Rethberg, née Sättler, was born in Schwarzenberg (Saxony). She first studied the piano. In 1912 she enrolled with the Dresden Conservatory first as a piano student Eventually, her vocal coach,...
Read MoreMarian Anderson was a wonderful contralto and one of the great voices of the 20th century. In spite of her great success, she was still subject to the racial bias...
Read MoreI haven't dipped my toe into Baroque Opera. It is genre unto itself, as anyone who has seen Les arts florissants can attest to. There is university in the city...
Read MoreThe following is a duet, a wildly popular duet, from Wagner's opera "Lohengrin". As can happen in Wagner, the story is a bit complicated, and I have inserted a synopsis...
Read MoreI am going to do something a little different in this post. I have put various performers side by side singing lieder in the past, but I have never done...
Read MoreFriederich Schorr Schorr was born in Nagyvarád in Hungary and intended to become a lawyer. His father was a renowned Jewish cantor who had a first-class baritone voice himself. His...
Read MoreAfter studying law and serving as an officer in WWI, Janssen studied with Oskar Daniel and made his late debut at the Berlin State Opera in 1922 as Herod in...
Read MoreVerdi's Requiem is one of the greatest works ever written. I know of no better recording than the one that is referenced here. Besides the soloists, who were all in...
Read MoreElena Gerhardt was one of the greatest lieder singers of the 20th century. She was unique in that she appeared in both opera and lieder recitals. This is not usually...
Read MoreGina Cigna was a dramatic soprano whose career flourished in the 1930's and 40's, and who was the first to record the title role of Puccini's ''Turandot". Ms. Cigna, whose...
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