IN GOD WE TRUST

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Myrna's Favorite Operatic Remembrances

Laszlo Halasz, the brilliant, irascible, Hungarian conductor who had initiated New York City Opera in the 1940's heard me sing in audition. He loved the quality of my singing voice, and offered to help me find operatic work. I was in rehearsal for the role of Violetta in a La Traviata to be produced by a small Long Island Opera company. Maestro Halasz said to me, essentially: I am leaving for Germany in 2 days to conduct R. Strauss' "Die Frau ohne Schatten" at the Frankfurt Opera House. If you were to come to Frankfurt immediately, I would accompany you on the piano for some Agent auditions and I'm certain you will find singing work in Germany.

Well –2 days, and I was there! I was offered the role of Arabella [R. Strauss] in Kaiserslautern, and a contract in Schleswig Holstein that included Elisabeth in Tannhäuser and eventually six additional leading operatic roles [Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Minnie, The Girl of the Golden West, Violetta in La Traviata, die Tochter in Hindemith's Cardillac, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Leonore in Fidelio]. Everyone needs someone to help secure that first job. Maestro Halasz was the one who was willing to mentor me in this manner. I shall always be grateful to him for this.

With Bulgarian GMD Russlan Raytscheff conducting, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser was my debut role. I had the feeling that never elsewhere is there such an endless introduction to an aria as that for "Dich, teure Halle"!! I had a private smile reading the German Flensburger Tageblatt, where the reviewer wrote that "Frau Bismarck sang with superb "Hoch Deutsch" [the best sort of German accent!!] It was a huge compliment to me, coming as I had from the south shore of Long Island!!

My favorite role turned out to be Leonore in Fidelio- my yard-long legs were advantageous in the boy's costume, as they truly completed the illusion … [dressed as a boy, she enters the prison as a jailer's helper in order to find her imprisoned husband, Florestan] and I was a hit!

When I returned from Germany I had the good fortune to audition for Maestro Eduardo Mata [Dallas Symphony] who was casting a Fidelio for Mexico City. One of my most favored remembrances was Maestro Mata and the director of the Bellas Artes, [Mexico City] bolting out of their chairs most excitedly in the middle of my "Abscheulicher" aria.

We were double cast as Leonore. I had the opening night [reviewers come and that's an advantage] and the other Leonore and Maestro Mata just didn't hit it off. She seemed determined not to do what he wanted musically. That made matters all the better for me. So much better that this one role eventually turned out to be 7 leading roles -mostly at the Bellas Artes but one[Aida] in Guadalajara at the Teatro Degollado, and another in Ottawa at the National Arts Center-Leonore in Fidelio

Palacio de Bellas Artes
Mexico City, Mexico

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