GERMAN SOPRANO EVA VON DER OSTEN (1881-1936) VOL. 1 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. Aida (Verdi) Zu dir führt mich, pt 1 (w. Plaschke) 044147 438m Gramophone, Dresden 1909-10
2. Aida (Verdi) Zu dir führt mich, pt 2 (w. Plaschke) 044148 439m Gramophone, Dresden 1909-10
3. Boccaccio (Suppé) Mia bella Fiorentina (w. Nast) 13932 15700b Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-25
4. Carmen (Bizet) Draussen am Wall (Seguidilla) 14001 10135L Gramophone, Dresden 1909-10
5. Carmen (Bizet) Ja, die Liebe (Habanera) 14001 10137L Gramophone, Dresden 1909-10
6. Carmen (Bizet) Ja, die Liebe (Habanera) 43681 176r G&T, Berlin 1905
7. Der Rosenkavalier Ist ein Traum, Schluss-Duett R Strauss with Minnie Nast Gramophone 044183 2304c 25-8-11
8. Kuhreigen (Kienzl) Ein Tanz war mein Leben (w. Frederich) 044211 238al Gramophone, 1912-09-16
9. Kuhreigen (Kienzl) Er kriegt ein rotes Kamisol 2-43408 1450½ak Gramophone, 1912-09-16
10. Kuhreigen Gesang des Primus Thaller, 1 Akt – Sie müsste sein, wie eine Fee Kienzl 4-42513 1416ak Gramophone 12- 9-12
11. Kuhreigen Wie elend wär’s, Soldat zu sein, Trinklied; Wenn Doris meine Schäf’rin wär’ 1 Akt Kienzl Gramophone 042355 232AL 12- 9-12
12. Lohengrin (Wagner) Einsam in trüben Tagen 043196 2295c Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-24
13. Lohengrin (Wagner) Euch Lüften 043197 2296c Gramophone, Berlin 1911-08-24
14. Mignon (Thomas) Dort bei ihm ist sie jetzt 043135, 441m Gramophone, Dresden 1909-10
15. Mignon (Thomas) Dort bei ihm ist sie jetzt 0943047 441m Gramophone, Dresden 1909-10

GERMAN SOPRANO EVA VON DER OSTEN (1881-1936) VOL. 1 CDR

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