Maria Cherkasskaya (Soprano) (St. Petersburg, Russia 1876 - Riga, Latvia 1931)

                                                                Brünnhilde

                                                       with Alexander Smirnov

She studied singing at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory under the mother of Eugenio Giraldoni, Carolina Ferni-Giraldoni. She made her debut in 1900 at the Mariinski Theatre as Tatiana in P. Tchaikovsky’s ‘’Eugene Onegin’’. She appeared at the Mariinski Theatre till 1918. From 1919 to 1929 she was a soloist of the Latvian National Opera in Riga. Here she appeared opposite Eugene Vitting. In 1909 she made guest appearance at La Scala in Milan. Here with great success she sang the role of Brünnhilde in R. Wagner’s ‘’Die Walküre’’. At La Scala she sppeared also in other operas of R. Wagner. In 1911  she went to Paris to sing at the  Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt in ‘’Eugene Onegin’’, as a member of the opera troupe of the baritone George Baklanoff. She made successful guest appearances also in Kiev, Odessa (1913), Moscow (Bolshoi Theatre 1915), Germany, Genoa, Athens, Monte Carlo (‘’Demon‘’ 1917, opposite Mattia Battistini), Shanghai and France (Grand Opera 1922). In 1900 she created for the Russia the role of Ortlinde in R. Wagners ‘’Die Walküre’’.

 Chronology of some appearances

1900-1918 Mariinski Theatre

1909 Milan La Scala

1911 Paris Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt

1915 Moscow Bolshoi Theatre

1917 Monte Carlo Opera

1922 Paris Grand Opera

1919-1929 Riga National Opera

RECORDING FOR SALE

G&T, St. Petersburg 1906

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky): Ah, I am weary 2-23121 4964L