Born in 1920 in Barnaul, Russia, Rita Streich moved to Germany when she was a child. Her German father had been a prisoner of war in Siberia and her mother was Russian. She grew up speaking both her parents’ languages fluently, which turned out to be very helpful in her later career.
Rita Streich was one of the most admired lyric coloratura sopranos of the post-war period. She was taught by Erna Berger, Willi Domgraf-Fassbänder and Maria Ivogün. Her operatic debut was during the Second World War at the Stadttheater of Aussig (now Ústi nad Labem) in Bohemia, Czechia. She sang in the role of Zerbinetta in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. In 1946 she was first engaged at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, where she stayed until 1952 when she moved to Bayreuth in Bavaria. She later relocated to Austria: Vienna in 1953 and to Salzburg in 1954.
In 1951 she joined the Berlin Städtische Oper. She subsequently appeared at Covent Garden, in Glyndebourne and La Scala in Milan. In 1957 she made her US debut with the San Francisco Opera.
Rita Streich could sing the works of Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov without a trace of an accent. She was a leading interpreter of many of Mozart’s operas. Her repertoire included roles in Così fan tutte, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, Le Nozze di Figaro, Siegfried and many more. She also sang operetta and recorded Boccaccio, Der Bettelstudent, Der Zarewitsch, Die Fledermaus, Eine Nacht in Venedig and The Gypsy Baron among others.
She taught at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen and Vienna Music Academy in 1974 and gave master classes during the Salzburg Festival in 1983.
Rita Streich died in 1987 in Vienna.
Rita Streich was one of the most admired lyric coloratura sopranos of the post-war period. She was taught by Erna Berger, Willi Domgraf-Fassbänder and Maria Ivogün. Her operatic debut was during the Second World War at the Stadttheater of Aussig (now Ústi nad Labem) in Bohemia, Czechia. She sang in the role of Zerbinetta in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. In 1946 she was first engaged at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, where she stayed until 1952 when she moved to Bayreuth in Bavaria. She later relocated to Austria: Vienna in 1953 and to Salzburg in 1954.
In 1951 she joined the Berlin Städtische Oper. She subsequently appeared at Covent Garden, in Glyndebourne and La Scala in Milan. In 1957 she made her US debut with the San Francisco Opera.
Rita Streich could sing the works of Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov without a trace of an accent. She was a leading interpreter of many of Mozart’s operas. Her repertoire included roles in Così fan tutte, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, Le Nozze di Figaro, Siegfried and many more. She also sang operetta and recorded Boccaccio, Der Bettelstudent, Der Zarewitsch, Die Fledermaus, Eine Nacht in Venedig and The Gypsy Baron among others.
She taught at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen and Vienna Music Academy in 1974 and gave master classes during the Salzburg Festival in 1983.
Rita Streich died in 1987 in Vienna.