Operatic career Emma Albani

1 operatic career

1.1 development in italy
1.2 move london s covent garden
1.3 performances new york s metropolitan opera
1.4 final season @ covent garden
1.5 post covent garden

operatic career

emma albani @ time of debut amina


development in italy

her funds began run low, , although training not yet complete began work support schooling. found position in messina, , operatic debut on 30 march 1870, in messina, playing amina in la sonnambula. debut performance received. later recalled:

i literally loaded flowers, presents, , poetry, detached sheets of sent fluttering down in every direction on heads of audience; , among numberless bouquets of every shape basket in concealed live dove. had painted red, , dear little bird rose , flew on theatre.

she returned milan after contract in messina had expired, resume instruction lamperti. additional work offers began pour in. accepted role of gilda in rigoletto, performing in cento. further roles followed in florence , malta, parts in la sonnambula, lucia di lammermoor, robert le diable, barber of seville , l africaine. after spending winter of 1870–1871 performing in malta, auditioned frederick gye, manager of covent garden in london. impressed talent , signed five-year contract. scheduled make london debut in spring of 1872. before london contract began, returned italy study lamperti @ lake como, , appeared @ teatro della pergola in florence, giving 1 last series of 9 performances in ten days in title role of ambroise thomas s mignon, part studied composer in paris prior making debut in role.

move london s covent garden

emma albani

albani arrived in london in spring, , made professional debut on 2 april 1872 amina in la sonnambula. critics , audience members alike impressed strong performance in role, , admirers presented flowers , jewellery. @ covent garden developed interest in oratorio after being introduced sir julius benedict , josiah pittman, encouraged explore it. first opportunity present piece came in october 1872, when performed angels, ever bright , fair handel s theodora @ norwich festival.

for 1872–1873 winter season performed italian opera @ salle ventadour in paris, made debut amina victor capoul elvino.

her second season in london included performances in roles of ophelia in ambroise thomas hamlet , countess in mozart s marriage of figaro. during off time after second season travelled moscow perform in la sonnambula, rigoletto, hamlet, , lucia di lammermoor. went st. petersburg tsar alexander ii viewed performances.

albani elisabeth in tannhäuser.

in third season in london, performed in same roles had in first 2 seasons: la sonnambula, lucia di lammermoor, linda di chamounix , martha. competition in opera world of london stiff, , common performers possessive of roles. after third season, queen victoria requested private performance albani, travelled windsor castle in july 1874 perform aria caro nome rigoletto, folk ballad robin adair , bach/gounod ave maria , , popular song home! sweet home! . queen suitably impressed performance , call albani perform other pieces, composers such brahms, grieg, handel , mendelssohn, traditional french , scottish tunes.

in fall of 1874, undertook tour of united states, visiting new york, boston, philadelphia, baltimore, washington, d.c., chicago , albany. tour under management of maurice strakosch. accompanied frederick gye s son, ernest gye, acting on father s behalf. learned role of elsa in wagner s lohengrin in 2 weeks, performing @ academy of music in new york. opera performed in italian, custom @ covent garden.

she returned london fourth season @ covent garden in 1875. after season, performed @ norwich festival, sang in mendelssohn s hymn of praise symphony-cantata , julius benedict s oratorio legend of st. cecilia. in fifth season in london (1876) performed role of elisabeth in london premiere of wagner s tannhäuser.

afterward went paris , sang @ théâtre des italiens, received, , gave special performance @ Élysée palace maréchal macmahon.

caricature punch, 17 september 1881: madame albani. thing of beauty gye ever!

albani married ernest gye on 6 august 1878. became pregnant, continued tour , perform until shortly before birth of son, frederick ernest gye on 4 june 1879. couple s child. in fall of 1879, after singing @ hereford , bristol festivals, returned florence. in january 1880, sang in nice, , there went théâtre de la monnaie in brussels. on 26 june 1880 performed isabella in ferdinand hérold s le pré aux clercs @ covent garden, production mounted her.

throughout 1880s, albani toured europe , north america, garnering praise wherever travelled. in 1881, invited perform in lohengrin, being given @ berlin royal opera. agreed appear in role of elsa, had sung in italian, , relearned part in german. performance attended german emperor, kaiser wilhelm i. reception positive, earning 3 curtain calls. in 1882, kaiser awarded title of hofkammersängerin.

in 1883, gave 3 recitals in montreal. more ten thousand people showed greet upon arrival, , @ reception poet louis-honoré fréchette read poem had written in honour. first operatic performance in canada came on 13 february 1883 in toronto, @ grand opera house performed in lucia di lammermoor. on 15 july 1884 in london sang role of brunehild in ernest reyer s opera sigurd , role of juliette in gounod s roméo et juliette in same season.

performances new york s metropolitan opera

albani desdemona.

albani made debut new york s metropolitan opera on 20 november 1891 valentine in meyerbeer s les huguenots, performance took place while company on tour in chicago. second appearance in chicago on 23 november desdemona in company s first ever performance of verdi s otello, , sang role there @ gala performance of act 4 on 9 december. other appearances met in chicago included valentine, gilda in rigoletto, violetta in act 1 of verdi s la traviata (on double bill mascagni s cavalleria rusticana, in emma eames s sang santuzza) , elsa in wagner s lohengrin. first appearance company in new york gilda in rigoletto on 23 december.

further performances in new york included 4 appearances valentine (a role performed on tour in louisville, albany, brooklyn, philadelphia, , boston), 3 donna elvira in mozart s don giovanni, 3 eva in wagner s die meistersinger von nürnberg, 1 more gilda, 1 desdemona, 1 elsa, single appearance marguerite in gounod s faust. sang donna elvira , eva on tour in boston. final appearance met in new york on 31 march 1892, senta in flying dutchman. operas in appeared sung in italian. in total had performed 29 times company. season progressed critics remarked on wear , tear becoming evident in voice, praised artistry , experience. of last performance @ met new york times wrote: senta of mlle. albani not vocally perfect, yet had many excellences hearers must have been inclined forgive departures pitch seem have become inseparable accompaniment of singing of late. did atone them intelligence of work , dramatic earnestness imbued singing. earned fair share of honors of evening.

final season @ covent garden

even in albani s final season @ covent garden in 1896, continued receive positive reviews. greatest triumph of career came on 26 june 1896, when sang isolde in wagner s tristan und isolde, jean de reszke in first london tristan, louise meisslinger brangäne, david bispham kurwenal, Édouard de reszke king marke, , luigi mancinelli conducting. there total of 4 performances, of sold out despite higher normal ticket prices , oddity opera sung in german. on 24 july sang valentine in les huguenots. there had been no announcement, , few people have realized last time hear in opera. career @ covent garden had lasted twenty-four years.

post covent garden

emma albani in 1899

after retiring covent garden in 1896, albani departed tour of canada, performing in venues across country. in 1898, toured australia. active in oratorio in britain. on death of queen victoria in 1901, albani travelled london , sang solo role @ final service. in spring 1908, veteran albani toured english provinces part of company containing 2 budding talents: 10-year-old pianist marie novello, 2 years later become 1 of theodor leschetizky s last students, , john mccormack, months before had made own covent garden debut. albani gave last public performance on 14 october 1911. same year released book, forty years of song. book memoir, recounting stories of youth, travels , career, , impressions of fellow performers , royalty met on life, providing useful advice on singing.

she , husband retired kensington. poor investments resulted in loss of of wealth, , albani forced give musical lessons earn income. husband died in 1925, compounding situation, benefit concerts arranged friends provided sufficient income albani. died on 3 april 1930, aged 82, @ home on tregunter road, kensington , buried husband @ brompton cemetery.