Description

ROSA OLITZKA (BERLIN, 6 SEPTEMBER, 1873 – CHICAGO, 29 SEPTEMBER, 1949)

Her family was of Polish descent. She studied singing under Julius Hey in Berlin and Désirée Artôt de Padilla in Paris. She gave a concert in Berlin in 1889 and made her operatic debut in 1892 at the Opera House in Brünn (Brno). She was engaged by the Court Theatre in Hannover (1892-1893) and the Municipal Theatre in Hamburg (1893-1894). In 1894, she made guest appearances at the Court Opera in Dresden and Covent Garden, where she sang the role of Urbain in Gli Ugonotti by Meyerbeer. She continued to work at Covent Garden until 1897, returning in 1901, 1905, and 1907.

In 1894, she participated in a US tour with the Damrosch Opera Company. From 1895 to 1901, she was a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she made her debut as Siebel in Faust by Gounod. At the Met, she performed many roles, including Fricka, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde, Ortrud in Lohengrin, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Amneris in Aida, Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette, and Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana. She also had a successful performance at the Court Opera in St. Petersburg in 1898.

In 1902, she sang Waltraute at the Théâtre Château d’Eau in Paris during the French premiere of Götterdämmerung, and later at the Paris Grand Opéra. She also appeared at La Scala in Milan as Amneris in Aida and at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. She continued to guest at major German opera houses and the Grand Opéra and Opéra-Comique in Paris until 1910-1911. Afterward, she was engaged by the Chicago Opera and also performed at the Boston Opera, making guest appearances and giving concerts in Europe and North America.

After retiring from the stage, she settled in Chicago as a pedagogue. Her nephew, Walter Olitzki (1899-1949), had a successful career as a baritone, including seasons at the Metropolitan Opera in New York from 1939 to 1947.

TRACKLIST

1. Agnus Dei (Bizet) Columbia 30837, A5428
2. Aida (Verdi) Gesang der Amneris, 4 Akt G&T 43741 3998h
3. Faust (Gounod) Faites-lui mes aveux Edison 4854
4. Gioconda (Ponchielli) Voce di donna Columbia 30834, A5341
5. Ich liebe dich (Grieg) Columbia A1344 38438
6. Ich liebe dich (Grieg) G&T  43776 3994h
7. Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti) Il segreto per esser felice Historical Record Society 38441 HRS 1032-A
8. Mignon (Thomas) Kennst du das Land Edison 15216
9. Morgenhymne (Henschel) G&T 43766  3996½h
10. Pikova Dama (Tchaikovsky) Romance de Pauline (O jeunes filles) Columbia  A1344
11. Prophète (Meyerbeer) Ah! mon fils Columbia 30838, A5340
12. Samson und Dalila (Saint Saëns) Sieh´ mein Herz erschließet sich G&T 43742 3997h
13. Sapho (Gounod) O ma lyre immortelle Columbia 30995, A5428
14. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Frau Holda kam aus dem Berg hervor Columbia 30849
15. Trovatore (Verdi) Lodernde Flammen Historical Record Society HRS 1032-B
16. Xerxes (Händel) Ombra mai fu Columbia 30840 A5341