(1) Theodor Bertram:
German baritone (1869- 24 Nov 1907): Son of baritone Heinrich
Bertram and soprano Marie Bertram. Debut Ulm in 1889. Hamburg Opera (1891),
Kroll Opera (1892), Munich Royal Opera (1883-99), Metropolitan Opera
(1899-1901). Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Vienna Imperial Opera (1902),
and then all over! Tragically, his first wife, soprano Fanny Moran-Olden,
died (1905) insane in a private sanitarium, and his second wife died
two years later (21 Feb 1907) in a ship disaster. After her death he
began to drink heavily and eventually committed suicide by hanging. Especially known
for his Mozart and Wagner roles.
Berlin
-- Nov 24 -- Theodor Bertram, the celebrated opera singer, committed suicide
to-day at Baireuth. He had been melancholy and despondent since the death of
his wife, who was drowned Feb. 21 last in the wreck of the steamship Berlin
off the Hook of Holland. Theodor Bertram's most successful roles were
Wagnerian, and he made his greatest reputation as Wotan. The steamer Berlin
was wrecked while entering port after a hurricane and nearly everybody
aboard was lost, among the number being nineteen members of the German Opera
Company, which had just concluded its season at Covent Garden. One of the
opera singers lost was Mrs. Bertram. Mr. Bertram, a member of the company,
had sailed from London for Rotterdam a day previous to the departure of his
wife. New York Times, 25 Nov 1907.
(2) Theodor Bertram.
(3) Mikhail Vasilievich
Bocharov. Russian baritone (1872-1936). Attended Kiev University with
the intention of becoming a lawyer. He studied singing at the Kiev Music
College and graduated there in 1898. Kiev Opera, Zimin's Opera (Moscow),
Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg), Odessa, among others. He was
awarded the
honorary title
Meritorious Artist of
Russia in
1925. It was written that Bocharov's
success as Wozzeck was helped by his "stolid face, the short neck, the
hobbling walk and his unrelenting stentorian timbre." It was also said that
he had very little vocal decline after 30 years of singing.
(4) Anna MargaretheBoeck Lendrop (Denmark:
13 Jul 1873/5 - Copenhagen: 30 Apr 1920) as
Carmen, one of her signature roles. Danish mezzo-soprano.
(5) Michael Bohnen: German bass-baritone (1887-1965) as Escamillo
(Carmen). He created the title role in Jonny Spielt Auf in the
first American performance of that work at the Metropolitan Opera (19 Jan
1929). He was an imaginative actor whose onstage antics often created comment
and criticism.
(6) Adele Bolska
(Adelaida
Yulianovna Bolskaya) (Moscow:
16 Feb 1863/4 - 29 Sep 1930). Attended the Moscow Conservatory. Bolshoi
Theatre (Moscow), Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg). Toured France.
(7) Giuseppe Borgatti: Italian tenor
(Cento: 17 Mar 1871 - Reno, Lago Maggiore: 18 Oct 1950): Debut Castelfranco
Veneto (1892) as Faust. Create title role of Andrea Chenier at La Scala
(1896). Italian heldentenor. Sang throughout Europe and South America but
never appeared at Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, or the Monnaie in
Brussels. He retired from stage at the height of his career (1914) due to
failing eyesight but continued to do concert performances.
(8) Agnès Borgo: French dramatic soprano
(17 Apr 1879 - 7 Jan 1958): Paris Conservatory (1900). Debut (19 Mar 1904) as
Aida. She appeared in many Paris Opèra premieres. Appeared throughout France,
Belgium, Spain, Russia, and La Scala. Married to tenor César Vezzani. Retired
in 1927. She was one of Lily Pons' teachers.
(9)
Mattia Battistini:
Italian baritone
(1856-1928): Debut (1878) as Alfonso in La Favorita at the Teatro
Argentina in Rome. His immediate success was the start of a career that
lasted until 1927 when he was making concert appearances with a voice that
had lost very little of its luster. He made frequent appearances in Russia
(1892-1910), where he was especially beloved by the imperial family and the
aristocracy. Battistini made two appearances across the Atlantic at Buenos
Aires. However, Battistini could not be lured to New York by the
Metropolitan Opera management. Battistini was in possession of technical
agility which he displayed with embellishments. Perhaps it was those
improvisations that prompted Verdi to say to Battistini, "I am the one who
writes the music: It is for you to sing what I have written." He had
enormous breath control and a wide range. His abilities are preserved in the
large number of recordings he made. Seen here as
Escamillo in Carmen.
(10) Mattia Battistini in Don Giovanni.
(11)
Hermine Bosetti
[orig. Hermine von Flick]: Bavarian coloratura soprano (Vienna: 28 Sep 1875 - 1 May
1936): Debut in Wiesbaden (1898) as Ännchen in Der Freischütz.
In 1900 she joined the Vienna Imperial Opera. From 1901 until 1924 she was
with the Munich Royal Opera, where she was a great favorite. Also appeared in
Holland, Belgium, London CG, and Russia. Seen here as Cio-Cio-San in
Madama Butterfly.
(12) Hermine Bosetti
as Cio-Cio-San.
(13) Jean Bourbon:
French baritone (1875-?) seen here in Les Huguenots. He made his debut
(1900) at the Opéra-Comique. At that House he created the roles of Richard in
Bruneau's L'Ouragan, Le Poete in La Carmélite, and Jean Taurreau
in La Troupe Joli Coeur. He left the Opéra-Comique to become a member
of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (1904-10). In 1914 he made his
Paris Opéra bow as Guido in Monna Vanna. Bourbon was well known for his
Gouland in Pelléas et Mélisande, which he presented to London audiences
for the first time in 1909. Seen here as Escamillo in Carmen.
(14) Jean
Bourbon in Chemineau.
(15) Jane Bourgeois:
French soprano as Aida.
(16) Boyer in Barber of Seville.
(17) Carl Braun. German bass (Meisenheim,
Germany: 2 Jun 1886 - Hamburg: 24 Apr 1960). A pupil of the Berlin Imperial
Opera. Sang with the Wiesbaden Royal Opera (1906-11), Vienna Imperial Opera
(1911-12), Berlin City Opera (1912-14). Sang for many years at the Bayreuth
Festivals (1906-31). Metropolitan Opera (1912-17), Berlin State Opera
(1920-27). Seen here as Gurnemanz in Parsifal.
(18) Georgette Bréjean-Silver [orig.
Georgette-Amelie Sixsout]: French soprano (1870-?): Her first husband was
Graviere, the director of the Bordeaux Theatre, and her second was Charles
Silver, the composer. She studied at the National Conservatory in Paris,
making her debut (1890) with the Bordeaux Opera. Her first real success came
at the Opéra-Comique as Manon in 1894. She was so well associated with this
role that Massenet composed a special gavotte for her for a Brussels
production of Manon. She also sang the role of the Fairy in the world
premiere (1899) of Massenet's Cendrillon. A coloratura soprano, her
voice survives on a few 1905-06 Odeon and Fonotipia recordings. Also known
as Bréjean-Graviere.
(19) Georgette
Bréjean-Graviere in La Traviata.
(20) Marie Brema [orig. Minny Fehrmann):
English mezzo-soprano (28 Feb 1856 - 22 Mar 1925). Lola in first English
Cavalleria Rusticana. Bayreuth (1894-7). Created Beatrice in Stanford's
Much Ado About Nothing (London CG: 1901).
