took over Austria Kurt left the continent for good and returned to the USA, arriving in New York in November 1939. Until her death in 1941 she lived and taught in New York City. Repertoire Considering the obstacles Melanie Kurt had to master – the first World War I, later the advent of the Nazis – she had an extraordinary career, though she was never an overnight star, but built her fame very gradually and with great discipline. Her long way to the top is mirrored in a large and diverse repertoire: Though Kurt was most famous as a Wagner singer – she appeared as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde 49 times during her three years with the Met –, she also sang Verdi-roles (the title role in Aida, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera), the protagonist in Beethoven's Fidelio, Mozart's Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Rachel in Halévy's La Juive, several roles in operas by Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Richard Strauss (the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier), Christoph Willibald Gluck, even Handel. She made many recordings – often with partners like Jacques Urlus or Friedrich Schorr – that are sought after by collectors today, especially those from the period between 1910 and 1915. The famous German critic Jürgen Kesting in his book about the great singers of the 20th century closes his article about Kurt: "Eine wundervolle Stimme und eine zentrale Sängerin." ("A wonderful voice, a central singer", p. 246) Literature Kesting, Jürgen: Die großen Sänger des 20. Jahrhunderts. ECON Verlag GmbH, Düsseldorf 1993, . External links Biography in German 1879 births 1941 deaths Austrian operatic sopranos Musicians from Vienna 20th-century Austrian women opera singers Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States