Sie hat gesungen, daß es Sterne rührte.

Strauss.

My European career was on a steady rise.

After Staastopern and seasons at Palace Garnier, my interpretations of Countess Almaviva, Manon, Mimi, Violetta, Butterfly, Julietta, and Lucia were praised in the international press, or so letters from Ingelside from Anne said as she had followed my European carrier with deep interest.

Also my sideline as a cabaret performer had been wildly succesfull, during the half a year, or more that I had lingered in Berlin. It had been utterly wonderful to be a part of vivid community, and for that stay I had to thank my now fluent german. I still got a lot of letters from Waldoff who begged me to return to Charlottenburg. I had visited Olly and Waldoff's salon a few times. Those evenings had been memorable, full of debates, of our own rights, and the direction in which Weimar could develop. There was a lot of police violence on the streets, and dissatisfaction, but also a lot of deep joy and, and nowhere was there so much love as in the dim cabarets of Charlottenburg. Marlene had often dragged me to watch movies, with her, in midnight shows, when I was not tied down with my performances, and with her help I got my first touch to that fascinating art form, but it wasn't my place, despite what Marlene claimed. She insisted that with my looks, I could stop singing on the opera stage, or any stage, and just stand in front of the camera, and be present. I had no desire to be admired by the masses, at least not in the form of photographs or in a films. My art, my singing, was enough for me.

Marlene had indeed begun her moviecarrier with steely determination, but the parts that were given to her were not very good. Her most recent letter had been a voluable missive full of italics. She had been in a film by famous director Pabst. The film was something called Die Freundleuse Grasse and that in the main role had been performed by some swedish girl, who had hauntingly wonderful face and most wonderful presence.

Salzburg in August was glowing, it was the birthplace of musical genius W. , and it housed Mozartum the famous musicschool and university, that was founded in 1841. Despite the war that had ravaged the country in 1916 world famous soprano Lili Lehmann had organized, then her first private summer course for young musicians and singers, the sole purpose of which was to focus on Mozart's interpretations. And after the war that tradition had continued and grown. The teaching of classical music, and opera in particular, was in good shape in Austria.

The Salzburg's music festival had been established after the war, in 1920, and since 1921 this jewel of a town, nestled in Austria, amid the flowing river Salzach, at the foot of the Alps was one of the centre of classical music in Europe, in summer seasons.The repertoire was rich and varied, with a lot of Mozart, of course, and also the collaborations of the founding members, Strauss and Hoffmanstahl, all the glitter of operaworld was here. Lot of the singers came from Weiner Staasopern. And a lof of new premiers, one of them was reworked version of certain Strauss work.

The piece was called Adriande auf Naxos and the lead role would be singing none other than Lotte Lehmann.

The instrumentalization of the work was peculiar, there was woodwind instruments, reduced brass instruments, srings, and percussions. The Opera is a story within a story, it is a description of high and low art, the world of cabaret, and opera and the significance of art for various individuals in the work. I found myself eager to sing the role of Zerbinetta, as her arias were simply delicious. Lehmann was revelation in the role of Ariadne.

I had been invited here to perform in Gozz and Vollmoeller's new production of Puccini's Turandot. This production was one of many that had sprung all over the opera world as Puccinis final uncompleted work, was made public earlier in 1926. It was completed posthumously after composers death in 1924.

In the glittering Fiestspielhouse theater, the staging was impeccable, in all oriental glory, as Puccini's music glowed in dramatic vibrancy. At the heart of the opera there are riddles, obsessions, and sacrificial love.

The beautiful Princess Turandot has vowed never to get married, so she gives riddles, to every one of her suitors. Like in Madama Butterfly, Puccini used Chinese-influenced music in Turandot, and the touching Jasmine theme, Turandot's personal leitmotiv is one example of that. I was here to perform, though not as an ice-cold princess, Turandot, but as Liu, the selfless slave-maid in love with Calaf, the determined exiled prince who falls in love or lust with Turandot at a first glance. The audience was completely silent as the opera progressed. The innerlaying tensions in it are the best and the worst of human emotion. Court intrigues of mythical and bloody China, and a foolhardiness of youth. I immersed myself in Liu as she pleads with Calaf in Signore ascolta, in the first act. The light tones of Puccini's music, were flutteringly beautiful, as they ornamented Liu's heartbreakingly tender appeal. My voice was soft, and extremely delicate, coloratura trills incisive, in its sensitivity. In the third and final act, as Liu sacrifices herself on behalf of Calaf, she honours that love that has been her only light in her world during the years of fruitless misery. She at the same time challenges not only Turandot, the entire court and her torturers is in an extremely intense scene that culminates in an aria, that is one of the most beautiful in whole Puccinis ouvre, Tu di che gel sei ginta is both farewell and a propchecy, as in it Liu talks directly to Turandot.

