(1) Maria
Ivogen [orig. Ilse von Gunther] (18 Nov 1891 - ?): Hungarian soprano seen
here as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Debut (1913) at the Munich
Royal Opera as Mimi. She was greatly admired in Munich where she stayed until
1925. She sang in the 1917 world premiere of Palestrina. Married
(1921-32) to tenor Karl Erb, and after 1933 to pianist Michael Raucheisen. She
was said to have had one of the most beautiful coloratura voices of the 20th
century.
(2) Russian Konstantin
Isachenko was known for his lyric tenor voice, which was both beautiful and
youthful. Although small, his voice could penetrate orchestras.
(3) American mezzo-soprano
Marion Ivell (1881? - 17 Feb 1969). Ivell toured America with the Castle
Square Opera Company of Boston and the English Grand Opera Company from 1898 to
1905. After that period and until 1935 she was seen in Europe. Upon her
retirement she married Vincenzo Celli, a principal dancer with La Scala and the
Metropolitan Opera. She lived in the Ansonia in New York, and died in New York
(St. Claire's Hospital). Her most-performed role was Carmen, and according to a
news article, sang the role over 1,000 times in the United States and Europe. In
1906 she sang with the Opéra Comique, and other European houses until 1935.
(4) Fritzi Jokl (23 Mar 1895 - 1974) Austrian soprano. Debut
(1917) in Frankfurt, where she remained until 1922. Greatly admired at the
Munich State Opera in Mozart operas. She also sang in Berlin, Darmstadt, the
Vienna State Opera, Amsterdam, and the Salzburg Festival. She was forced to
leave Germany in 1933 because she was Jewish. In 1938 she came to the United
States.
(5) American contralto
Josephine Jacoby (1875-1948) spent the majority of her operatic career at
the Metropolitan Opera (1903-08), making only occasional operetta and concert
appearances thereafter. She was one of the unfortunate Metropolitan singers who
was on tour in San Francisco during the great earthquake and fire of 1906.
Unlike some of her companions, she was able to return to her Palace Hotel room
long enough to gather her jewelry and dress more fully; however, she only
managed to slip her feet into Frasquita's gold slippers, which she wore only
hours before in a performance of Carmen.
(6) Latvian tenor Hermann
Jadlowker (1877-1953) as Rodolfo in La Bohème. He was a superb singer
of the florid style, which makes his recordings popular among collectors. His
early singing years were not remarkable, but his popularity grew after his
appearances in Karsruhe in 1906.
(7) Hermann Jadlowker in
Meistersinger.
(8)
Alfred Jerger.
(9) Austrian
bass-baritone Alfred Jerger
(1889-1976) in blackface for Krenek's Jonny Spielt Auf. This "jazz" opera
was first performed in Leipzig in 1927. That same year Jerger was the first
Vienna Jonny, a black band-leader responsible for stealing a violin. At the time
of the Vienna premiere there was a growing nationalistic movement that found its
way into the opera houses. Demonstrations were held against this opera, whose
featured character was black. One particular performance was stopped when the
audience thought that Jonny, played by Jerger, was a black singer.
(10)
The celebrated and glamorous
Czechoslovakian soprano Maria Jeritza
(1887-1982) was adored in New York, London, Vienna, and Paris. Richard
Strauss, another admirer, once said, "I love Jeritza even when she fluffs."
Like Geraldine Farrar, whose career took a turn toward retirement upon the
arrival of Jeritza to the Metropolitan Opera, she attracted the attention of
the media with her grand personality and temperament.
(11) Latvian tenor Karl Jorn
(1873-1947) as George Brown in Weisse Dame. He made his debut (1896) at
Freiburg as Lionel in Martha. He was an esteemed singer in Berlin, but
even Kaiser Wilhelm II could not keep him from sailing to the United States
where he eventually became a citizen. He was a member of the Metropolitan
Opera for six seasons (1908-1914).
(12)
Russian-born soprano
Zinaida Jurjevskaya
(1896?-1925) as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte. She began her
vocal studies in Berlin. She made her debut (1922) at the Staatsoper in
Rimsky-Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel. It wasn't very long before she
was hailed for her beautiful lyric voice. She sang the title role in the
Berlin premiere of Jenufa (1924). A pair of recitals in Paris, in one
of which she was accompanied on the piano by Sergei Prokofiev, were met with
favorable reviews. However, while on an excursion to Switzerland, she
apparently committed suicide by throwing herself into the river Reuss near
Andermatt. Photograph by A. Binder, Berlin.
