Josephine de Reszke
Joséphine de Reszke, in Polish Józefina Reszke, (4 June 1855 – 22 February 1891) was a Polish soprano. Born in Warsaw, she was the sister of the bass Edouard and the tenor Jean de Reszke, famous singers in their own rights. She began her studies with her mother and with a Mme. Nissen-Salomon, and made her debut in Paris as Ophelia in Hamlet on 21 June 1875.
She remained at the Opéra in Paris for several years, during which time she became known for her performances in Italian and French operas; she also created the role of Sita in Jules Massenet's Le roi de Lahore. She turned down an offer to appear in the United States, and remained in Europe for the duration of her career.
Josephine appeared with her brother Jean on the occasion of his debut; the two, along with Edouard, participated in the Paris premiere of Hérodiade in 1884. At the peak of her career she married Baron Leopold Kronenberg, and retired from the stage almost completely, giving only charity performances thereafter. For this she was awarded with a diamond from the city of Poznań. De Reszke died in Warsaw in 1891.
References
- Ewen, David (1963). Encyclopedia of the Opera (New enlarged ed.). New York: Hill and Wang.
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