The Chinese-influenced melodies in Puccini's music are clear, and dreamlike as my voice glimmers in a moving, sensitive interpretation, stunningly bright coloratura flows, all pure sacrificial love and selflesness.

The applause was stormy, when it was time for curtain calls. I watched my co-performers, we were all exhausted, but at the same time energetic, after singing, as the performance had been extremely successful. The audience had loved the production, the performer of Calaf was given a standing ovation, of his whole performance, and no wonder, as his rendition of Nessun dorma had been magnificent, and also Turandot, as she sung In questa reggia it was utterly wonderful. The role of Turandot is almost impossible because of Puccini has composed everything upon that aria revolving around high C and upwards. It is interesting to note that the final word of Turandot to Calaf is not her own, but a qoute from Liu. So Calaf may won, but Liu did too.

Afterwards in the dressing room, as Puccini's music was still pounding in my blood. I combed my hair, as it had been smeared under my black wig, I quickly removed the heavy makeup from my face with light strokes. I had just slipped on my red kimono, and hunted my hair ribbons amid all the chaos on the table, make-up, pins, few letters, and so on. Suddenly knocking broke the meditative state I had sunk into. I raised my voice and said in softly german:"herein."I wondered dreaming a little, if Katherine would surprise me, as she sometimes came with the flowers to meet me after the premieres or new productions and I had written to her about my Liu.

In the doorway stood a figure with a bouquet of red and white roses, as it stepped into the light, it was not Katherine at all.

It was Lotte Lehmann.

I felt that Lehmann was watching me keenly with her blue eyes. She finally said;

"So what else can I do, but come to meet you, especially when you sang very moving Liu, you almost broke my heart."

Lehmann stepped into the room and I noticed that her eyes twinkled with a sense of fun and warm humour. I straightened my posture and looked through the mirror at Lehmann. She was dark-haired, and not very tall, but she had presence, and vividness to her form. She seemed serious, but at the same time playful, and vivid, and that voice, was unforgettable, even when she spoke. She looked around my dressing room as she briefly inquired about the roles I had sung and where.

I had turned back to the mirror to comb my hair mechanically, the gleaming strands glittered in the light like spun gold, as I plaited them one by one, into my signature braid-crown, as I gave a brief account of my studies in Italy and Russian years, my latest years in different European operahouses, in Paris, Berlin and Covent Garden as a guest.

I stood up, and smiled at Lehmann my slow dawning smile, and thanked her for the roses, that she had bestowed onto me as I put them in a vase. They soon filled the room with their delicate scent.

Lehmann nodded and looked my face in silence for a time and finally said, ponderingly:" I think after hearing you as Liu, you would be perfect for Sophie, you have the innocence and transparence, that is needed in the role. Come to this address in a few days, and we will start working together, as our performances have alredy been done here, and one does not always want to be in photograps or at fancy dinners, good hard earnest work, is the best thing."

So saying Lehmann smiled at me slowly and left, for one moment the sound of her high heels echoed in the hallway until it subsided.

I cleaned the dressing table with calm movements, and I packed my things neatly in order. This offer was another doorway to Tomorrow I pondered as I hummed the final trio of Strauss's Rosenkavalier as I walked the lighted streets of Salzburg, with the roses.

Then the day of practice had arrived.

I dressed carefully, in a new blue-gray linen dress, and a wide straw hat with cream-colored ribbons, my gloves were also cream-white, and at given time I stepped inside Mozartum's hall, and found my way through the winding corridors to the right door. I knocked it, Lehmann opened the door and gestured inside, with impatient movement.

