AUSTRIAN SOPRANO LUCIE WEIDT (1876-1940) CDR

 

LUCIE WEIDT (OPAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC, 11 MAY, 1876 – VIENNA, AUSTRIA, 28 JULY, 1940)

 

Marie Louise Charlotta Weidt (often referred to as Lucie or Lucy Weidt) was a renowned Austrian soprano. She was born to Heinrich Weidt (1828–1901), a conductor and composer, who likely influenced her early interest in music. She studied singing under Rose Papier-Paumgartner in Vienna, receiving exceptional training that paved the way for her successful operatic career.

Weidt made her professional debut in 1900 at the Leipzig Opera, where she performed until 1903. During her tenure there, she participated in the premiere of Felix Weingartner’s opera Orestes in 1902. In 1903, she joined the Vienna Hofoper (later the Staatsoper) and quickly became one of its leading sopranos. Her debut role in Vienna was Elisabeth in Wagner’s Tannhäuser.

She excelled in premieres and significant performances, demonstrating her versatility and dramatic prowess. In 1907, she created the role of Lisa in the Vienna premiere of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. She also participated in the world premieres of two landmark operas: Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier (1911) and Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919), both at the Vienna Hofoper. Her portrayal of Kundry in Parsifal (1914) was another milestone, performed not only in Vienna but also in the opera’s La Scala premiere in Milan the same year.

Weidt’s talent extended beyond Vienna. She made acclaimed guest appearances at prestigious venues, including Covent Garden in London, the Grand Opéra in Paris, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and opera houses in Amsterdam and Brussels. Her powerful voice, nuanced interpretations, and stage presence were celebrated internationally.

In 1927, she retired from the stage and dedicated herself to teaching in Vienna, where she passed on her expertise to a new generation of singers.

Weidt was married to Austrian diplomat Johann Andreas Freiherr von Eichhoff, a partnership that added to her prominence in Viennese cultural and social circles.

Chronology of some appearances

1900-1903 Leipzig Oper

1903 Vienna Hofoper

1901 Hofoper in Dresden

1904 Prague German Theater

1906 Prague German Theater

1906-1907 Frankfurt a.M. Opernhaus

1909 Zurich Opera

1910 Munich Hofoper

1910-1911 New York Metropolitan Opera

1912 Zurich Opera

1914 Milan La Scala

1927 Vienna Hofoper

TRACKLIST

 

Fidelio (Beethoven) Abscheulicher!… Komm’, Hoffnung 43380 3494g G&T, Wien 1904-10

Fidelio (Beethoven) Komm’, Hoffnung 043048 339i G&T, Wien 1904-10

Freischütz (Weber) All’ meine Pulse schlagen 43641 2470h G&T, Wien 1904-10

Freischütz (Weber) Arie 43521 G54b G&T, Wien 1904

Freischütz (Weber) Und ob die Wolke 043140 01209v Gramophone, Wien 1909-09-28

Freischütz (Weber) Wie nahte mir der Schlummer 043053 341i G&T, Wien 1904-10

Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Zu neuen taten (w. Schmedes) 044143 01197v Gramophone, Wien 1909-09-16

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Fragment aus dem Duett des 3 Aktes 43523 G58b G&T, Wien 1904

Lohengrin (Wagner) Du Ärmste kannst wohl nie ermessen 43360 G1022a G&T, Wien 1904

Lohengrin (Wagner) Euch Lüften 43528 G57b G&T, Wien 1904

Oberon (Weber) Ozean, du Ungeheuer! 043141 01210v Gramophone, Wien 1909-09-28

Siegfried (Wagner) Ewig war ich 043143 01206v Gramophone, Wien 1909-09-21

Tannhäuser (Wagner) Allmächt’ge Jungfrau 043131 01207v Gramophone, Wien 1909-09-21

Tristan und Isolde (Wagner) Mild und leise (Liebestod) 043132 01208v Gramophone, Wien 1909-09-28

Trovatore (Verdi) Duett Leonora-Luna (w. Weidemann) 044044 805f G&T, Wien 1904-08

Walküre (Wagner) Der Männer Sippe 043142 01205v Gramophone, Wien 1909-09-21