Career thumb|Viardot as Valentina and Marietta Alboni as Urbano in Act 1 of Meyerbeer's Gli Ugonotti. Royal Italian Opera (Covent Garden) (1848) (lithograph by John Brandard) thumb|Pauline Viardot at the piano listening to Frédéric Chopin. Sketch. In 1837, 16-year-old Pauline García gave her first concert performance in Brussels. She made her opera debut as Desdemona in Rossini's Otello in London in 1839. This proved to be the surprise of the season. Despite her flaws, she had an exquisite vocal technique combined with an astonishing degree of passion.
Career thumb|Viardot as Valentina and Marietta Alboni as Urbano in Act 1 of Meyerbeer's Gli Ugonotti. Royal Italian Opera (Covent Garden) (1848) (lithograph by John Brandard) thumb|Pauline Viardot at the piano listening to Frédéric Chopin. Sketch In 1837, 16-year-old Pauline García gave her first concert performance in Brussels. She made her opera debut as Desdemona in Rossini's Otello in London in 1839. This proved to be the surprise of the season. Despite her flaws, she had an exquisite vocal technique combined with an astonishing degree of passion.