna  Teatro Del Corso Rigoletto (Duca)

1912 Genova Politeama Genovese Tosca (Cavaradossi)

Estalle Bloomfield (Mezzo-soprano)

                                                                             Suzuki

In 1904 she participated in the concert at Minneapolis organized by Walter Damrosch. As a member of Henry W. Savage Opera Company she appeared at the Illinois Theater in Chicago as Suzuki in ‘’Madama Butterfly’’ (1907). She made guest appearances also at the Royal Opera in Dresden.

Chronology of some appearances

1904 Minneapolis Concert

1907 Chicago Illinois Theater

1908? Dresden Royal Opera

Blanche Arral (Soprano) (Liège, Belgium 10 October 1864 – Palisades Park, New Jersey 3 March 1945)

Born Clara Lardinois in Liège, Belgium, she studied under Mathilde Marchesi in Paris. In 1883 she began her career (under her real name) at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Here she made her debut as Anita in ‘’Le portrait de Cervantes’’ of Dieulafary. She sang there small roles, appeared also in the premiere of J. Massenet’s ‘’Manon’’ (19. 1. 1884). Later she performed in various opera houses in Brussels, Paris and St. Petersburg before moving to the United States. In 1901 she was with a touring company in Indochina, while waiting for the 1902 Exposition of Hanoi to open, performing at Haiphong and the Hanoi Opera House. She joined the Metropolitan Opera for the 1909–1910 season. Unexpectedly in 1935 she gave some concerts on the American broadcasting company on which she herself commented and told numerous anecdotes from her career. Later she lived in New York.

Chronology of some appearances

1883 Paris Opéra-Comique

1909-1910 New York Metropolitan Opera

Melanie Kurt (Soprano) (Vienna January 8, 1880 – New York City March 11, 1941)

                                                                          Brünnhilde

She was born on January 8, 1880 in Vienna. Melanie Kurt first studied to become a pianist in her native City of Vienna before starting to take singing lessons. Later she went to Berlin, where Marie Lehmann, sister of the great soprano Lilli Lehmann, became her teacher. From 1897 to 1900 she only appeared as a pianist, before she gave her début at the civic theatre in Lübeck as 'Elisabeth' in Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser in 1902. From 1903 to 1904 she was engaged at Oper Leipzig, after further studies in Berlin she worked in Braunschweig from 1905 to 1908 before returning to Berlin where she sang at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, then (from 1912 to 1915) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. From her Berlin base Kurt started her international career, giving successful guest performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London (since 1910) and during the Salzburg Mozart-Fest in 1910 (which would become the Salzburg Festival later). Later she added La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Saxon State Opera Dresden and the Bavarian State Opera to the list. Her career reached its peak when she joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1914 where she succeeded Olive Fremstad as the company's leading Wagner soprano for three years. Her contract ended when the USA joined World War I in 1917 and Wagner operas were banned as being to German. Though the situation was difficult for Kurt she didn't return to Europe at once but stayed in the US until 1919 before returning to Germany. In the following years she sang mainly in Berlin again, in Leipzig, Stuttgart, Dresden, Vienna and at the famous Wagner Festival in Zoppot (1922), then a serious rival to the Bayreuth Festival. Around 1930 the singer retreated gradually from stage and started working as a teacher in Berlin. After 1933 Kurt - who was Jewish - had to emigrate to Vienna. In 1938, when the Nazis took over Austria Kurt left the continent for good and returned to the USA. Until her death in 1941 she lived and taught in New York City.

Chronology of some apperances

1902 Lübeck Civic Theatre

1903-1904 Leipzig Oper

1905-1908 Berlin Staatsoper

1910 London Covent Garden

1912-1915 Berlin Staatsoper
1914 New York Metropolitan Opera