GERMAN SOPRANO EVA VON DER OSTEN (1881-1936) VOL. 2 CDR

 

EVA HELGA BERTHA VON DER OSTEN (HELGOLAND, 19 AUGUST, 1881 – DRESDEN, 5 MAY, 1936)

 

 

 

Her parents were the actors Emil von der Osten (1847-1905) and Rosa von der Osten-Hildebrandt (1850-1911); her sister, Vally von der Osten (1882-1923), became a well-known soprano. She married the tenor Fritz Windgassen (1883-1963) and was the mother of the famous Wagner tenor Wolfgang Windgassen (1914-74). Eva von der Osten initially wanted to be a pianist but was then trained as a singer by August Iffert in Dresden. She made her debut in 1902 at the Dresden Court Opera as the Page Urbain in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots and remained a member of the company until the end of her career. In 1903, she participated in the premiere of Leo Blech’s Alpenkönig und Menschenfeind in Dresden.

After initially singing smaller roles, she garnered significant attention in 1908 for her portrayal of Tatjana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin in Dresden. She soon became one of the most popular artists at the Dresden Opera; her husband, the baritone Friedrich Plaschke (1875-1952), was also engaged there. On January 26, 1911, she sang Octavian in the brilliant premiere of Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier in Dresden, reprising the role later that year in the Dutch premiere in The Hague and at several German theaters. In 1913, she performed it at Covent Garden in London.

In 1916, she participated in the premiere of J. Bittner’s Höllisch Gold at the Dresden Court Opera, followed by the 1918 premiere of Franz Schreker’s Der ferne Klang and the 1920 premiere of Paul Graener’s Schirin und Gertraude. Richard Strauss himself praised her portrayal of the Dyer’s Wife in the Dresden premiere of his opera Die Frau ohne Schatten as “magnificent.”

From 1906 onwards, she was a regular guest at the Komische Oper in Berlin. In both Dresden and Berlin, she created the title role in the premiere of Leoncavallo’s Zazà during the 1908-09 season and sang Blanchefleur in Wilhelm Kienzl’s Der Kuhreigen in the 1912-13 season. She appeared as a guest at the Berlin Court Opera (1902, 1907), the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels (1913, 1914), and the Boston Opera (1912-13).

In 1914, she sang Isolde in Tristan und Isolde at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and Brünnhilde in Die Walküre at the Amsterdam Wagner Society. She also portrayed Kundry in the English premiere of Parsifal at Covent Garden in 1914, and in 1913, she sang Ariadne in the English premiere of Ariadne auf Naxos at His Majesty’s Theatre in London under Sir Thomas Beecham.

In 1923-24, she and her husband were members of the German Opera Company, touring North America, where she enjoyed great success in the roles of Isolde and Sieglinde in Die Walküre. In 1926, she took part in the premiere of Alfred Schattmann’s The Monk’s Wedding at the Dresden Opera.

She left the stage in 1930, performing Brünnhilde in Die Walküre in Dresden, while Friedrich Plaschke sang Wotan. Despite retiring from singing, she continued working as a director at the Dresden State Opera. In 1933, she directed the premiere of Richard Strauss’s Arabella. Unfortunately, shortly after this premiere, she suffered a stroke that left her with extensive paralysis.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Mignon (Thomas) Kennst du das Land 2-43390 10136L  Gramophone, Dresden 1909-10
2. Mignon (Thomas) Schwalbenduett (w. Plaschke) 044149 440m Gramophone, Dresden 1909-10
3. Mignon (Thomas) Schwalbenduett (w. Plaschke) 0944059 353ac Gramophone, Berlin 1909-12-17
4. Mignon (Thomas) Styrienne 43682 177r G&T, Berlin 1905
5. Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Hab’ mir’s gelobt (w. Nast & Siems) 80064 xxB5403 Odeon, Berlin 1911-05
6. Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Ist ein Traum (w. Nast) 044183 2304c Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-25
7. Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Ist ein Traum (w. Nast) 044183, 2304c Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-25
8. Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Ist ein Traum (w. Nast) 80065 xxB5404 Odeon, Berlin 1911-05
9. Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren (w. Nast) 80066, xxB5405 Odeon, Berlin 1911-05
10. Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Mit ihrem Augen voll Tränen (w. Nast) 044184 2305½c Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-25
11. Rosenkavalier (Strauss) Mit ihren Augen voll Tränen (w. Nast) 80067, xxB5406 Odeon, Berlin 1911-05
12. Tosca (Puccini) Ach, die Augen (w. Marak) 044193 2297c Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-24
13. Tosca (Puccini) Nur deinetwegen wollt’ ich noch nicht sterben (w. Marak) 044194 2298c Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-24
14. Zazà (Leoncavallo) Geh’, schilt mich nicht die Mutter 2-43197 5086½r Gramophone, Dresden 1908-08
15. Zazà (Leoncavallo) Was wird Milio aus mir 2-43198 5087r Gramophone, Dresden 1908-08

GERMAN SOPRANO EVA VON DER OSTEN (1881-1936) VOL. 2 CDR

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