Tietjens, Therese (Carolina Johanna Alexandra)
Tietjens, Therese (Carolina Johanna Alexandra)
Tietjens, Therese (Carolina Johanna Alexandra), famous German soprano; b. Hamburg, July 17, 1831; d. London, Oct. 3, 1877. She was trained in Hamburg and Vienna, and in 1849 made her operatic debut in Altona as Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, which became her most celebrated role. After singing in Frankfurt am Main (1850-51), Brunn, and Vienna, she made her London debut as Valentine in Les Huguenots at Her Majesty’s Theatre on April 13, 1858; subsequently appeared in London every season until her death, making her Covent Garden debut as Lucrezia Borgia on Oct. 24, 1868. She also sang opera in Paris (1863), at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples (1862-63; 1868-69), and in the U.S. (1874, 1876); also became well known as an oratorio singer in England. Stricken with cancer, she made her farewell appearance at Covent Garden as Lucrezia Borgia on May 19, 1877, collapsing on the stage at the close of the performance. Among her other outstanding roles were Mozart’s Countess, Pamina, and Donna Anna, Cherubini’s Medea, Beethoven’s Leonore, Bellini’s Norma, Verdi’s Leonora, and Wagner’s Ortrud.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire