Maria Nemeth (Hungarian: Németh Mária; 13 March 1897 – 28 December 1967) was a Hungarian dramatic coloratura soprano, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, one of the leading dramatic sopranos of the inter-war period.

Life and career

Nemeth was born in

Körmend Körmend ( Prekmurje Slovene: ''Karmadén,'' ) is a town in Vas County, Western Hungary. Places of interest The town is especially well known for its castle which used to belong to the Batthyány family, one of the most important aristocrat famili ...

. She studied first in Budapest with Georg Anthes and Géza László, in Milan with Giannina Russ, in Naples with Fernando de Lucia, and Vienna with Kaschowska. She made her stage debut in Budapest, as Sulamith in

Karl Goldmark Karl Goldmark (born Károly Goldmark, Keszthely, 18 May 1830 – Vienna, 2 January 1915) was a Hungarian-born Viennese composer. Peter Revers, Michael Cherlin, Halina Filipowicz, Richard L. Rudolph The Great Tradition and Its Legacy 2004; , p ...

's ''The Queen of Sheba'', in 1923. She began her career by singing lyric and high soprano roles, gradually adding dramatic roles to her repertoire. Star soprano at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

from 1925 until 1946, she also appeared at the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

in 1928, as Constanze in the '' Abduction from the Seraglio'', and at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

in London, as ''

Turandot ''Turandot'' ( ; see #Origin and pronunciation of the name, below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Puccini left the opera unfinished at the time of his death in 1924; it ...

'', in 1931. Her amazing voice and remarkable technique enabled her to excel in roles as diverse as Constanze and Queen of Night, Amelia and

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

. Considered one of the best

Donna Anna ''Don Giovanni'' (; Köchel catalogue, K. 527; full title: , literally ''The rake (stock character), 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 ...

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

, and

of her time. She also tackled

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 ...

roles, such as Brünnhilde, with success. She died in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Sources

* ''Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique'', R. Mancini & J-J. Rouveroux, (Fayard, 1986), 1897 births 1967 deaths Hungarian operatic sopranos 20th-century Hungarian women opera singers Burials at Döbling Cemetery {{Hungary-opera-singer-stub