Emmy Destinn was a Czech opera singer. She was born in 1878 in Prague and died in 1930 in České Budějovice. She sang on opera stages in Europe and overseas, and at the height of her career she settled in the château in Stráž nad Nežárkou. [1] Besides singing she worked as an actress and wrote. [1]
Origin and training
She was born as Emilie Pavlína Kittlová into a wealthy family well known in Prague patriotic society. [1] According to the source she inherited her voice from her mother, who had briefly studied singing and held an engagement at the Paris opera. Her father looked after his daughter's musical talent and arranged her training with teachers. Singing was taught to her by Marie Loewe-Destinn, from whom she later took her stage name. Her father also enrolled her in the drama school at the National Theatre, where she was taught by the actress Otýlie Sklenářová-Malá. [1] She wrote several plays for amateurs, some of which were performed in Prague and in Stráž. [1]
Berlin
According to the source, she was unjustly unsuccessful before F. A. Šubert, the director of the National Theatre in Prague. An attempt at the Dresden opera followed, and success came in Berlin, at the Court Opera. [1] She made her debut there in the role of Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana. Roles followed as Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser, Carmen in Bizet's opera, Valentine in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots, Selika in his L'Africaine and the title role in Thomas's Mignon. [1] On 10 September 1898 Emperor Wilhelm II confirmed her as first dramatic soprano of the Berlin Court Opera. [1] In ten seasons she studied 43 roles there and sang 706 performances, including the world premiere of Strauss's Salome. [1]
Other stages
After Berlin she also appeared at Bayreuth on the stage of Wagner's theatre, in Mainz, Frankfurt, Munich, at the Grand Opera in Paris and at the National Theatre in Prague. [1] At the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London she made her debut on 2 May 1904 in the role of Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni. In London she first met her partner Enrico Caruso. [1] According to the source, the height of her career was her engagement at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Before that she completed a cycle of guest appearances at the National Theatre in Prague. [1]
The château in Stráž nad Nežárkou
She settled in Stráž nad Nežárkou at the height of her fame, and thanks to her the town is known in cultural circles to this day. According to the town's website, she returned there from her tours of opera stages in Europe and overseas. She liked trees and water, learned to fish and spent hours with a rod at Leština, on the Nová řeka. [1] She later bought a mill and a villa behind the château to add to it. The property also included forests, several ponds, a brewery and a distillery, and required constant supervision. The administration gradually consumed the large fortune that she had at the height of her career. [1] At the château she kept a number of antiques and curiosities. [1]