Description

ELEAZER LEON RAINS, ALSO LÉON RAINS (NEW YORK CITY, U.S., OCTOBER 1, 1870 – LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S., JUNE 11, 1954)

He sang as a boy soprano in the choirs of Calvary Church and the Church of the Incarnation in New York. At the age of twelve, he appeared on the stage of the New York Star Theater. In 1890, he began studying singing at the National Conservatory in New York, later becoming a student of Oscar Saenger. In 1896, he traveled to Paris for further training and studied with Jacques Bouhy.

He made his debut in 1897 with the Damrosch-Ellis Opera Company (during their performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York), with whom he toured North America until 1899. In 1898, he participated in a U.S. tour with the great prima donna Nellie Melba as an assistant artist.

In 1899, after a guest appearance, he was engaged by the Court Opera in Dresden, where he remained until 1910. There, he sang the role of the 5th Jew in the world premiere of Richard Strauss’s opera Salome (December 5, 1905), took part in the world premiere of Paderewski’s opera Manru (May 29, 1901), and performed in the Dresden premiere of Eugen d’Albert’s Die Fahrt.

In 1904, he sang Hagen in Götterdämmerung at the Bayreuth Festival and, in the same year, made a guest appearance at Covent Garden Opera in London. From Dresden, he also made guest appearances at the court operas in Vienna (1902) and Berlin (1908), at the Deutsches Theater in Prague (1904), and at the opera in Frankfurt am Main (1901).

In 1909–1910, he was heard at the New York Metropolitan Opera as Hagen and as Mephisto in Gounod’s Faust. When the United States entered the war in 1917, he had to leave Dresden and return to his American homeland, where he performed exclusively in concert halls.

He was particularly esteemed as a singer of songs. From 1924, he lived in Los Angeles, where he worked as a teacher. Additionally, he pursued a career as an artistic furniture maker.

TRACKLIST

1. Bohème (Puccini) Höre du alter Mantel 99539 xB4887 Odeon, Berlin 1910-01
2. Faust (Gounod) Auf, eilet! Eilet! (w. Denera & Jadlowker) 99593 xB5023 Odeon, Berlin 1910-05
3. Faust (Gounod) Faust (Gounod) Auf eilet! (w. Jadlowker & Rains) Odeon X52867 xB5023
4. Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Mögst du, mein Kind 3-42325 231r G&T, Berlin 1905-07
5. Freischütz (Weber) Wer legt auf ihn so strengen Bann 3-42367 232r G&T, Berlin 1905-07
6. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Ach! Dies Herz, das nur ihn hat gewählt (w. Eibenschütz) 2-44436 5073r Gramophone, Dresden 1908-08
7. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Piff, paff, puff 99527 xB4885 Odeon, Berlin 1910-01
8. Lohengrin (Wagner) Mein Herr und Gott 3-42450 3909h G&T, Berlin 1905-11
9. Martha (Flotow) Ja, seit früher Kindheit Tagen (w. Jadlowker) 53242 xB5031 Odeon, Berlin 1910-05
10. Mignon (Thomas) Ihr Schwalben in den Lüften (w. Wedekind) 2-44460 5062r Gramophone, Dresden 1908-08
11. Rheingold (Wagner) Sanft schloss Schlaf dein Aug 2-42918 1100e (BAY) G&T, Bayreuth 1904-08
12. Still wie die Nacht (Bohm) (w. Nast) 2-44438 5078r Gramophone, Dresden 1908-08
13. Still wie die Nacht (Götze) (w. Rains) 76077 xxB4891 Odeon, 1910-01
14. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Erbarm’ dich mein (w. Weil, Vogelstrom, Kirchhoff, Schoeffel, Neudahm, Armster & chorus) 80053 xxB4938 Odeon, Berlin 1910
15. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Ich fleh’ für ihn (w. Schoeffel, Vogelstrom, Weil, Kirchhoff, Armster, Neudahm, Krull & chorus) 50708 Odeon, Berlin 1910-09
16. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Ihr habt’s gehört (w. Krull, Weil, Kirchhoff, Schoeffel, Neudahm, Armster & chorus) 50706 xB4937 Odeon, Berlin 1910
17. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Mit ihnen sollst du wallen (w. Krull, Weil, Vogelstrom, Kirchhoff, Schoeffel, Neudahm, Armster & chorus) 50710 xB4940
18. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Noch bleibe denn unausgesprochen 3-42338 233r G&T, Berlin 1905-07
19. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Weh! Weh, mir Unglückssel’gen (w. Vogelstrom, Kirchhoff, Schoeffel, Weil, Neudahm, Armster & chorus) 79101 xxB4938 Odeon, Berlin 1910-02
20. Zauberflöte (Mozart) In diesen heil’gen Hallen 942479 5044r Gramophone, Dresden 1908-08
21. Zauberflöte (Mozart) O Isis und Osiris 942478 5043r Gramophone, Dresden 1908-08