Johanna Emilia Agnes Gadski. She was blessed with
a secure, powerful, ringing voice, fine musicianship and an excellent
technique. These attributes enabled her to enjoy a top-flight career in New
York City and London, performing heavy dramatic roles in the German and Italian
repertoires. She made her debut at the Kroll Opera in Berlin (1894), Covent
Garden (1898), Metropolitan Opera (1900), Munich (1905), Salzburg (1917);
became leader of Wagnerian touring company (1920s). Johanna Gadski was one of
the first Victor Red Seal artists and made almost 100 recordings during her
career. Singing in Germany between 1889 and 1895, she debuted at age 17 in
Lortzing's Undine at the Kroll Opera in Berlin. When she joined New York's
Metropolitan Opera in 1900, she became one of the company's leading Wagnerian
sopranos although she performed Mozart and Mahler ably as well. Also a
recitalist, Gadski was one of the few to include songs by American composers on
her program. An extremely popular recitalist, Gadski was much loved by
audiences but fared less well with critics who complained that her pitch
varied, her interpretation was flawed, and that she had a limited emotional
range. Numerous recordings, however, demonstrate that she had a large voice
with a pure tone. Her recordings, in fact, are considered classics. Gadski was
forced to discontinue her American career during World War I due to anti-German
sentiment, but she returned as a popular performer after the Armistice. She
formed her own Wagnerian touring company in the 1920s which performed in Europe
and the United States. Johanna Gadski died in an auto accident on February 22,
1932. Records kept her voice alive, giving Gadski a much deserved
reputation—far greater than the one she enjoyed in her lifetime.
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