Irene Abendroth (Soprano) ( Lviv, Ukraine 1872 - Weidling, Vienna 1932)

Her parents were jewish. She showed quite early a special musical talent. At the age of eight she already appeared in a concert, then studied singing under Francesco Lamperti and Campanini in Milan, with Mampe-Babnigg and Aurelie Wilczek in Wien. In 1888 she made her concert debut in Karlsbad. Her opera debut was happened in 1889 at the Hofoper in Wien as Amina in ‘’La Sonnambula’’. In the 1889-1890 season she appeared at the Hofoper in Wien, from 1890 to 1891 season at the Latvijas Nacionālā Opera in Riga, in the 1891-1894 seasons at the Hofoper in München, from 1894 to 1899 seasons again at the Hofoper in Wien, where she performed in the premiere of the opera ‘’Das Heimchen am Herd’’ by Goldmark (21. 3. 1896). Since 1899 she was engaged by the the Hofoper in Dresden, where her career lasted till 1909 and reached her climax. She made guest appearances at the Hofopern of Berlin (several times between 1905 and 1907) and Stuttgart, at the Opernhaus in Frankfurt a.M. (1907), at the Deutschen Theater in Prag (1907) and at the Opernhaus in Leipzig. In Dresden she sang in 1902 in the German première of G. Puccini’s ‘’Tosca’’, on 30. 10. 1903 she took part there in the premiere of the opera ‘’Odysseus Tod’’ by August Bungert. Later she still appeared in the concert hall, however, worked since 1910 in Vienna as vocal pedagogue. Since 1900 she was married to Austrian Federal Railroad manager Thomas Joseph Taller, but during the inflation, after the First World War, she lost nearly her whole property and lived in poor relations in Vienna. She found her last place of rest on the cemetery of Weidling, not far from the grave of the poet Nikolaus Lenau. Her repertoire included Norma, Traviata, Philine in ‘’Mignon’’of A. Thomas, Rosina in ‘’Il Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Donna Elvira in ‘’ Don Giovanni’’, Isabella in ‘’Robert le Diable’’, Marguerite de Valois in ‘’Les Huguenots’’, Selika in L’ Africaine’’, Gilda in ‘’Rigoletto’’, Leonora in ‘’Il Trovatore’’, Amelia in ‘’Un Ballo in maschera’’, Desdemona in ‘’Otello’’, Nedda in ‘’Pagliacci’’ and Rezia in ‘’Oberon’’. In 1902 she made 11 records for G&T in Dresden.

Chronology of some appearances

1889-1890 Wien Hofoper
1890-1891 Latvijas Nacionālā Opera
1891-1894 München Hofoper
1894-1899 Wien Hofoper
1899 Dresden Hofoper
1905 Berlin Hofoper
1907 Frankfurt a.M. Opernhaus
1907 Prag Deutschen Theater