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Selma Kurz (b. 15 October 1874, Biala, Poland; d. 10 May 1933, Vienna), soprano.
Selma Kurz was one of the most celebrated coloratura sopranos of her era. She became a member of the Vienna Court Opera in 1899, and remained part of the ensemble until 1929.
She sang under Mahler’s direction in the Vienna premiere of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta on 22 March 1900 (alongside her ensemble colleagues Hesch, Demuth and Naval), and she played Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte in 1900 and 1905.
Their correspondence shows that Mahler had a brief affair with Selma Kurz in 1900, and that the two of them attempted to conceal their relationship as far as possible. Mahler wrote “In that case, I won’t come to you, but I will be waiting for you in my office immediately after the rehearsal! ... Should anyone be with me when you come to the office, wait in the piano salon until they leave.” (Undated letter from Gustav Mahler to Selma Kurz). Their relationship ended after a few months. The relationship between Mahler and Kurz was not entirely free of artistic tensions, either. As this press report makes clear, in 1905 they had a disagreement regarding the conditions of her contract: “Sources report that Kammersängerin Ms Selma Kurz has requested to be relieved of her duties. [...] Ms Kurz has been dissatisfied with her engagement in Vienna for some considerable time. [She] has already attempted to arrange the termination of her contract, which has several years still to run, once before, in December of last year. Director [Gustav] Mahler refused her request on the grounds that this was not something a royal theatre could permit. This increased the performer’s nervous unease, with her already having been denied an extended period of leave shortly before her request was rejected, and she became seriously ill. She recuperated on the Riviera and was eventually able to resume her professional activities, starring in Lakmé and delivering a number of other performances that gave particular grounds for satisfaction [...] The request has been justified on the basis that Ms Kurz is not receiving the appropriate artistic support at the Court Opera, that director Mahler is not prepared to rehearse roles with her, and that the general way in which he is treating her is not appropriate" (Neue Freie Presse, 23 March 1905).
It appears there was a financial and artistic rapprochement between the two, since on 25 December 1906 Mahler conducted the restaging of The Barber of Seville by Rossini – ostensibly for Selma Kurz’s sake – with Kurz singing the part of Rosina.
Selma Kurz also sang under Mahler in performances of his work, including songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Wonder Horn) in a subscription concert by the Vienna Philharmonic in January 1900. As part of that performance, she gave the world premiere of “Das Iirdische Leben” (”Earthly Life”).