Ballo In 1931, Elisabeth Rethberg sang the following parts at the San Francisco Opera: Title role of Aida; Maddalena in Andrea Chénier, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Leonora in Il Trovatore and (pictured) Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera.
Cavalleria In addition to inaugurating the War Memorial Opera House in the title role of San Francisco Opera's Tosca (October 15, 1932), the legendary Claudia Muzio appeared that season as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana (shown), Nedda in Pagliacci, Leonora in Il Trovatore and Violetta in La Traviata.
Cavalleria/Pagliacci In 1933, San Francisco Opera's Cavalleria/Pagliacci double bill featured Lucrezia Bori as Nedda in the latter, with Claudia Muzio continuing as Santuzza. Miss Bori's talents, apparently, included the ability to go on point...
Tosca Lotte Lehmann's remarkable career with the San Francisco Opera started in 1934 with the title role of Tosca (see photo) and ended with her last performance on any operatic stage: Marschallin Der Rosenkavalier with the Company on tour in Los Angeles, on November 1, 1946.
Otello Lauritz Melchior's career included only two performances of the title role in Verdi's Otello. One was in Europe, the other at the San Francisco Opera in 1934. He is shown in a photo taken from the wings with the evening's Desdemona, Elisabeth Rethberg.
Operatunities On November 15, 1935, San Francisco Opera staged a variety show titled Operatunities. It featured opera stars in straightforward operatic ensembles, but also some rather unusual numbers, many of them accompanied by the Tito Schipa Jazz Band. The photo shows Ezio Pinza and Giovanni Martinelli in a number called "Four of a Kind," described by a critic as a "Sicilian Peasant Duet," in which they were joined by a pair of long-eared friends named Rosie and Josephine.
Otello Whenever Lawrence Tibbett sang a role for the first time in his career, he had himself thoroughly photographed. In 1936, at the San Francisco Opera, the role was Iago in Verdi's Otello (see photo). The performance also featured Giovanni Martinelli's very first Otello.
Nozze di Figaro San Francisco Opera's 1936 Le Nozze di Figaro featured Ezio Pinza in the title role, with Charlotte Boerner as Susanna (shown here in disguise as the Countess).
Fidelio San Francisco Opera's first Fidelio boasted Kirsten Flagstad in the title role, René Maison as Florestan, and Emanuel List as Rocco, all under the baton of Fritz Reiner. When the opera returned in 1939, Miss Flagstad was joined by Lauritz Melchior as Florestan and Alexander Kipnis as Rocco. At that time, the conductor was Erich Leinsdorf.
Lakmé, Lily Pons, in addition to being San Francisco Opera's reigning "Lucia" for twelve seasons, sang the title role of Lakmé in 1937, 1940, 1944 and 1946. She is shown here in 1937, hn the opera's final moments, surrounded by the heroine's deadly flowers.
