Ozeanarie

Anna von Mildenburg (b. 29 November 1872, Vienna; d. 27 January 1947, Vienna), soprano.
Gustav Mahler first got to know Anna von Mildenburg during his time in Hamburg, and the two embarked on an intense love affair in 1895; their relationship is documented by copious correspondence. Mahler saw Anna von Mildenburg not just as a lover, but also a performer whose artistic vision was close to his own. When, after many years of determination and hard work, Mahler finally took up his post in Vienna, he put an end to the affair, but his artistic connection to Anna von Mildenburg remained intact. "Dearest Anna, I am afraid I am dropping a very important matter in your lap, one that I can postpone no longer [...]. I have paved the way for you in Vienna such that [...] an offer of employment will soon be sent to you. However, should you accept the offer, it will be absolutely necessary (given that I now have a clear view of all the relevant circumstances) for us to restrict our personal interactions to a very great extent, lest we again turn our lives into a form of torment for us both. The entire staff is already alarmed by the gossip emanating from Hamburg, and the news of your employment would hit them like a bombshell. If we were to give anyone even the slightest reason to mistrust us, etc., my position would quickly become untenable and I would soon be forced to pack my bags again, just as I did in Hamburg. You would also suffer in such circumstances, even if your livelihood would not be at stake. So I ask you now, dearest Anna, do you feel you have the strength to work with me in Vienna and – at least for the first year – to forego a personal relationship with me and any favours on my part? I hope you are convinced of the fact that this would be every bit as difficult for me as for you, and that only the very bitterest necessity has forced me to pose this question.” (Letter from Gustav Mahler to Anna von Mildenburg, July 1897).

Anna von Mildenburg's tenure at the Vienna Court Opera began in 1898, and her dramatic soprano voice made her one of ensemble’s outstanding singers. She was a central figure on the opera scene, and was recognised as a leading Wagner specialist. Under Mahler she played a variety of Wagnerian roles. On 4 September 1898 she starred as Brünnhilde in the restaging of Götterdämmerung (alongside Schmedes as Siegfried). She then went on to play Isolde in a new production of Tristan and Isolde on 21 February 1903, featuring designs by Alfred Roller (Tristan was played by Schmedes), and later played Fricka in the restaging of Das Rheingold (again featuring sets and costumes by Alfred Roller) on 23 January 1905. The full cast of the production featured Demuth, Weidemann, Schmedes, Haydter, Breuer, Gutheil-Schoder, Elizza, Petru and Kittel. Mildenburg also performed in the new production of Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) on 4 February 1907, alongside Weidemann, Förster-Lauterer and Schmedes. Again, the production was designed by Alfred Roller. Anna von Mildenburg also sang on the very last new production of the Mahler era, in a performance of Gluck's Iphigenia in Aulis on 18 March 1907. She was joined on stage by Schmedes, Gutheil-Schoder, Weidt, Demuth and Hesch.

When Mahler left the Court Opera in 1907, the connection he felt with Anna von Mildenburg resounded once more in his farewell message to her: "My dear old friend, I have just written a valedictory letter to the ‘honourable members’, which will be published. But when I was writing it, it occurred to me that you were not included in it, and that, as far as I am concerned, you stand apart from it. [...]. As I leave (the theatre, but not Vienna, where I will continue to live), it is all I can do to send you these few heartfelt words, and to take your hand in mine, albeit in spirit. I will always follow your progress with the greatest of affection and sympathy, and I hope that calmer times will bring us together again one day. In any event, you should know that, even at a distance, I will remain a friend upon whom you can rely. I am writing this in the midst of dreadful turmoil. Take care, and don’t let anyone put you down! Your old friend, Gustav Mahler. (Letter from Gustav Mahler to Anna von Mildenburg, December 1907).