Irma Reichová
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Irma Reichová (14 March 1859 – 5 June 1930) was a Czech
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
tic
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
who had an active career appearing in European
opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...
s during the latter half of the nineteenth century. A
dramatic soprano A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a ...
, she was admired for both her musical and acting talent. She is best remembered for appearing in the world premieres of a number of operas by
Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...
and
Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( ; ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival". He has been regarded ...
.


Biography

Born Irma Keszlerová in
Křivoklát Křivoklát () is a market town in Rakovník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the medieval Křivoklát Castle, protected as national cultural monument. Administrative div ...
, Reichová first sang publicly in 1874 at a festival honoring the building of a railway bridge near his hometown. Her local priest, , together with Prince Emil Furstenberg, were so amazed by her voice that they advised her parents to enroll her in singing lessons. Her family accordingly sent her to
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
where she studied under František Pivoda, the Director of the Prague School of Singing. She made her first public appearance in Prague as Senta in a concert version of
Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
's ''
Der fliegende Holländer ' (''The Flying Dutchman''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 63, is a German-language opera, with libretto and music by Richard Wagner. The central theme is redemption through love. Wagner Conducting, conducted the premiere at the Königliches Hofthe ...
''. Shortly thereafter she was supposed to appear at the opera house in
Teplice Teplice (, until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; , ''Teplitz-Schönau'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 51,000 inhabitants. It is the most populous Czech spa town, followed by Karlovy Vary. The historic city cen ...
, but ill health prevented her from performing. She finally made her first staged opera appearance at the
Provisional Theatre The Prague Provisional Theatre (, ) was erected in 1862 as a temporary home for Czech drama and opera until a permanent National Theatre could be built. It opened on 18 November 1862 and functioned for 20 years, during which time over 5,000 perfo ...
the following year. Her portrayal of Marguerita in
Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
's ''
Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...
'' was so well received that the theatre's manager, Johann Nepomuk Maýr, offered her a long-term contract. She accepted and appeared in a number of
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
s over the next year. In 1881,
Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( ; ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival". He has been regarded ...
invited Reichová to join his roster of artists at the then new
Prague National Theatre The National Theatre () is a historic opera house in Prague, Czech Republic. It is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural ...
. She accepted the offer, breaking her contract with the Provisional Theatre. She notably sang at the grand opening of the National Theatre on June 11, 1881 as the title heroine in the world premiere of Smetana's ''
Libuše , Libussa, Libushe or, historically ''Lubossa'', is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czechs, Czech people as a whole. According to legend, she was the youngest but wisest of three sisters, who became queen after their father ...
''; a performance given in honor of the visit of
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria (Rudolf Franz Karl Josef; 21 August 1858 – 30 January 1889) was the only son and third child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. He was heir apparent to the imperial throne of the Austro ...
. Unfortunately the new house was destroyed two months later by a fire and the company had to perform at the Nové České Divadlo (New Czech Theatre) until the theatre could be rebuilt. At the New Czech Theatre, Reichová notably portrayed Hedvika in the first production of Smetana's ''
The Devil's Wall ''The Devil's Wall'' () is a comic-romantic opera in three acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana and libretto by Eliška Krásnohorská, in their third operatic collaboration. The subtext of the plot is a Czech legend of a sheer rockface that over ...
'' on October 29, 1882 and Xenie Borisovna in the world premiere of
Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...
's ''
Dimitrij Dimitrij is a masculine given name related to Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinization of names, Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male name, male Greek given names, given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alterna ...
'' on 8 October 1882. The National Theatre reopened on November 18, 1883 with a reprisal of ''Libuše'' with the same cast. In 1887, Reichová's love for Italian music brought her to Italy where she became fluent in Italian and made intensive studies of the major Italian repertoire. In 1888, she appeared at the
Hungarian State Opera House The Hungarian State Opera House ( ) is a historic opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy avenue. Originally known as the Hungarian Royal Opera House, it was designed by Miklós Ybl, a major figure of 19th-century Hungarian archite ...
, where she raised such enthusiasm that she was offered a permanent contract. She spent the next seven years as Budapest's leading soprano. In 1891, Reichová returned to Prague where she continued to sing and worked as a voice teacher. In 1927, she retired and lived the rest of her life in Bohemia. She died in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
on 5 June 1930, aged 71.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reichova, Irma 1859 births 1930 deaths People from Rakovník District Czech operatic sopranos 19th-century Czech women opera singers 20th-century Czech women opera singers Sopranos from Austria-Hungary