Marcella Sembrich-Kochańska – star of opera stages at the turn of the century
Like ghosts, they look at us from black and white photographs, dressed in richly decorated, almost fairy-tale costumes. Their voices were recorded on rare black vinyls, resurrecting echoes of the past with each crack. Although their steps have not been heard on theatre stage floors for over a century, one thing is certain – they paved the way for the generations of singers to come. Primadonnas and lovers, ethereal apparitions whose every gesture and sound of voice made the audience hold their breath. One of such artists was Marcella Sembrich-Kochańska (1858-1935), writes Beata Fischer.
Sembrich-Kochańska’s career has never been repeated by any Polish singer. Coloratura soprano, opera heroine. Her voice captivated audiences around the world, from Covent Garden to the Metropolitan Opera. Loved by musicians, critics and noblemen. She was famous for her unique interpretive talent and the natural stage sensitivity that came with it, which was frequently emphasized by the critics. Her voice, spanning two and a half octaves, has been recorded approximately one hundred times. “She sings with undeniable mastery and human energy, personality, a mixture of nonchalance and perfection flows through the space of past years, which can leave a modern listener astonished” – the British classical music portal Gramophone assessed her recordings from 1904-1908.
The year 1858 was unquestionably difficult for Poland. Divided between three superpowers, it ceased to exist on the political map of Europe for over half a century. Nevertheless, its artistic development continued. On January 1, the four-act version of Stanisław Moniuszko’s “Halka” opened in Warsaw. Marcella was born just over a month later, on February 15, in Bolechów, a town in what was then Galicia. It soon became obvious she had an extraordinary vocal and acting talent.
Music was somehow her destiny. Music teacher and organist in the Bolechów parish church, her father attached great importance to his daughter’s musical education. The girl started playing the piano at the age of four, and two years later she took up the violin. She was taken under the wing of Jan Radwan Janowicz, a retired teacher – thanks to his help, she was admitted to the Conservatory of the Galician Music Society in Lviv at the age of 12.
She honed her talent at music conservatories in Lviv, Vienna, and then in Milan. She took her studies very seriously. She practiced singing for three hours a day, following her teacher’s instructions – with a piece of wood in her mouth to achieve the desired effect. And although she had originally chosen to pursue a career as a pianist, Franz Liszt himself supposedly made her realize that the most beautiful instrument she had mastered was her voice. Although the meeting with Liszt has not been documented in any way and remains in the sphere of peculation, it is true that in the first years of Sembrich-Kochańska’s career, she combined all three skills: singer, violinist and pianist, and her concerts aroused great curiosity and admiration.
Sembrich-Kochańska’s operatic debut took place in 1877, when she performed the part of Elvira in “Puritani” by Vincenzo Bellini at the Italian Opera in Athens. Earlier in the same year, she married Wilhelm Stengel, her piano professor, who eventually took over the role of her informal impresario. She immediately signed a contract to sing in “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Donizetti, “Sleepwalker” by Bellini and two operas by Meyerbeer: “Dinorah” and “Robert the Devil.” The last composer, somewhat forgotten today, was extremely popular in the 19th century Europe. The soprano’s repertoire included as many as four of his “grand operas” – in addition to the above two, she sang in “The Huguenots” and “The North Star.”
One year later she arrived in Dresden, having signed a contract with the Royal Saxon Opera (Semperoper), newly rebuilt after a fire. She performed in works by Mozart, Meyerbeer, Halévy and Flotów. Dresden opened the door to her further career. It became her home and, half a century later, her final resting place.
She first performed in Warsaw on December 8, 1879. She gave a solo recital in the Resursy Obywatelska Hall, and then sang the soprano parts in “Lucia di Lammermoor” and “Robert the Diable” on the stage of the Grand Theater. In the years to come, she returned to Warsaw several times. At the same time, she continued conquering the stages of London (her debut in Covent Garden in 1880, as the titular “Lucia di Lammermoor,” was admired by over two thousand viewers), Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Madrid, Paris and Vienna.
For two seasons in London, she was partnered on stage by another Polish singer, tenor Władysław Mierzwiński, recognized as a true musical phenomenon. This was not the last time Sembrich-Kochańska would share world stages with Polish artists. Her brothers Jan and Edward Reszke accompanied her in Covent Garden; the second of them also in Monte Carlo and in America, in the years 1897-1909. The famous bass Adam Didur took his first steps on the Met stage by her side.
It was her engagement at the Metropolitan Opera in New York that gave the talented Pole the star status and inscribed her name in the opera pantheon of immortality. Her American dream began just after the opening of the Met in 1883, with the role of Lucia di Lammermoor, which she performed on the New York stage a total of 41 times.
The American audience was delighted with her “La Traviata,” as evidenced by numerous reviews, including: in the New York Mail and Express: “She plays the unpleasant death scene with discretion and tact, and many famous heroines could learn from her.” Even when the play itself was not a success, critics lavished praise on her performances. She sang Gilda in “Rigoletto,” Amina in “Sleepwalker,” Rosina in “The Barber of Seville”. Today, Sembrich-Kochańska can easily be considered the record holder of the Met stage among Polish singers – in total, she gave as many as 487 performances for 11 seasons.
Despite her successful career overseas, she was still pleased to perform for Polish audiences. Over the years, she gave a number of performances in Warsaw, Krakow, Lviv, Łódź and Vilnius. During the New York premiere of the opera “Manru” by Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1902), she sang the part of Ulana. In 1914, the two artists founded the Committee to Aid Polish Victims of War in New York together, allocating a significant part of their income to charity. She had collaborated with the composer and remained his friend, just as with the outstanding actress Helena Modrzejewska.
She was professionally active until 1917. After she had ended her stage career, she gained recognition as a singing teacher. She lectured at the Juilliard School in New York and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, passing on her knowledge and experience to subsequent generations of opera singers. She died in New York on January 11, 1935. The care of the artist’s numerous memorabilia was taken over by her daughter-in-law, who founded the Marcella Sembrich Memorial Association. It continues to carry out its activities at the museum named after her in Bolton Landing, USA, her former opera studio. She was buried with her husband in Dresden, in the Stengel family tomb.