Rita Streich

Rita Streich (born 18th December 1920 in Barnaul, Altai, Russia, died 1987) was one of the most significant coloratura sopranists of the post-war period.

Rita Streich moved to Germany with her parents during childhood, where she grew up bilingually, something that was extremely helpful during her later career. Among her teachers were Willy Domgraf-Fassbaender, Erna Berger and Maria Ivogun.

Her debut as an opera singer was during the Second World War at the Stadttheater (city theatre) of Aussig in Böhmen, in the role of Zerbinetta in Richard Strauss' opera 'Ariadne auf Naxos'. Three years later she her first secure engagement at the Deutschen Staatsoper (German State Opera) in Berlin, where she stayed until 1952. In that year she moved to Bayreuth, in 1953 to Vienna and in 1954 to Salzburg. Appearances at the Scala in Milan and at Covent Garden followed.

From 1974 she taught at the Essener Folkwangschule and the Music Academy in Vienna. During the Salzburg pageants she gave masterclasses from 1983.

Her repetoire included Arien aus Indomeneo, Cosi fan tutte, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Zauberflöte, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and others. Since she had grown up bilingually, she could also sing the works of Rimsky-Korsakov in their original Russian without a trace of an accent.