Marie Brema Opera Prima Donna

 

Marie Brema was a mezzo-soprano with a powerful voice and striking stage presence. Critics and audiences adored her.

She made her operatic debut in 1891 as Ortrud in Lohengrin at Drury Lane. The Times praised her “majestic presence” and “rich, expressive voice.”

Brema excelled as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde and as Fricka in The Ring Cycle. In 1899, she sang Kundry in Parsifal at Bayreuth, the first English singer invited to do so.

The Musical Times wrote that she brought “a unique intensity and fire” to Carmen. She could shift effortlessly from dramatic Wagnerian heroines to the flirtatious, free-spirited Carmen.

Edward Elgar chose her for the first performance of The Dream of Gerontius in 1900. It was a challenging piece, but Brema delivered. The Manchester Guardian called her singing “deeply moving, full of pathos and grace.”

After retiring from the stage, she became a professor at the Royal Academy of Music. Many future stars trained under her guidance.

Brema’s career was full of firsts. She was the first Englishwoman to sing at Bayreuth. She helped shape British opera in an era dominated by European singers. Her voice, described as “rich as velvet and as powerful as a storm,” made her unforgettable.

She passed away in 1925, but her legacy remains.

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