Marie Renard by Leopold Horovitz - wikigallery

Marie Renard (8 January 1864 – 19 October 1939) was an Austrian operatic

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

, later soprano.

Early training and career

Born Marie Pölzl, she first studied voice with Louise Weinlich-Tipka in her native city of

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 ...

and later in Berlin with Rosa de Ruda. She debuted in 1882 in Graz as Azucena in Verdi's '' Il trovatore'', filling in for another singer, and was engaged there until 1884. The following season (1884–1885) she sang at the German Theatre in Prague. After making guest appearances in the title roles of Bizet's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' and Ambroise Thomas' '' Mignon'' at the Berlin Hofoper in 1885, she became a member of that company from 1885 to 1888 and sang there in the premiere of Heinrich Hofmann's ''Donna Diana'' on 15 November 1886.

Vienna

In 1888 she was engaged at the Vienna Hofoper with an annual salary of 16,000 florins. She reached the peak of her career and popularity with that company. She was prized above all for her portrayals of roles in French operas (sung in German), in particular as Carmen. In 1889 she sang in Vienna in Carl Maria von Weber's '' Die drei Pintos'' (in the version completed by

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

). In 1890 she sang the title role in the first Viennese performance of Massenet's ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...

''. On 1 January 1892 she sang Eva in the world premiere of ''

Ritter Pázmán ''Ritter Pázmán'' (''Knight Pazman'') is a three-act opera composed by Johann Strauss II, with the libretto by Ludwig Dóczi. It premiered at the Hofoper in Vienna on New Year's Day in 1892. It is based on a Hungarian narrative poem, ''Pázmá ...

'' by Johann Strauss II. One of her most memorable performances was as Charlotte in the world premiere of Massenet's '' Werther'' on 16 February 1892 (performed in German). She also sang Frau Dot in the world premiere of Goldmark's ''Das Heimchen am Herd'' (21 March 1896) and Tatjana in the first Viennese performance of Tchaikovsky's '' Eugene Onegin'' (1897). Other roles in Vienna included Cherubino in ''Figaros Hochzeit'' (Mozart's '' Le nozze di Figaro'' in German), Zerlina in Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'', the title roles in ''Mignon'' by Thomas and '' Djamileh'' by Bizet, Ännchen in Weber's '' Der Freischütz'', Angela in Auber's '' Le domino noir'', Rosalinde in '' Die Fledermaus'' by Johann Strauss II, Musetta in Puccini's '' La bohème'', and Hänsel in Humperdinck's ''

Hänsel und Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in Grimms' Fairy Tales, ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little ...

''. Her farewell performance was in 1900 as Carmen. After her retirement she married Count Rudolf Kinsky. She died in her native city of Graz.

Sources

Kutsch, K. J. Karl-Josef Kutsch, also known as K. J. Kutsch, (born 11 May 1924) is a German physician and co-author with Leo Riemens of the ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', the standard reference for opera singers. Life and work Born in Gangelt, Kutsch studied me ...

and Riemens, Leo (2003). '' Großes Sängerlexikon'' (fourth edition, in German), . Munich: K. G. Saur. . * * Ludwig Eisenberg: ''Großes biographisches Lexikon der deutschen Bühne des XIX. Jahrhunderts''. List, Leipzig 1903, . * Carl Hagemann: ''Marie Renard''. 1940 {{DEFAULTSORT:Renard, Marie 1864 births 1939 deaths Musicians from Graz Austrian operatic mezzo-sopranos Austrian operatic sopranos 19th-century Austrian women opera singers Mezzo-sopranos from Austria-Hungary