Brandt, Marianne (1842–1921)
Brandt, Marianne (1842–1921)
Austrian who was one of the early Wagnerian mezzo-sopranos. Born Marie Bischoff in Vienna, Austria, on September 12, 1842; died in Vienna on July 9, 1921.
Though Marianne Brandt was Viennese, she first appeared in Berlin in 1868, performing there until 1882. She studied in Vienna with Janda and Zeller and in Baden-Baden with Pauline Viardot . In 1872, Brandt made her Covent Garden debut in Fidelio. Two years later, she sang Amneris in the first Berlin performance of Aïda. Though she originally refused the part of Waltraute in Götterdämmerung, Brandt replaced Luise Jaide with short notice at the first Bayreuth Festival in 1876. In 1882, Brandt performed Kundry at the second performance of Parsifal at Bayreuth. Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, though she disliked Wagner, Brandt performed his work in Berlin, London, and New York. Her large, well-projected voice made her a perfect choice for these demanding operas. From 1884 to 1888, she appeared at the Metropolitan Opera. Brandt gave the first American performance of Weber's Euryanthe in 1887. She retired in 1890.