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Opera Singers - J - Page 1

Historic Opera

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Jadlowker

Jacoby

Jerger

Jeritza

Jorn

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.

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).

Russian-born soprano Zinaida Jurjevskaja (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.

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. 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.

Jurjevskaja

Jokl

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. 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.