Opera Singer. A noted Wagnerian soprano of the early 20th Century, she is best remembered as the first Octavian in Richard Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier." Born Eva Bertha Helga von der Osten in Heligoland to a noted theatrical family, she studied in Dresden and made her Court Opera debut there in 1902 as Urbain in Meyerbeer's "Les Huguenots". For the next quarter century she would be a fixture of that company, appearing in roughly 2500 performances. She sang most of Wagner's principal soprano roles, including Senta in "The Flying Dutchman," the title lead of "Tristan und Isolde," Elsa in "Lohengrin," Kundry in "Parsifal," and both Sieglinde and Brunnhilde from "Die Walkure." Not limiting herself to Germanic works, she gained notice as the title characters of Bizet's "Carmen" and Puccini's "Tosca". Selected for the mezzo-soprano trouser role of Octavian in the January 26, 1911 world premiere of "Der Rosenkavalier," given at Dresden under the baton of Ernst von Schuch, she was to take the part to The Hague later in 1911 and to Covent Garden, London, in 1913. Osten joined Leo Blech and his German Opera Company in a two-year tour of Europe and the United States (1922 to 1924), during which she sang Isolde and Sieglinde. After giving her last performance at Dresden in 1927, as Brunnhilde, she worked as a director until her health was impaired by a stroke. Her recorded legacy was small, but a portion of it, including excerpts from "Der Rosenkavalier" and Elsa's solos, remains available.
Opera Singer. A noted Wagnerian soprano of the early 20th Century, she is best remembered as the first Octavian in Richard Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier." Born Eva Bertha Helga von der Osten in Heligoland to a noted theatrical family, she studied in Dresden and made her Court Opera debut there in 1902 as Urbain in Meyerbeer's "Les Huguenots". For the next quarter century she would be a fixture of that company, appearing in roughly 2500 performances. She sang most of Wagner's principal soprano roles, including Senta in "The Flying Dutchman," the title lead of "Tristan und Isolde," Elsa in "Lohengrin," Kundry in "Parsifal," and both Sieglinde and Brunnhilde from "Die Walkure." Not limiting herself to Germanic works, she gained notice as the title characters of Bizet's "Carmen" and Puccini's "Tosca". Selected for the mezzo-soprano trouser role of Octavian in the January 26, 1911 world premiere of "Der Rosenkavalier," given at Dresden under the baton of Ernst von Schuch, she was to take the part to The Hague later in 1911 and to Covent Garden, London, in 1913. Osten joined Leo Blech and his German Opera Company in a two-year tour of Europe and the United States (1922 to 1924), during which she sang Isolde and Sieglinde. After giving her last performance at Dresden in 1927, as Brunnhilde, she worked as a director until her health was impaired by a stroke. Her recorded legacy was small, but a portion of it, including excerpts from "Der Rosenkavalier" and Elsa's solos, remains available.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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