EMMY DESTINN (EMA DESTINNOVÁ) (PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 26 FEBRUARY, 1878 – CESKE BUDEJOVICE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 28 JANUARY, 1930)
Her real name was Ema Pavlína Kittlová. Initially, she aspired to become a violinist, studying under Ferdinand Lachner in Prague and giving concerts by the age of eight. At 14, she shifted her focus to singing, studying between 1892 and 1896 with Marie Loewe-Destinn in Prague. She adopted her teacher’s surname as a tribute.
On July 19, 1898, she made her stage debut as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Berlin Kroll Opera. In September of the same year, she debuted at the Berlin Court Opera, again as Santuzza, and remained a member until 1908. During her tenure, she participated in several significant premieres, including Mudarra by Fernand le Borne (1899), Roland von Berlin by R. Leoncavallo (1904), and Heirat wider Willen by E. Humperdinck (1905). In 1906, she created the role of Salome in Richard Strauss’s opera for Berlin audiences. In 1903, she appeared as Milada in the Berlin premiere of B. Smetana’s Dalibor at the Theater of the West.
During the 1901-1902 season, she performed as Senta in Der fliegende Holländer at the Bayreuth Festival. In 1905, she made history at London’s Covent Garden by originating the title role in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, opposite Enrico Caruso and Antonio Scotti. She debuted at Covent Garden in 1904 as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and sang there until 1914, returning in 1919. Other notable performances include her appearances in the premieres of Tess by Frédéric d’Erlanger (1909) and Eugene Onegin by P. Tchaikovsky (1906), where she portrayed Tatiana alongside Mattia Battistini.
Her international engagements were extensive, including performances in Vienna, Paris, Prague, Hamburg, Leipzig, Dresden, and Wiesbaden. In 1908, she joined the New York Metropolitan Opera, debuting as Aida in the season’s opening performance. While at the Met, she sang roles such as Marie in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride (1909), Lisa in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades (1910), Martha in the American premiere of d’Albert’s Tiefland (1908), and the title role in Catalani’s La Wally (1909). On December 10, 1910, she created the role of Minnie in the world premiere of Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West, with Enrico Caruso and Pasquale Amato. She reprised the role in the opera’s London premiere in 1911.
During World War I, she left North America in 1916 and returned to the Czech Republic. A fervent patriot, she advocated for Czechoslovakia’s independence, which led to her temporary imprisonment by Austrian authorities, despite her having acquired American citizenship. In 1919, performing as Ema Destinnová, she returned to the Metropolitan Opera for two seasons and also guested in London as Aida. In 1923, she sang at the Oslo Opera. She retired from the stage in 1926.
In 1927, she gave concerts in Berlin and Breslau, but her success was moderate. She also enjoyed an illustrious career as a concert singer and appeared in several silent films. Destinn lived in her castle at Stráž in Bohemia, which she had purchased in 1914, and became a celebrated national heroine in Czechoslovakia. After her death, the state honored her with a state funeral. She is buried in Vyšehrad Cemetery in Prague.
TRACKLIST
Freischütz (Weber) Und ob die Wolke sie verhülle XX76012 xxB3594 Odeon, Berlin 1907-1011
Lohengrin (Wagner) Ach, dich an mich zu binden (w. Berger) XX80042 xxB4686 Odeon, Berlin 1909
Mignon (Thomas) Kam ein armes Kind (Styrienne) X50025 XPh1016 Odeon, Berlin 1905-12 (or -02)
Mignon (Thomas) Kennst du das Land X50023 XPh1014 Odeon, Berlin 1905-12 (or -02)
Ave Maria (Gounod) X99430 xB4746 Odeon, Berlin 1909
Faust (Gounod) Der König von Thulé X99387 xB4693 Odeon, Berlin 1909
Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Ballade der Senta X50166 Bx1663-2 Odeon, Berlin 1906-0910
Freischütz (Weber) All meine Pulse schlagen 64843, xB3593 Odeon, Berlin 1907-1011
Freischütz (Weber) Wie nahte mir der Schlummer 64842 xB3592 Odeon, Berlin 1907-1011
Lohengrin (Wagner) Ach könnt’ ich deiner Wert erscheinen with Berger 50650 xB4685 Odeon, Berlin 1909
Lohengrin (Wagner) Das süsse Lied verhallt (w, Berger) XX80041 xxB4683 Odeon, Berlin 1909
Lohengrin (Wagner) Einsam in trüben Tagen X99385 xB4687 Odeon, Berlin 1909
Lohengrin (Wagner) Wie hehr erkenn’ ich uns’rer Liebe Wesen (w Berger) X50649 xB4684 Odeon, Berlin 1909
Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Un bel d`vedremo X99431 xB4744 Odeon, Berlin 1909
Mela jsem chlape (trad) 29072 XPh1013 Odeon, Berlin 1905-12 (or -02)
Mignon (Thomas) Gebet X50232, Bx2089 Odeon, Berlin 1906-12
Nekamenujte proroky (Smetana) 51013 xB2093 Odeon, Berlin 1906-12
Tannhäuser (Wagner) Dich teure Halle X50159 Bx1661 Odeon, Berlin 1906-0910
Tannhäuser (Wagner) Gebet der Elisabeth X50171, Bx1708 Odeon, Berlin 1906-0910
Uz mou milou (trad) 29071 XPh1010 Odeon, Berlin 1905-12 (or -02)
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