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Berta Foerstrova-Lautererová (1869–1936) as Tat'iana at the first performance of "Evgenii Onegin" outside Russia. Prague, 1888

Berta Foerstrová-Lautererová

Czech soprano (b. 1869; d. 1936), born Berta Lautererová (Bertha Lauterer); known after her marriage as Berta Foerstrová-Lautererová (Bertha Foerster-Lauterer).

After making her debut as a soprano at the National Theatre in Prague, in 1888 she married the composer and critic Josef Bohuslav Foerster (1859–1951), who moved with her to Hamburg when she joined the city's Stadtheater in 1893. The couple became acquainted with Gustav Mahler, who engaged her for the Hofoper in Vienna in 1903, causing the couple to relocate to the Austrian capital. However, they returned to Prague in 1918, and they remained in Czechoslovakia for the rest of their days.

Correspodence with Berta Foerstrová-Lautererová:

• 3 letters from Tchaikovsky to Berta Foerstrová-Lautererová have survived, dating from 1889 and 1892.