Description

HERMINE BOSETTI (28 SEPTEMBER 1875, VIENNA – 1 MAY 1936, HOHENRAIN OR MUNICH)

Her real name was Hermine von Flick. She studied singing under Ms. Aurelie Jäger-Wilczek in Vienna and made her debut in 1898 at the Hoftheater in Wiesbaden as Ännchen in Der Freischütz. She remained there until 1900 and in the 1900-1901 season sang at the Vienna Court Opera. From 1901 until her retirement in 1926, she was a member of the Munich Court Opera. In 1903, she appeared in the Munich premiere of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s Le donne curiose at the Residenztheater as Colombine. In 1906, she sang at the Residenztheater again in the premiere of Wolf-Ferrari’s I quattro rusteghi. In 1912, she took part in the world premiere of Wilhelm Mauke’s Franfreluche at the Court Opera.

In 1910, she created the role of Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly for Munich, and in 1911, she performed Octavian in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier and Massenet’s Manon. In 1913, she sang Zerbinetta in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. She appeared as a guest at the Berlin Court Opera in 1905 and 1914, at the Court Opera in Dresden in 1910, and at the Vienna Court Opera several times from 1908 to 1911. She also performed at the Stuttgart Court Theater from 1905 to 1915, at the Deutsches Theater in Prague in 1907, at the Vienna Volksoper in 1908, and at the Frankfurt Opera House from 1906 to 1915. Her guest appearances included the opera houses of Cologne and Leipzig, the Stadttheater in Bremen, the Riga Opera House in 1906 and 1907, the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels in 1912, and the Stadttheater in Basel in 1921.

She achieved notable successes in Russia, performing in St. Petersburg alongside Mattia Battistini. In 1912, she appeared at the Municipal Theater of Zurich as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Violetta in La traviata, and Frau Fluth in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor. At Covent Garden Opera in 1907, she performed in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In 1913, she was heard at His Majesty’s Theater in London in the English premiere of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. That same season, she again performed Octavian in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier at Covent Garden.

She remained active at the Munich Opera until 1926, including as a guest from 1924 to 1926. From 1924 to 1930, she taught at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt a.M., and later in Munich. Her daughter, Elly Bosetti, made her debut in the 1930s as a soprano, performing as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Municipal Theater of Bamberg in 1935.

TRACKLIST

1. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Frag’ ich mein, pt 1 2-43489 18640L Gramophone, Berlin 1916-07
2. Don Giovanni (Mozart) Reich mir die Hand (w. Feinhals) X52585 xB3419 Odeon, Berlin 1908-03
3. Freischütz (Weber) Schelm, halt’ fest (w. Hafgren-Waag) AA57886 xxB5161 Odeon, Berlin 1911-06
4. Lustigen Weiber von Windsor (Nicolai) Nein, das ist wirklich (w. Ober) XX76267 xxB5608 Odeon, Berlin 1912 (Spring)
5. Traviata (Verdi) Alfred du weißt nicht X99052 xB3890 Odeon, Berlin 1908-0607
6. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Frag’ ich mein, pt 2 2-43490 18641L Gramophone, Berlin 1916-07
7. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Phöbus stolz im Sonnenwagen XX76001 xxB3418 Odeon, Berlin 1908-03
8. Don Pasquale (Donizetti) O diese Glut in Blicken XX76043 xxB4676 Odeon, Berlin 1909-09
9. Frühlingsstimmen, Walzer (Strauss) 043289 987m Gramophone, Berlin 1916-07
10. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Eine holde, edle Dame (Pagenarie) XX76348 xxB5845 Odeon, Berlin 1913
11. Lustigen Weiber von Windsor (Nicolai) Welch ein Frevel (w. Ober) XX76268, xxB5609 Odeon, Berlin 1912 (Spring)
12. Martha (Flotow) Ha, sie ist’s (w. Naval) XX80038 xxB4599 Odeon, Berlin 1909-09
13. Martha (Flotow) Letzte Rose AA53028, xxB5844 Odeon, Berlin 1913
14. Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) So lang’ hab’ ich geschmachtet (w. Feinhals) X52586 xB3433 Odeon, Berlin 1908-03
15. Rigoletto (Verdi) Teurer Name 043288 986m Gramophone, Berlin 1916-07
16. Traviata (Verdi) Lebt wohl jetzt, ihr Gebilde X99028 xB3888 Odeon, Berlin 1908-0607
17. Traviata (Verdi) Wenn mit der Zeit (w. Weil) AA79105 xxB5144 Odeon, Berlin 1911-06
18. Waffenschmied (Lortzing) Er schläft AA79108 xxB5590 Odeon, Berlin 1912 (Spring)
19. Zauberflöte (Mozart) Der Hölle Rache 43786 4446L G&T, München 1906-08
20. Zauberflöte (Mozart) Zum leiden bin ich 43785 4445L G&T, München 1906-08