Opera Scotland

Therese Tietjens Suggest updates

Carolina Johanna Alexandra Tietjens;  Madlle Titiens.

Born Hamburg, 17 July 1831.

Died London, 3 October 1877.

German soprano.

Therese Tietjens was one of the leading dramatic sopranos of her generation, and spent much of her career in Britain, where the form of spelling as Titiens was frequently adopted.

Tietjens studied in Hamburg (with Schmidt) then in Vienna (under Dellessie and Babing. Her debut was in 1848 at Hamburg (Erma in Auber's Le Maçon). She sang the lead in Lucrezia Borgia at Altona the following year.

Her early career was spent at major houses - Frankfurt (1850-53) and Vienna (1853-9). At Frankfurt she sang Louise at the premiere of Die Opernprobe (Lortzing 1851). Tietjens also appeared in Brno, Paris and Naples. Her American debut was at the New York Academy of Music in 1874.

Her first appearance in Britain was in London (Her Majesty's) in 1858 as Valentine (Les Huguenots).  She took up permanent residence in London until her death, singing at the three major opera houses - Her Majesty's, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.  Tietjens also toured widely around Britain, singing opera in the major cities, as well as in concert parties elsewhere.  She appeared in the first British performances of operas by Cherubini (Medea); Nicolai (Mrs Ford);  Verdi (Les vêpres siciliennes, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino); Gounod (Faust, Mireille) and Balfe (Edith Il Talismano).

Tietjens was recognized as a particularly effective and dramatic performer as Medea, Norma and Lucrezia Borgia (which was the role of her final appearance a few months before her death from cancer). She was also admired in parts by Gluck (Iphigenia); Mozart (Konstanze, Countess, Donna Anna, Pamina);  Beethoven (Leonore);  Weber (Agathe, Reiza);  Rossini (Semiramide);  Donizetti (Anna Bolena, Lucia, Leonora La favorite);  Meyerbeer ( Alice, Valentine, Fidès);  Flotow (Lady Harriet);  Verdi (Giselda I lombardi, Elvira Ernani,,Leonora Il trovatore) and Wagner (Ortrud).

(Sources: New Grove Dictionary of Opera; Oxford Dictionary of Opera; and various Scottish media).