Erna Sack

Erna Sack was a German coloratura soprano, born Erna Weber, who studied in Prague and with Oscar Daniel in Berlin. She sang small roles at the Berlin Staatsoper from 1928 and appeared at Bielefeld, Breslau and Wiesbaden before joining the Dresden Staatsoper in 1933, where in 1935 she created Isotta in Die schweigsame Frau. Her exceptional coloratura, reaching a C above high C and earning her the nickname 'the German nightingale', encouraged Strauss to write cadenzas for Zerbinetta's aria, which she later sang at Covent Garden under his direction. She toured North America from 1936 and continued performing through the war in both occupied and neutral Europe, retiring from the stage in 1957.