#Geraldine farer

[zurich-snows]

German Rotophot postcard featuring a 1902 photograph of the American soprano Geraldine Farrar as ‘Margarethe’ in Gounod’s opera ‘Faust’. Geraldine Farrar was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, 28th February 1882 and died Ridgefield, Connecticut, 11th March 1967. In 1884, at the age of 12, Farrar impersonated Jenny Lind in the Melrose May Carnival and within two years, she made her Boston recital debut. On 15 October 1901 aged 19 she made her Berlin debut as Marguerite in Faust ~ singing in Italian by special dispensation. In 1903 the great Lilli Lehmann accepted her as a pupil and they worked hard to perfect Farrar’s vocal technique and stage crafts. Geraldine Farrar retired from opera in 1922 at the age of 40 ~ her final performance being Leoncavallo's Zazà and she retired finally in 1931 when she sang her final Carnegie Hall recital and withdrew from further public performance. Geraldine Farrar created the title roles in – Pietro Mascagni's Amica ~ Monte Carlo 16th March 1905 Engelbert Humperdinck's Goose-girl in Die Königskinder ~ New York Met 28th Dec 1910 Umberto Giordano's Madame Sans-Gêne ~ New York Met 25th Jan 1915 Puccini's Suor Angelica ~ New York Met 14th Dec 1918 During her time she developed a great popular following, especially among New York's young female opera-goers, who were known as "Gerry-flappers". Her performances with Caruso were always eagerly awaited. She made 15 silent movies in the period of c1915 to 1920 commencing with the opera Carmen directed by Cecil B. DeMille and finally 'The Riddle: Woman directed by Edward Jose.