Elisabeth Rethberg
Once voted the world’s most perfect singer, this famous German soprano was among the Metropolitan Opera’s foremost artists for two decades following her 1922 debut. In 1928, around the time of her Schubert Club recital, Rethberg recorded this charming song by the now largely forgotten 19th-century German composer Wilhelm Taubert:
The beauty of her voice and purity of style can be appreciated in this 1930 recording of Desdemona’s “Ave Maria” from Verdi’s Otello:
Here she is as Donna Anna in a legendary 1937 Salzburg Festival performance of Don Giovanni:
Artist note by Richard Evidon
From the Schubert Club Archive:
Promotional flyer for Rethberg’s 1927 performance
Professional portrait of Rethberg, likely provided by her management company
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The guest artist lineup for the 1926-27 season, featured in the St. Paul Daily News on September 26, 1926
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Program from Rethberg’s 1927 concert
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Professional portrait of Rethberg, likely provided by her management company
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Local advertisement for Rethberg’s concert
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Article from a local newspaper announcing Rethberg’s 1927 performance; dated August 1, 1926
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Article from a local newspaper announcing Rethberg’s 1927 performance
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Local review of Rethberg’s 1927 performance
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Local review of Rethberg’s 1927 performance
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Local article announcing the financial sponsors of Rethberg’s 1927 concert, many of whom are Schubert Club members
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