(1)
Hans Breuer
[orig Johann Peter Joseph]: German tenor (1868-1929). The role of Wagner's
Mime was the mainstay of his career. Breuer attended the Cosima Wagner
training school. He made his debut (1894) in Bayreuth in a small role.
(2) French soprano (of Swiss
birth) Lucienne Bréval (1869-1935) was born Bertha Agnes Lisette
Schilling. She studied in Geneva and at the Paris Conservatory. After
winning acclaim at the Conservatory, she made her debut (1892) at the Palais
Garnier as Selika in L'Africaine. There she created leading roles in
such operas as Augusta Holmes's La Montagne Noire (1895), Duval's
La Burgonde (1898), Erlanger's Le Fils de L'Etoile, the title
roles of Massenet's Grisélidis (1901)and Ariane
(1906), as well as Ariane in his Bacchus (1909), and Favier's
Monna Vanna (1909). Bréval appeared for two seasons at the Metropolitan
Opera (1900-1902) where she sang in twenty-six performances. She never made
any commercial recordings but scraps of a Metropolitan performance of
L'Africaine with Jean de Reszke were preserved on a Lionel Mapleson
cylinder when he installed his cumbersome recording equipment in the
prompter's box.
(3) Carrie Bridewell:
Mississippi born contralto began her Metropolitan Opera tenure in a concert
performance. She appeared five days later as the Third Lady in Die
Zauberflöte (30 Mar 1900), the first-ever performance of that Mozart
masterpiece at the Metropolitan. She also appeared in Vienna, Dresden,
Breslau and London.
(4) Cornelis Bronsgeest:
Dutch baritone (1878-1957): He made his debut (1900) in Magdeburg. He
sang throughout Europe and toured the United States after World War I. After
World War II he helped organize the first opera performances in the ruins of
Berlin.
(5) Eugenia Bronskaya:
Russian soprano (1882-1953): She studied in Milan with Teresa Arkel. She
made her debut (1902) at Tiflis. After three seasons at the Kiev Opera and
the Bolshoi, she made guest appearances throughout Italy including Venice
where she appeared as Tatyana in the house premiere of Eugene Onegin.
In America she was seen in Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago. She possessed
a good, but not exceptional, soprano voice and was well liked for her stage
presence and devotion to her task. In 1923 she retired and became a
professor at the Municipal Conservatory in Leningrad.
(6) Zina Brozia:
Soprano (1880-?) seen here as Gilda in Rigoletto, her Palais Garnier
debut role (27 Mar 1908). Her operatic debut was at the Opéra-Comique (13
Sep 1905) as Violetta in Traviata. Sang also in Monte Carlo (1906),
Parme (1908), Boston (1911). In 1914 she joined the Théâtre de Gaité à
Paris. She continued to sing in Paris until 1950.
(7) Dmitri Ivanovich Bukhtoyarov
(1866-1918).Russian baritone of the Mariinsky Theatre from 1897 to
1917, where he sang in the first Mariinsky production of Bohème
as Schaunard. He also favored the roles of Farlaf (Ruslan & Ljudmila),
Susanin (Life for the Tsar), Méphistophèles (Faust), and the
Miller (Rusalka).
(8) Dmitri Ivanovich Bukhtoyarov.
(9)
Alois Burgstaller: German tenor (1871-1945. He trained at the
Bayreuth School under Julius Kniese and made his stage debut (1894) at the
Bayreuth Festival in a small role. He was particularly noted for his
portrayal of Siegfried. Burgstaller sang the first Parsifal at the
Metropolitan Opera (1903), which drew considerable wrath from Cosima Wagner,
who was trying to gain exclusive protection for the work. As a result,
Burgstaller, as well as Anton van Rooy and conductor Alfred Hertz, were
banned from any further performances at Bayreuth. Seen here as Tristan.
(10) Marie Burk-Berger (1876-?). Zurich
(1902-04), Dresden (1904-05), Munich -
Court and the National
Theatre (1905-12). She began her career as Marie Berger, but after her
marriage she sang as Marie Burk-Berger. Also appeared in Mannheim, Karlsruhe,
Cologne, Frankfurt and Vienna. She had an active concert career as well.
(11)
[Dame] Clara Butt:
English contralto (1872-1936). Abide With Me
was one of Butt's favorite concert pieces, along with Elgar's Sea Pictures.
She was more at home in the concert venue than in staged opera where, at 6'2"
in height she towered over most of the leading men. Butt made her first
appearance in 1892, and shortly assumed the role of Britain's principal
concert contralto when Madame Janet Patey suffered a heart attack after a
concert in Sheffield. Butt was married to the light baritone, Kennerley
Rumford, seen in the photo.
(12) Max Buttner as the Dutchman.
(13) Polish tenor, Alexander von Bandrowski (-Sas).
(Poland: 28 Feb 1860 - ?) Appeared one season at the Metropolitan Opera (1902)
as Siegfried, Lohengrin, and in the title role of Paderewski's only
opera, Manru (seen here), a role for which Bandrowski was particularly known
for.
Mr. Von Bandrowski, the
Polish tenor, who was especially engaged for the title role, made his first
appearance before an American audience at the initial representation of [Manru]
.... In addition to singing the leading part Mr. Von Bandrowski devoted much
time and labor to the staging of the work, with which he had become familiar
in his European appearances in it. This imposed upon him a heavy burden, but
he came out of the ordeal successfully. He is a man of excellent stage
presence, and his Manru has a large pictorial value.... As a singer the
new-comer disclosed a voice of heroic proportions, somewhat tinged with a
baritone quality in the lower register. In this it is like the typical German
tenor voice. It would not be at all difficult to pick flaws in the singer's
vocal method, but his faults are likely in the long run to do more harm to him
than to his hearers. He sings in tune and with inspiring earnestness. His
enunciation is clear and his treatment of declamatory passages good.... His
impersonation of Manru has the approval of Mr. Paderewski....
New York Times, 21 Feb 1902.
(14) 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.
