(1)
Soprano
Lydia Lipkowska
(1880-1955) studied at the St. Petersburg
Conservatory before making her debut (1907) at the Mariinsky Theatre as
Gilda (Rigoletto). The majority of her career was spent outside of
Russia. In addition to her appearances in St. Petersburg and Moscow, she
displayed her brilliant coloratura voice in Paris, Monte Carlo, London,
Vienna, New York, Boston and Chicago. In 1909, to satisfy an agreement
between the Boston Opera and Metropolitan Opera to exchange singers, she
made the first of her thirteen appearances at the Metropolitan Opera as
Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. She was also seen there as
Violetta (Traviata) and Gilda (Rigoletto).
(2)
Lydia Lipkowska and son.
(3) Renowned Russian soprano
Felia Litvinne
(1860-1936). This remarkable woman was completely devoted to her craft from a
very early age. She made her debut (1877) as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra.
Possessed with a remarkable memory, she switched languages freely throughout a
performance depending on the tongue of the colleague with whom she was singing.
Litvinne's father was Russian and her mother French-Canadian. Playing no
favorites she was equally fond of and proficient in the French and Russian
repertories.
(4)
Felia Litvinne
in Gluck's Armide.
(5) Edmond Louis as Escamillo in
Carmen.
(6) English tenor Edward Lloyd
(1845-1927) had a tremendous concert and oratorio career that lasted over thirty
years. He sang in the world premiere of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius in
1900, the year he retired.
(7) Adolf Löltgen
as Lohengrin.
(8) Adolf Löltgen in Parsifal.
(9) Peter
Lordmann as Falstaff in Nicolai's Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor.
(10)
Russian bass
Vladimir Lossky
as Méphistophélès. He had a successful singing career and was noted for his
fine acting, especially in the role of Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro.
However, he is most appreciated for the time and effort he spent training
young singers. He was also a producer at Savva Mamontov's Moscow Private Opera
during the 1890s.
(11) French tenor Léon Laffitte (Saint-Geniès:
1875 - Paris: 1938) in Le Troyens. He made his debut
(1898) at the Paris Opéra as David in Die Meistersinger. He sang for
fifteen seasons at the Monnaie in Brussels where he was a great favorite.
In 1904, with piano accompaniment, Lafitte sang excerpts from Sylvio Lazzari's
opera-in-progress, Armor, for Prince Albert. The Prince, who was not at
all pleased at what he heard, promptly dismissed the opera. Laffitte was not a
top-tier tenor, showing, at times, unevenness in his singing.
(12) Léon Laffitte in Armide.
(13) English mezzo-soprano, Louise Kirkby Lunn
(Manchester: 8 Nov 1873 - London: 17 Feb 1930).
OBITUARY
London, Feb . 17. -- Mme. Louise
Kirkby-Lunn, famous English contralto, who made several operatic tours in the
United States, died here tonight at the age of 57 after five months'
illness.... Mme. Kirkby-Lunn had sung in Covent Garden Opera House in London,
at the Metropolitan in New York and in Budapest and Germany. She toured
America, Australia and New Zealand in concert, and in 1909 created the role of
Dalilah in French at Covent Garden. [She] was born in Manchester, England, and
received her musical training at the Royal College of Music, where she held an
open scholarship for singing. After study in violin with Visetti, she made her
operatic debut in Schumann's Genoveva and in Delibes's Le Roi l'a
dit at the Royal Academy of Music. Her professional debut was made later
as Nora in Shamus O'Brien with the Opéra-Comique in London.
In 1896 Mme. Kirkby-Lunn was
on tour in grand opera with Augustus Harris. From 1896 to 1899 she was with
the Carl Rosa Opera Company, and in 1902 sang the part of Kundry in the
English performance of Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera.... She had
sung at many festivals in Great Britain and Ireland, and had been a regular
performer at the Royal opera, Covent Garden, in London. New York
Times - 18 Feb 1930.
(14) German bass-baritone Theodor Lattermann
(Frankfurt: 29 Jul 1886 - Seechof: 4 Mar 1926) in Martha. He studied in
Frankfurt and made his stage debut in Barmen (1907). Shortly thereafter he
joined the Hamburg Opera and remained there until his death. He was married to
contralto, Ottilie Metzger, who died in the Auschwitz concentration camp
around 1943.
"Theodor
Lattermann, who has done some good things in the last two weeks’
performances, did by no means a good thing with his impersonation of the
Wandered; chiefly because he sang persistently flat almost from the
beginning to the end. Hopes that he might wander back to the pitch as a part
of his adventures were continually dashed. He looked as the Wanderer should
look, not in itself difficult, and impressively filled the eye in his
several appearances." New York Times: 27 Feb 1923.
Review of Siegfried by Richard Aldrich.
