Description

MELANIE KURT (JANUARY 8, 1880 IN VIENNA – MARCH 11, 1941 IN NEW YORK CITY)

 

 

 

 

She was born on January 8, 1880 in Vienna. Melanie Kurt first studied to become a pianist in her native City of Vienna before starting to take singing lessons. Later she went to Berlin, where Marie Lehmann, sister of the great soprano Lilli Lehmann, became her teacher. From 1897 to 1900 she only appeared as a pianist, before she gave her début at the civic theatre in Lübeck as ‘Elisabeth’ in Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser in 1902. From 1903 to 1904 she was engaged at Oper Leipzig, after further studies in Berlin she worked in Braunschweig from 1905 to 1908 before returning to Berlin where she sang at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, then (from 1912 to 1915) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. From her Berlin base Kurt started her international career, giving successful guest performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London (since 1910) and during the Salzburg Mozart-Fest in 1910 (which would become the Salzburg Festival later). Later she added La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Saxon State Opera Dresden and the Bavarian State Opera to the list. Her career reached its peak when she joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1914 where she succeeded Olive Fremstad as the company’s leading Wagner soprano for three years. Her contract ended when the USA joined World War I in 1917 and Wagner operas were banned as being to German. Though the situation was difficult for Kurt she didn’t return to Europe at once but stayed in the US until 1919 before returning to Germany. In the following years she sang mainly in Berlin again, in Leipzig, Stuttgart, Dresden, Vienna and at the famous Wagner Festival in Zoppot (1922), then a serious rival to the Bayreuth Festival. Around 1930 the singer retreated gradually from stage and started working as a teacher in Berlin. After 1933 Kurt – who was Jewish – had to emigrate to Vienna. In 1938, when the Nazis took over Austria Kurt left the continent for good and returned to the USA. Until her death in 1941 she lived and taught in New York City.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Aida (Verdi) Bald kommt Radamès… O Vaterland 043205, Gramophone, Berlin 1911-10-11
2. Aida (Verdi) Es hat der Stein sich über mir geschlossen (w. Urlus) 044180 Gramophone, Berlin 1911-01-07
3. Aida (Verdi) Ich seh’ dich wieder with Jacques Urlus Gramophone 044173 2138c
4. Aida (Verdi) O sag’, warum auf Neue (w. Metzger & chorus) 044179, Gramophone, Berlin 1911-01-20
5. Aida (Verdi) Sieh’ dort den Todesengel (w. Urlus) 044181 Gramophone, Berlin 1911-01-07
6. Aida (Verdi) Wohl war euch das Los der Waffen feindlich (w. Metzger & chorus) 044178, Gramophone, Berlin 1911-01-20
7. Ballo in maschera (Verdi) Der Tod sei mir willkommen 1357, P252 Parlophon, Berlin 1912-07
8. Ballo in maschera (Verdi) Wenn das Kraut, wie die Seherin kündet 1356, P252 Parlophon, Berlin 1912-07
9. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Du hier Santuzza (w. Jörn) 044199 Gramophone, Berlin 1911-10-05
10. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Nein! Nein, Turiddu! (w. Jörn) 044200, Gramophone, Berlin 1911-10-05
11. Fidelio (Beethoven) Komm, Hoffnung 1368 Parlophon, Berlin 1912-08
12. Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Bleib’, Senta! (w. Kraus) 044201, Gramophone, Berlin 1911-12-14
13. Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Fühlst du den Schmerz (w. Kraus) 044202, Gramophone, Berlin 1911-12-14
14. Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Jo-ho-hoe! (Ballade) 043191, 65477 Gramophone, Berlin 1911-09-13
15. Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Versank ich jetzt (w. Feinhals) 044185 Gramophone, Berlin 1911-09-13
16. Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) Versank ich jetzt (w. Schorr) 65621 (B25007) Polydor, Berlin 1921 (Spring)
17. Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Lass ich, Liebste… Zu neuen Taten, pt 1 (w. Jörn) 044269 Gramophone, Berlin 1914-05-19
18. Götterdämmerung (Wagner) Lass ich, Liebste… Zu neuen Taten, pt 2 (w. Jörn) 044270 Gramophone, Berlin 1914-05-19
19. Parsifal (Wagner) Ich sah das Kind 043256, Gramophone, Berlin 1913-12-02
20. Parsifal (Wagner) Seit Ewigkeiten harre ich deiner 043257 Gramophone, Berlin 1913-12-02
21. Prophète (Meyerbeer) Ein armer Pilger naht (w. Kurt) Gram 044175 2118c
22. Tristan und Isolde (Wagner) Mild und leise 1355, P254, Parlophon, Berlin 1912-07
23. Walküre (Wagner) Der Männer Sippe sass hier im Saal 043190, 65477 Gramophone, Berlin 1911-09-13
24. Walküre (Wagner) Siegmund! Sieh’ auf mich! (w. Urlus) 044166 Gramophone, Berlin 1910-08-18