Edouard de Reszke

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Edouard de Reszke
Edouard de Reszke

Edouard de Reszke, born as Edward, (22 December 1853 - 25 May 1917) was a Polish operatic bass born in Warsaw.

Edouard de Reszke learnt singing first in Warsaw, then in Italy. Initially, he did not want to become an operatic singer, but persuaded by his sister, Józefina, he accepted an engagement with the Paris Opera. He was chosen by the composer Giuseppe Verdi to make his debut in the first Paris performance of Aida on 22 April 1876, appearing under Verdi's baton as the king of Egypt.

De Reszke's older brother was the celebrated tenor Jean de Reszke (1850-1925), with whom he sang often in Paris, London and New York. In 1887, they performed together in the 500th performance of Gounod's Faust at the Paris Opera.

From 1880 to 1900, de Reszke appeared over 300 times at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, performing a wide range of bass roles in French, German and Italian operas, including works by Richard Wagner and Mozart. He was a huge favourite, too, with audiences at New York's Metropolitan Opera during the same era. De Reszke also sang in Chicago in 1891 and, in 1879-1881, at La Scala, Milan. He retired from the stage in 1903.

De Reszke taught singing for a while in London before returning to his estate in Poland, where he was adversely affected by the outbreak of World War One in 1914. He died in poverty on 25 May 1917 at his house in Garnek, near Częstochowa, Poland, and his grave is to be found at Borowno in that country. His fame lives on, however, as one of the greatest basses in operatic history.

A tall man, de Reszke possessed a big, flexible, ripe-toned voice and an imposing stage presence. He proved equally adept at dramatic parts and comedy. Unfortunately, he made only a few commercial discs for the Columbia record company in America in 1903, by which time his voice was in decline due to years of hard use.

[edit] Edouard de Reszke – Appearances at the Royal Opera House

[edit] Gala performances by Jean and Edouard de Reszke at Covent Garden and Command Performances at Windsor Castle

[edit] References

  • List of appearances after the Royal Opera House database.
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