Scaria, Emil

Extract

(b Graz, Sept 18, 1838; d Blasewitz, nr Dresden, July 22, 1886). Austrian bass. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory and made his début in 1860 at Budapest as St Bris in Les Huguenots with little success. After further study with García family, §2 in London, he made a second début at Dessau, and in 1863 he was engaged at Leipzig and in 1865 at Dresden. His repertory in these early years included Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Falstaff in Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor and Peter the Great in Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmermann. Although his powerful voice had the dark colouring of a true bass, its enormous range allowed him to sing baritone roles with equal success. From May 1873 until his death Scaria was engaged at the Vienna Hofoper, where he sang Escamillo in the first performance of Carmen outside France (1875) and participated in the first Vienna ...