Irene von Chavanne (18 April 1863 – 26 December 1938) was an Austrian operatic

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

Life

Chavanne, born in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

as a daughter of the retired Imperial-Royal Major Joseph Ludwig Edler von Chavanne (6 December 1806 in Olomouc - 25 October 1887 in Graz) from his second marriage in Graz on 5 July 1862 to Juliana Edlen von Krisch (20 January 1831 in Teschen – 23 March 1903 in Dresden), was actually supposed to become a pianist, but her piano teacher Wilhelm Mayer discovered her vocal gifts and advised her to study singing. Thereupon she received her education, financed by

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898. Elisabeth was ...

, at the Conservatory of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna with Johannes Ress. She then studied in Paris with Désirée Artôt de Padilla and in Dresden with Adeline de Paschalis Souvestre. She made her debut in April 1885 at the Königliche Oper von Dresden, where she sang until the end of her career in 1915. She was also named an honorary member of the opera. On 9 December 1905 she sang the role of

Herodias Herodias ( el, Ἡρῳδιάς, ''Hērǭdiás''; ''c.'' 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with John the Baptist's execution. Family relat ...

in the world premiere of

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

by Richard Strauss. She also took over singing the role of Clytemnestra in Strauss' Elektra, since Ernestine Schumann-Heink, the role's creator, dropped out after the first performance. Other roles included Adriano (

Rienzi ' (''Rienzi, the last of the tribunes''; WWV 49) is an early opera by Richard Wagner in five acts, with the libretto written by the composer after Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel of the same name (1835). The title is commonly shortened to ''Rienzi ...

), Amneris ('' Aida''), Fidès ('' Le prophète''), Azucena ('' Il trovatore'') and Dalila ('' Samson and Delilah''). She died in Dresden in 1938 at the age of 75. Her grave is located in the Old Catholic Cemetery in Dresden.

References

External links

Chavanne Irene von
on Operissimo

on Forgotten Opera singers. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chavanne, Irene von Operatic contraltos 20th-century Austrian women opera singers 1863 births 1938 deaths Burials at Old Catholic Cemetery, Dresden Musicians from Graz Edlers of Austria Women singers from Austria-Hungary

Life

Further reading

References

External links