As a woman, it could make you quite jealous: how do you manage to build a glorious career and also become a mother of seven children? But the contralto Ernestine Schumann-Heink (1861-1936) was therefore a lady of great talent and an iron will. She was born into a poor family that could hardly provide itself with enough food. However, Ernestine was lucky that her voice was discovered and she was able
… to enjoy free singing lessons. Already at the age of 17 she made her opera debut as Azucena in Verdi's "Il trovatore". About ten years later, one of the greatest highlights of her career followed: a performance of Brahms' "Alto Rhapsody" conducted by Hans von Bülow. The composer was also present at the time and he showed great admiration for the singer. Schumann-Heink became the most appreciated contralto of her time. She was praised for her interpretations of Wagner and sang a complete "Ring der Nibelungen" conducted by Gustav Mahler. She would also create the role of Clytemnestra in Richard Strauss's "Elektra". It goes without saying that recordings of her singing are important historical documents. This double CD (the first of a series) contains the complete recordings from the period 1900-1909. It creaks and it rustles, but the voice still sounds fresh and young. You can hear arias from "Samson et Dalilah" (Saint-Saëns), "Le prophète" (Meyerbeer) and "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) and songs such as Schubert's "Der Tod und das Mädchen". (CP) _ She was praised for her interpretations of Wagner and sang a complete "Ring der Nibelungen" conducted by Gustav Mahler. She would also create the role of Clytemnestra in Richard Strauss's "Elektra". It goes without saying that recordings of her singing are important historical documents. This double CD (the first of a series) contains the complete recordings from the period 1900-1909. It creaks and it rustles, but the voice still sounds fresh and young. You can hear arias from "Samson et Dalilah" (Saint-Saëns), "Le prophète" (Meyerbeer) and "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) and songs such as Schubert's "Der Tod und das Mädchen". (CP) _ She was praised for her interpretations of Wagner and sang a complete "Ring der Nibelungen" conducted by Gustav Mahler. She would also create the role of Clytemnestra in Richard Strauss's "Elektra". It goes without saying that recordings of her singing are important historical documents. This double CD (the first of a series) contains the complete recordings from the period 1900-1909. It creaks and it rustles, but the voice still sounds fresh and young. You can hear arias from "Samson et Dalilah" (Saint-Saëns), "Le prophète" (Meyerbeer) and "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) and songs such as Schubert's "Der Tod und das Mädchen". (CP) _ She would also create the role of Clytemnestra in Richard Strauss's "Elektra". It goes without saying that recordings of her singing are important historical documents. This double CD (the first of a series) contains the complete recordings from the period 1900-1909. It creaks and it rustles, but the voice still sounds fresh and young. You can hear arias from "Samson et Dalilah" (Saint-Saëns), "Le prophète" (Meyerbeer) and "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) and songs such as Schubert's "Der Tod und das Mädchen". (CP) _ She would also create the role of Clytemnestra in Richard Strauss's "Elektra". It goes without saying that recordings of her singing are important historical documents. This double CD (the first of a series) contains the complete recordings from the period 1900-1909. It creaks and it rustles, but the voice still sounds fresh and young. You can hear arias from "Samson et Dalilah" (Saint-Saëns), "Le prophète" (Meyerbeer) and "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) and songs such as Schubert's "Der Tod und das Mädchen". (CP) _ It creaks and it rustles, but the voice still sounds fresh and young. You can hear arias from "Samson et Dalilah" (Saint-Saëns), "Le prophète" (Meyerbeer) and "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) and songs such as Schubert's "Der Tod und das Mädchen". (CP) _ It creaks and it rustles, but the voice still sounds fresh and young. You can hear arias from "Samson et Dalilah" (Saint-Saëns), "Le prophète" (Meyerbeer) and "Lucrezia Borgia" (Donizetti) and songs such as Schubert's "Der Tod und das Mädchen". (CP) _more
