Reszke, Edward (EN)

Reszke Edward August, Edward de Reszke, *22 December 1853 Warsaw, †25 May 1917 Garnek (near Częstochowa), basso, brother of Jan. At first, he learned music with his mother, then with F. Ciaffei in Warsaw; he studied agriculture in Warsaw and Germany, but convinced by his brother, he went to Italy for vocal studies with Steller and F. Coletti and also benefited from the advice of other teachers (including F. and G. Lamperti). He debuted on stage thanks to his sister Józefina, who recommended him to G. Verdi; after performing the role of the Pharaoh in the French premiere of Aida (22 April 1876), Edward Reszke was engaged for 2 seasons first in Théâtre Italien in Paris and then in Opéra de Paris, and J. Massenet gave him the role of Indra in Le roi de Lahore, which Edward Reszke performed in 1879 in Milan and 1880 in Covent Garden Theatre; in this theatre, he also sang main parts in La sonnambula and The Puritans by V. Bellini, Romeo and Juliet by Ch. Gounod, Wilhelm Tell by G. Rossini and Les Huguenots by G. Meyerbeer. In 1881, he performed at La Scala in Milan in Simon Boccanegra (premiere of the 2^nd version) and Emani by Verdi, in 1880–81 in Venice, Florence, Turin, Genua, Triest, 1882–83 in Spain and Portugal, 1884 in London (The Flying Dutchman by R. Wagner, Aida by Verdi, The African Woman by Meyerbeer, Marta by F. von Flotow and Semiramide by Rossini). From the end of 1885, he was engaged in Opéra de Paris and aroused admiration with his parts in Faust by Gounod, The Barber of Seville by Rossini and Don Giovanni by Mozart. On 18 November 1888, he performed there the part of Friar Laurence in the famous Romeo and Juliet (with his brother and A. Patti). In 1887–90, he mainly sang in Covent Garden Theatre, where he was appreciated especially for his role in Tristan and Isolde, Parsifal, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Hans Sachs) and The Ring of the Nibelung (Hunding, Hagen) by Wagner. His American tour with Jan was a series of successes; he debuted in Chicago on 9 November 1891 in Lohengrin, and in the Metropolitan Opera House on 14 December 1891 in Romeo and Juliet. He sang in America until the 1901/02 season but he visited Borowno near Częstochowa, his sister’s estate, multiple times. In America, he performed a repertoire known from Europe, and also roles in The Prophet by Meyerbeer, Fideli by Beethoven, Hamlet by A. Thomas, and Lakmé by L. Delibes; on 27 November 1895, he dazzled the audience with his role of King Marke in Tristan and Isolde, and in 1896/97 role of Wotan in Siegfried by Wagner. He opened the season in the Metropolitan Opera House eight times, on 21 March 1903, he performed in America for the last time (with L. Nordica and A. Scotti). Around 1906–08, he taught singing in London, then in his brother’s studio in Paris and in Warsaw. He died suffering from anxiety disorder and rheumatism.

Contrary to Jan, Edward Reszke liked stage performances, he left 21 recordings (fragments from various operas), including 17 on the so-called Mapleson phonograph cylinders and 3 on Columbia discs. He was a remarkable basso (basso cantante, later profondo) of his time, he didn’t have a rival in his best years. According to N. Melba, his vocal skill was slightly inferior to his brother’s, but he captivated listeners by the timbre of his voice with a large sound volume, as well as his distinguished acting.

Literature: A. Rajchman “Józefina Reszke oraz Bracia Reszke” Echo Muzyczne, Teatralne i Artystyczne 1888 No. 272 and 1893 No. 503; “Ś.p. Józefa z Reszke Kronenbergowa” Tygodnik Ilustrowany 1891 No. 61; J. Kleczyński “Występy braci Reszke” Przegląd Muzyczny 1893 No. 504; H.O. Stecki Wspomnienia mojej młodości, Lwów 1895; Bemol [L. Trzebuchowski] „Szkoła śpiewu Edwarda Reszkego” Świat 1908 No. 42; A. Wieniawski „Ś.p. Jan Reszke” Rzeczpospolita 1925 No. 95; N. Melba „Wspomnienia o braciach Reszke” Muzyka 1926 No. 11/12; C. Leiser Jean de Reszke and the Great Days of Opera, London 1933, reprint Westport (Connecticut) 1970; L. Kronenberg Wspomnienia, Warsaw 1933; B. Romaniszyn „Wspomnienia o Janie Reszkem” Ruch Muzyczny 1948 No. 5/6; H. Modrzejewska Wspomnienia i wrażenia, translated from English by M. Promiński, Kraków 1957; M. Teyte Star on the Door, London 1958; J. Kański “Fenomenalne rodzeństwo. Jan Edward, Józefina Reszke” Mistrzowie sceny operowej, Kraków 1974, 2^nd ed. revised and extended 1998; J. Kański “Wokół rodzeństwa Reszke” Ruch Muzyczny 1987 Nos 7 and 12; W. Matuszewski “Jak Jan podbił Metropolitan” and M. Gordon-Smith “Słowo ważne jak dźwięk. Maestra B. Sayão opowiada o swoim nauczycielu Janie Reszkem” Scena Operowa 1993 Nos 3 and 4.