Lillian Nordica as Margaret of Navarre, ca. 1880
Item 17291 info
Nordica Memorial Association
After Milan, Lillian went to St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1880. By then, she spoke, read and wrote French and Italian fluently. Nordica and her mother, with whom she traveled, began to learn German and Russian as well.
The Augusta Journal, referring to Nordica and Frederick Gower, reported: "Two natives of Maine are just now creating quite a sensation in Europe. Miss Norton was engaged by the St. Petersburg Opera for $1,000. The next season her salary was doubled. She created a furor in St. Petersburg and Moscow....She dined with the Czar and the Imperial Family."
Lillian performed in St. Petersburg from 1880 to 1882, pleasing audiences known as the most critical in the world.
Newspapers noted that her success exceeded their expectations.
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