Description

LUCETTE KORSOFF (GENOA, 1 FEBRUARY, 1876 – BRUSSELS, 14 FEBRUARY, 1955)

Lucette Korsoff, born in 1876 in Genoa, was the daughter of the legendary Russian baritone Bogomir Korsoff. She studied singing with Frédéric Boyer and Rosina Lambord in Paris and made her debut in Pergolesi’s La serva padrona in St. Petersburg in 1892.

In 1897 she appeared at the Opera Theatre of Liège. She then achieved significant success in Cairo and Alexandria in 1901 with Thoma’s Amleto. That same year, she made her debut at the Opera Theatre of Toulouse. From 1903 to 1906, she was a prominent figure at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, and later, from 1906 to 1908, at the Théâtre La Monnaie in Brussels.

In 1908, she returned to the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where she gained widespread acclaim for her performance as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in 1909. Her career continued with appearances in Brussels during the 1910-1911 season, followed by a successful tour of the USA. She performed at the Opera Theatre of New Orleans in the 1911-1912 season and at the Opera Theatre of Boston from 1912 to 1913. Additionally, she gave several concerts in New York and appeared at the Court Opera of St. Petersburg.

Korsoff continued her studies with Teresa Arkel in Milan in 1913, and in 1914, she performed in London and several Italian theaters. She gave a guest performance at the Opera Theatre of Monte Carlo in 1918 and returned there in 1922 to perform in Massenet’s Amadis.

After retiring from the stage in 1922, Korsoff worked as a pedagogue in Paris, where one of her notable pupils was Gina Cigna. By 1936, she lived in Brussels, where she was largely forgotten. Korsoff was known for her warm, heartfelt timbre, wide range, and virtuosic coloratura technique, which combined to create performances that avoided routine and monotony.

TRACKLIST

1. Lakmé (Delibes) Dans la forêt profonde X-83103, Zonophone Paris 1905
2. Le bonheur est chose légère (Saint-Saëns) X-83145 Zonophone, Paris 1906
3. Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Que n’avons nous des ailes 033168 02720½v Gramophone, Paris 1913-06-17
4. Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Vers toi toujours (w. Beyle) 34189 5051h G&T, Paris 1907
5. Manon (Massenet) Et je sais votre nom (w. Beyle) 34151 5794o G&T, Paris 1906
6. Manon (Massenet) Et je sais votre nom (w. Beyle) 34198, 5735h Gramophone, Paris 1908
7. Manon (Massenet) Fabliau X-83143 Zonophone, Paris 1906
8. Manon (Massenet) Je marche sur tous les chemins 33690 5747h Gramophone, Paris 1908
9. Manon (Massenet) Je suis encore toute étourdie 33685 5644h Gramophone, Paris 1908
10. Manon (Massenet) Je suis encore toute étourdie X-83146 Zonophone, Paris 1906
11. Manon (Massenet) N’est-ce plus ma main 33687 5647h Gramophone, Paris 1908
12. Manon (Massenet) Nous vivrons à Paris (w. Beyle) 34196 5750h Gramophone, Paris 1908
13. Manon (Massenet) Obéissons quand leur voix appelle (Gavotte) 33691 5733-IIh Gramophone, Paris 1908
14. Manon (Massenet) On l’appelle Manon (w. Beyle) 34150 5793o G&T, Paris 1906
15. Manon Lescaut (Auber) L’éclat de rire X-83218 Zonophone, Paris 1907
16. Mignon (Thomas) Je suis Titania (Polonaise) 45006 Victor, USA 1908
17. Mireille (Gounod) Heureux petit berger X-83096, Zonophone Paris 1905
18. Mireille (Gounod) Mon coeur ne peut changer 033132 02102v Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-05