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(1) Rose Caron [orig. Meuniez]: French
soprano (17 Nov 1857 - 9 Apr 1930): Stage debut Brussels 1883 as Alice (Robert
le Diable). At Monnaie created Brunehilde in Reyer's Sigurd
(1884) as well as the title role in his Salammbô (seen here) (10 Feb 1890:
Monnaie, Brussels), and Godard's Jocelyn (1888). First French
Sieglinde and Desdemona.
(2) Marie-Constance Sasse [also known as
Sax or Sass] (26 Jan 1838 (or 1834) - 8 Nov 1907): Belgian soprano. Studied
with Ugalde. Worked as a vocalist in cafés to support her family after her
father died. One source has her debut Théâtre-Lyrique (1 Oct 1859) as the
Countess in Les Noces de Figaro. Another source has her debut in
Venice in 1852 as Gilda in Rigoletto. She created Selika of
L'Africaine (28 Apr 1865) (seen here), and Elizabeth in Don
Carlos (11 Mar 1867). She was the first Paris Elisabeth in Tannhaüser
(1861). She was well known for her temperament and it got her in trouble
with Verdi who refused to let her create the role of Amneris in Aida because of it.
She was married to bass Castlemary, who she later divorced. She used the
stage name of Sax for awhile until Adolphe Sax, creator of the saxophone,
forced her to drop the use of that name. She died in poverty.
(3) Mizzi Günther and Louis Treumann in the
world premiere of the operetta Lustigen Witwe, which occurred at the
Theater an der Wien on 30 Dec 1905.
(4) Jean Périer: (Paris: 2 Feb 1869 -
Neuilly: 6 Nov 1954): French baritone. Debut Paris, O.C, 1892, Monostatos.
Created many roles in Paris including Pelléas (seen here), Ramiro in
L'Heure espagnole, Landry in Messanger's Fortunio, and Marouf. He
was the first Sharpless in France. This is a Mishkin Studio (New York)
portrait on the thickest backboard I've ever come across.
(5) Gounod's
Faust was first performed at
the Théâtre Lyrique (Paris) on March 19, 1859 with Caroline Miolan-Carvalho
in the role of Marguerite.
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(6) Célestine Galli-Marie (Célestine-Laurence
Marie de L'Isle) as Carmen. Carmen premiered at the Opera-Comique (3 Mar 1875)
with Galli-Marie in the title role.
The world
had to teach the beauties of “Carmen” to the French. It was at first given at
the Opera-Comique and failed. The French are slow at learning and
assimilation. “Carmen” was too incomprehensible and too original for their
lazy ears. The opera was afterward played with so much success in America and
Germany that the French at last concluded there must be something in it. It
was a great victory for Bizet, when for the second time “Carmen” was given at
the Opera-Comique, with Galli-Marie in the title role. Galli-Marie had been
the inimitable Mignon and afterward was the inimitable Carmen. Galli-Marie had
long ago retired from the stage, but has once more consented to appear for the
unique performance given for the benefit of Bizet’s statue. The De Reszkes,
Lasalle and Melba will also take part. Neither has ever has even sang “Carmen”
in France, and the demand for seats could fill a hall the size of the Coliseum
of Rome. Mme. Bizet, who has been offered a box will witness the glorification
of her husband’s worth, which will be given with so much the more éclat
because it was so long ignored by his compatriots. (Emma Bullet, 28 Dec 1890)
(7) Eugenio Giraldoni as Scarpia
(Tosca). (8)
Hariclée Darclée as Tosca. Note her signature and the way she spells her
name, which is found spelled many ways in various reference books.
(9) Belgian soprano Marie Heilbronn
(Antwerp: 1851* - Nice: 31 Mar 1886). Heilbronn made her debut (1867) at the
Opéra-Comique as Alice in the premiere of Massenet's La grand'tante.
She created the role of Massenet's Manon at the Opéra-Comique on 19 Jan 1884.
Seen here as Manon. *
Date of birth and cities are all over the map! The date here is from The
New Grove Dictionary of Opera.
(10) The creators of Des Grieux and Manon,
Jean-Alexandre Talazac and Marie Heilbronn. French tenor Talazac
(Bordeaux: 6 May 1851 - Chatou, Paris: 26 Dec 1896) created several important
roles such as Hoffmann in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann (1881), the
title role in Delibes Jean de Nivelle (1880), and Gérald in Lakmé
(1883).
(11) Rosina Storchio as the first
Cio-Cio-San, Madama Butterfly.
(12)
Feodor Chaliapin in Don Quichotte.
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