Pauline Viardot sings Pushkin: New edition for the 200th birthday in 2021
Michelle Pauline Viardot-García, née García, (* July 18, 1821 in Paris; † May 18, 1910 there) was one of the most famous and versatile artists of the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century she had a major influence on the musical life of her time in various countries, above all in France, Germany, England and Russia. She sang, composed and taught, she arranged and edited works by other composers, collected folk song texts and melodies, organized musical salons and also conducted extensive correspondence.
Live and act
In addition to her training as a composer under the direction of Anton Reicha, the young Pauline García felt “irresistibly” drawn to the piano. Her playing and her compositions were very much appreciated by her teacher Franz Liszt. She speaks six languages fluently. From 1863 she settles in Baden-Baden with her husband and four children. Musicians, poets, painters and other important personalities of their time met in their domicile there, which in addition to a villa also included a garden theater and an art and lecture hall.
Composer
In Baden-Baden, Pauline mainly devotes herself to composition and draws inspiration from Russian poetry under the influence of Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883). She had met Russian poets …