Mariya Slavina

Mariya Slavina (1858-1951), as the Princess in the first production of The Enchantress (1887)

Operatic mezzo-soprano and teacher (b. 24 May/5 June 1858 in Saint Petersburg; d. 1951 in Paris), born Mariya Aleksandrovna Slavina (Мария Александровна Славина); known after her marriage as Baroness Mariya Aleksandrovna Medem (Мария Александровна Медем).

After studying at the Saint Petersburg Theatrical School and Conservatory, she performed with the Imperial Opera and the Mariinsky Theatre from 1877 to 1917, and was a professor at the Petrograd Conservatory from 1919 to 1920. She premiered the role of the Princess in Tchaikovsky's The Enchantress (1887), and of the Countess in The Queen of Spades (1890).

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

One letter from Tchaikovsky to Mariya Slavina has survived, dating from 1887, and has been translated into English on this website:

• Letter 3314 – 8/20 August 1887, from Aachen.

2 letters from Mariya Slavina to the composer, dating from 1887, are preserved in the Klin House-Museum archive.

Bibliography

• Рождение русской Кармен (2012)