Reiss, Albert

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Reiss, Albert

Reiss, Albert , German tenor; b. Berlin, Feb. 22, 1870; d. Nice, June 19, 1940. He was an actor before his voice was discovered by Pollini, after which he studied with Wilhelm Vilmar in Berlin, and later with Beno Stolzenburg and Julius Lieban. He made his operatic debut in KÖnigsberg as Ivanov in Zar und Zimmermann (Sept. 28, 1897); then sang in various German towns; on Dec. 23, 1901, he made his American debut at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. in the minor roles of the Sailor and the Shepherd in Tristan und Isolde; remained on its roster until 1920; he won distinction there as David in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Mime in the Ring cycle. In 1919 he returned to Berlin and sang at the Volksoper (1923–25). In 1938 he retired from the stage and lived in Nice.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire