Click on an image for a larger version |
Back to Main Index
|
(1) German tenor
Wilhelm Grüning (1858-1942) in Rienzi. He made his debut (1881) in
Danzig. He spent most of his career at the Hannover Opera and the Berlin
Imperial Opera. At the latter he sang in the unsuccessful world premiere of
Der Roland von Berlin.
(2)
German tenor Wilhelm Grüning (1858-1942) in
Robert der Teufel.
(3) American bass-baritone
Putnam Griswold (1874-1914) studied with Alberto Randegger in London and
Jacques Bouhy in Paris. He made his operatic debut (1901) at Covent Garden as
Renato in the premiere of Stanford's Much Ado About Nothing. Although he
made regular appearances in London, his longest contract was with the Royal
Opera in Berlin (1906-1911) where he was considered one of the greatest foreign
interpreters of the Wagner bass roles. In 1911 he toured several German cities
before sailing to New York to make his Metropolitan Opera debut (23 Nov 1911) as
Hagen in Götterdämmerung. He sang in the world premiere of Walter
Damrosch's Cyrano de Bergerac (1913). He remained at the Metropolitan for
three seasons. His last performance there (8 Feb 1914) was a Wagner concert
twenty days before his death. He died during an appendicitis operation. Seen
here as Escamillo in Carmen.
(4)
Edoardo Garbin
(1865-1943): Italian tenor. Garbin made his debut (1891) as Don Alvaro in La
Forza del Destino, in Vicenza. He appeared in several world premieres
besides Zazà, including the roles of Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff,
Guevara in Franchetti's Cristoforo Colombo, and Montemezzi's Giovanni
Gallurese.
(5)
Josef Geis as Beckmesser in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
He sang at the Prince Regent Theater in Munich. He was also an opera director
there.
(6) Gianoli as Madeleine
in Wagner's Les Maîtres
Chanteurs de Nuremberg.
(7) German baritone Otto Goritz
(1873-1929). He made his debut (1895) in Neustrelitz as Matteo in Fra Diavolo.
In 1903 he accepted an invitation to appear at the Metropolitan Opera, where he
was a highly successful interpreter of Wagner roles. In his 14 seasons at the
Metropolitan he appeared over 400 times in 23 different roles. His most
performed roles were Peter in Hänsel und Gretel, Klingsor in Parsifal,
Alberich in Siegfried, and Beckmesser in Meistersinger.
Seen her in Der Trompeter von Säckingen.
(8) Annie Gura-Hummel:
German soprano (Strasbourg, France: 5 Oct 1884 - Hannover-Langenhagen, Germany:
7 Jan 1964) as Santuzza. She was married to baritone Hermann Gura (his third
wife). She sang at the Hamburg Opera, making her debut there in 1908 as Macaela
in Carmen. She also sang at Covent Garden in London, and in Berlin.
|
|
|
|
(9)
French soprano Louise Grandjean (1870-1934) had a reputation as a great
interpreter of the Wagner roles. She was hired immediately for the Opéra-Comique
after very successful studies at the Conservatoire National Superieur. Her
debut (1893) was in Le Pre-aux-Clercs. She was Alice Ford in the first
French Falstaff (1894). Her Paris Opéra debut (1895) was as the Page in
Tannhäuser, and even in that role she exhibited a sumptuous voice of
dramatic timbre. During her tenure she participated in the creation of
Déjanire in Astarté, Phedre in Ariane, Anita in La Catalane,
and Nemorosa in La Foret. It was at the Paris Opéra that she developed
her reputation as a Wagnerian, which began with her interpretation of
Magdelaine in the first (1897) French Maîtres-Chanteurs (Die
Meistersingers). In 1904 she was honored by receiving an invitation to
Bayreuth to sing the role of Venus in Tannhäuser. Seen here in Le
Créspuscule des dieux
(Wagner).
(10) French soprano Jeanne Granier was
primarily seen in walk-on parts as a member of the Jacques Offenbach company.
When the principal soprano (Louise Theo) in Jolie Parfumeuse fell ill,
Granier was the substitute, and in typical fairy tale fashion made a brilliant
debut. She was snapped up by composer Charles Lecocq who was at the time the
leading producer and composer of operettas. Granier's physical appearance,
described as "built on the stocky, generous lines," can almost be supported
by the picture seen here. Much to Lecocq's distress, Granier was a
classically trained artist. She was recoached by Lecocq specifically in a mold
suitable for his operettas. She was an instant success. Many of his operettas
might have fallen flat without her popular presence. She created roles in
Lecocq's Le petit duc and La cigale et la fourmi, as well as
roles in works by Messanger, Hervé, Lacôme, and Planquette. Her popularity
lasted nearly twenty years.
(11) Ivan Gryzunov: Russian baritone. A
fine Onegin.
(12) Germaine Gallois.
(13) Marie Gutheil-Schoder (Weimar: 10 Feb
1874 - Bad Ilmenau: 8 Oct 1935) seen here as Octavian, a role for which she
was particularly noted. She studied with Von Milde in Weimar, and also was
coached by Strauss. She made her debut in Weimar (1891) as First Lady in
Magic Flute. She was engaged by Mahler for Vienna, and remained there
until 1926.
(14) Scottish-American soprano Mary Garden
(1874-1967). Reutlinger postcard.
(15) Beniamino Gigli (Recanati,
Italy: 20 Mar 1890 - Rome: 30
Nov 1957). Italian
tenor. Beniamino was admitted to the choir of the
cathedral where his father was the sacristan. In Rome, after lessons from
Agnese Bonucci, he won a scholarship to the Liceo Musicale; his teachers were
Cotogni and Rosati. In 1914 he won an international competition at Parma, and
on 14 October that year made a successful début in La Gioconda at
Rovigo. In 1915 his Faust in Boito’s Mefistofele was highly appreciated
at Bologna under Serafin and at Naples under Mascagni. Spain was the scene of
his first successes abroad, in 1917. The climax of his early career was his
appearance in the memorial performance of Mefistofele at La Scala on 19
November 1918. Gigli sang in South America in
1919–20, and on 26 November 1920 made a brilliant début (again in
Mefistofele) at the Metropolitan Opera, where he remained as principal
tenor for 12 consecutive seasons.
(16) Otto Goritz.
|
