She attended the
Collège Sévigné in Paris and originally wanted to study medicine. Then she
trained under Isnardon and Martini at the Conservatoire National in Paris. She
was also taught by the famous Felia Litvinne. In 1912 she made her debut at the
Opéra-Comique in Paris as Antonia in "Les contes d'Hoffmann". In 1913
she appeared in the premiere of the opera "Le Pays" by Guy Ropartz.
In 1914 she was engaged by the Grand Opéra in Paris and remained for thirty
years. In 1927 she had a special success there as Octavian in the premiere of
the R. Strauss’s "Rosenkavalier". She appeared at the Grand Opéra in
the world premieres of the operas "La Légende de St. Christophe" by
Vincent d'Indy (6. 6. 1920), "Maximilien" by Darius Milhaud (5. 1. 1932)
and "La Chartreuse de Parme" by Henri Sauguet (16. 3. 1939). In 1930,
her Leonore was admired at the Grand Opéra in "Fidelio" under Bruno
Walter, in 1928 her Cassandre in "Les Troyens" by H. Berlioz. In 1930
she sang in Amsterdam the title role in Gluck's "Iphigénie en
Tauride". Guest performances have brought her great international success.
So she sang in 1931 at the Salzburg Festival the part of Donna Anna in "Don
Giovanni", at the Covent Garden Opera in London in 1937 as Alceste by
Gluck and the Ariane in "Ariane et Barbe-bleue" of Dukas, in 1938 the
role of Kundry in "Parsifal". At the Bayreuth Festival she appeared in
1938 as Kundry, in 1939 as Isolde in "Tristan und Isolde". In 1933 she
sang at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo the role of Octavian in
"Rosenkavalier", at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in
"Castor et Pollux" by Rameau (1935). In 1942 she sang the role of
Charlotte in ‘’Werther’’ at the centenary for Jules Massenet in Paris. In 1944
she was arrested on suspicion of collaboration with the German occupying
forces, but the subsequent process completely rehabilitated. In 1950 she gave a
final concert at the Paris Salle Gaveau. Later she taught singing in Paris and
among her pupils were Régine Crespin, Udo Reinemann, Nadine Denize, Émile
Belcourt, Pierre Fleta and Rachel Yakar.
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