Zdenka Fassbender & Maude Fay

as Elektra & Chrysothemis in "Elektra" by Strauss

Maude Maude
18 April 1878 – 7 October 1964
American Soprano

Studied with Aglaja von Orgeni in Dresden. Debut in 1906 at the Court Opera in Munich as Marguerite in 'Faust' by Gounod. She stayed until 1914 active in Munich and was primarily known as a Wagner soprano. She sang in 1908 the title role in the Munich premiere of the opera "Donna Diana" by Reznicek, Chrysothemis in" Elektra "(1908) and the title character in' Ariadne auf Naxos' (1913) in the premieres of Richard Strauss operas at the Court Opera in Munich. She had great success there as the Countess in 'The Marriage of Figaro' and as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni; their other roles in Munich were the Elsa in 'Lohengrin', the title role in 'Jessonda' of L.Spohr that Ada in 'The Fairies' by R. Wagner, the Norma and Irene 'Rienzi' by R. Wagner. She also appeared at the City Theatre of Zurich (1909), and Berlin Court Opera (1909), at Frankfurt (1910) and Leipzig (1911). At Covent Garden London, she sang in 1914 as Sieglinde in 'Valkyrie', as Gutrune in 'Götterdämmerung' and as Elsa in 'Lohengrin' Further guest performances at the Court Opera of St. Petersburg, in Brussels and 1912-13 in Amsterdam, where she was Elisabeth in Tannhäuser and Sieglinde in 'Valkyrie' 1915-17 .Metropolitan Opera New York. There she sang in 1916 the role of Sieglinde, and Elsa . In the 1916-17 season she was engaged at the Opera of Chicago. 1920-21 she was again heard at the San Carlo Opera Company in the United States. After she married the American naval officer Powers, she made rare guest performances and concerts.






Zdenka Fassbender
12. December 1879 -14. March 1954
Czech soprano

Studied with Sophie Loewe Destinn in Prague. In 1899 she debuted at the Court Theatre of Karlsruhe as Rachel in 'La Juive' by Halévy . In 1903 she was in the premiere of the opera 'Ilsebill' of Fr. Klose in the title role . Munich Court 1905-1924, the most prominent members of the Munich Court Opera (known since 1918 as Bayerische Staatsoper). Performed roles such as Venus in 'Tannhäuser', Ortrud in "Lohengrin", Isolde in "Tristan und Isolde"', Brünnhilde in "the Ring Cycle", Kundry in "Parsifal', Santuzza in 'Cavalleria Rusticana' Iphigenie in Gluck's 'Iphigénie en Tauride', Alceste by Gluck, Valentine in the 'Huguenots' by Meyerbeer, Dido in 'Les Troyens' by Berlioz, Katharina in 'The Taming of the Shrew' by.Goetz, Minneleide in the "Rose vom Liebesgarten" by Hans Pfitzner, the Gundula in ''Der Bergsee' by Bittner , Leonore in Beethoven's 'Fidelio'. She appeared in the Munich premieres of operas 'Tiefland' by d'Albert (1908 as Martha), 'Elektra' by R. Strauss (1908 title role), 'Tosca' (1909 title role), 'Der Rosenkavalier' (1911 Marschallin) , 'Der arme Heinrich' by H.Pfitzner (1913 Hilde), 'Parsifal' (1914 as Kundry) and 'Mona Lisa' by von Schillings (1917 title role) Guest performances she sang in 1910 and 1913 in London, Elektra and Isolde conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham, 1912-14 in the performances of the Ring Cycle at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. In 1904 she made guest appearances at the Vienna Court Opera, 1909 at the Berlin Court Opera, also in other major opera houses in Germany, Stuttgart, at the court theaters of Wiesbaden and Mannheim and at the Opera House of Cologne. In 1928 she appeared again at the Munich Staatsoper as Elektra.