There were two men in the room besides Lehmann, I stiffened into an almost salt statue when I realized who they were. Strauss and Hoffmanshtal, a renowned composer and librettist and author, the men who had created a lots of the operas modern masterpieces. They turned as one, and measured me quickly and accurately.

"Hmm" Strauss said slowly, with his clean, Austrian accent, "I fully understand what you mean, Lotte, she really has a similar innocence in her being, and the delicate purity that is essential to Sophie, but if Fraulein has the voice for the role, that's another matter." The door opened and the pianist came carrying sheet music. After receiving the nod, he sat down to wait.

Lehmann smiled at me, as she handed the notes over the piano to me. The aria in question was a duet between Sophie and Octavian from Rosenkavaliers second act. Lehmann winked at me and said " I will sing the part of Octavian, as that role, too is known to me."I stood the middle of the room, and I focused, the pianist started to play Strauss's pearly, light music glowing in the room, I straightened my posture and started. My voice glowed, bright, clear, and soft through Strauss' recitative, Sophie's nervous anticipation fluttered in the air, and my voice glowed with the excitement and innocence of a young girl, who waited for her fiancés representative, and then as she ponders the hauntingly sweet scent of the silvery rose, it brings her mind to death, and some strange heavenly emotion, love, that first sudden sting.

Lehmann as Octavian, was sincere, serious, and a little mischievous, the symbolic rose was real rose, deep and vivid red, taken from a vase, filled with them, from a nearby table.

The duet shone.

The atmosphere between us, was startlingly intimate and warm.

Strauss and Hoffmannsthal whispered something to each other and finally Strauss said to me: " your voice in its bright silvery spinto, in the upper register is somewhat similar to the voice of Maria Jeritza, as well as your appearance, you are just as pale, but even more delicate, and not so fatal. Ideal for Sophie then. " After nodding to us, the composer and librettist left the room in busy steps, and flowing hands heads close together in discussion.

Lehmann went to the piano and picked up a few notes, and looked them one by one. Then she and nodded to the pianist.

Soon Don Giovanni's tunes, were heard and I began to sing Vedrai Carino's Zerlina aria from the second act. Afterwards Lehmann nodded once soft and sure, then she said something that surprised me totally. "Fraulein, the quality of your voice fits perfectly with Mozart as well. As evening will arrive soon. I would be honored if you will have dinner with me, as there is an excellent restaurant nearby."

So we walked, Lehmann and I, side by side to a beautiful restaurant whose menu was indeed as delicious as promised, all traditional Austrian delicacies.

The dinner was long and varied, filled with anecdotes and some smutty jokes thrown in for variety. Few times Lehmann had to pose for photographs, or write autographs, as did I. It was only natural, because we were in the middle of the Salzburg Opera Festival, and music lovers from all over flocked there for few weeks. It was no hardship, to give few moments of my time to the public. The venue was intimate, and there was possible journalists also dining there, but if there were I did not notice them at all.

I was aware of the vibrating gentle energy of mutual companionship, between us, and feeling somewhat vunreable I shrugged my shoulders, nervously, and folded the paper towel, from my plate into small pieces.

After dinner we walked the streets of Salzburg in a gentle summer night, somewhere sang the nightingale, one delicate high note.

Then Lehmann said quietly, "Come."

I didn't answer.

I smiled and that smile was already a promise in itself.

A/N:

The Strauss qoute can be translated as "She sung such that it moved the stars."

The reworked version of Strauss opera Ariadne auf Naxos premiered in Slazburg August, 1926, and the lead role was sung by Lotte Lehmann.

Lehmann was one of the most loved operatic stars of the 20th century. Her fame and universal adoration from the public was such that she once was able to hold a train in its tracks, as she went to make a long-distance phone call.

Maria Jeritza was was a czech soprano, who had a long career at the Wiener Staatsopern and the Metropolitan Opera. She was one of the iconic opera divas of the interwar period, who also collaborated with Strauss.

Puccini Turandot (1926) is wonderful work, full of drama and suspense from beginning to the end. It is also known to be criticized extensively, for a very good reason. From a current perspective, the way the opera was performed in its time and in part still, it is remains a model example of lewd aestheticization of Chinese orientalism, as well as harmful stereotypes, a lot of them. Despite this, it is one of the most successful and widely performed operas.