Krauss, (Marie) Gabrielle

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Krauss, (Marie) Gabrielle

Krauss, (Marie) Gabrielle, esteemed Austrian soprano, great- aunt of Clemens (Heinrich) Krauss; b. Vienna, March 24, 1842; d. Paris, Jan. 6, 1906. She studied with Mathilde Marchesi at the Vienna Cons., making her concert debut in Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri in Berlin (1858). She then joined the Vienna Court Opera, where she made her first important appearance as Mathilde in Wilhelm Tell (July 20, 1860); remained on its roster until 1867. She made her debut at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris as Leonora in II Trovatore(April 6, 1867), becoming a great favorite. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 compelled her to leave France; she sang in Italy and in Russia. When the new building of the Paris Grand Opéra was opened, she sang Rachel in La Juive (Jan. 5, 1875); remained with the Opéra until 1888, with the exception of the 1885-86 season. She subsequently gave concerts and was active as a teacher. She was greatly admired for her Donna Anna, Leonora, Aida, and roles in Meyerbeer’s operas; she also created Catharine of Aragon in Saint- Saëns’s Henry VIII (1883).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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Krauss, (Marie) Gabrielle

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