Opera Singer. A noted soprano of her day, she is remembered for creating roles in two of Mozart's best-known works. Born Maria Anna Josepha Francisca Gottlieb to a theatrical family, she took to the stage at around five and at 12 was Barbarina in the May 1, 1786, world premiere of "The Marriage of Figaro". At 15, she was Amande in Paul Wranitzky's "Oberon, King of the Elves"; around that same time, she joined the Theater auf der Wieden and was to star in a number of the company's "singspiele" (opera with spoken dialogue) productions. Gottlieb was chosen as Pamina for the September 30, 1791, first performance of Mozart's "The Magic Flute"; when the composer died in December of that year, she was, according to legend, the only mourner at his grave. Moving on to the Theater in der Leopoldstadt in 1792, she was to be regular for a number of years, particularly admired for her skills in comedy and parody. Anna earned rave reviews for the part of Hulda in Ferdinand Kauer's 1798 "Das Donauweibchen", but as the years passed and her looks and voice declined, she was relegated to character work. Fired by a new director in 1828, she lived out her days in poverty, depending on occasional charity from others. Gottlieb never married, and essentially nothing is known of her private life or any romantic attachments she may have had.
Opera Singer. A noted soprano of her day, she is remembered for creating roles in two of Mozart's best-known works. Born Maria Anna Josepha Francisca Gottlieb to a theatrical family, she took to the stage at around five and at 12 was Barbarina in the May 1, 1786, world premiere of "The Marriage of Figaro". At 15, she was Amande in Paul Wranitzky's "Oberon, King of the Elves"; around that same time, she joined the Theater auf der Wieden and was to star in a number of the company's "singspiele" (opera with spoken dialogue) productions. Gottlieb was chosen as Pamina for the September 30, 1791, first performance of Mozart's "The Magic Flute"; when the composer died in December of that year, she was, according to legend, the only mourner at his grave. Moving on to the Theater in der Leopoldstadt in 1792, she was to be regular for a number of years, particularly admired for her skills in comedy and parody. Anna earned rave reviews for the part of Hulda in Ferdinand Kauer's 1798 "Das Donauweibchen", but as the years passed and her looks and voice declined, she was relegated to character work. Fired by a new director in 1828, she lived out her days in poverty, depending on occasional charity from others. Gottlieb never married, and essentially nothing is known of her private life or any romantic attachments she may have had.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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