Nahowski, Helene (1885-1976)

Nahowski, Helene

OPERA SINGER (AUSTRIA)

BORN 29 Jul 1885, Wien - DIED 30 Aug 1976, Wien
BIRTH NAME Nahowski, Helene Karoline
GRAVE LOCATION Wien: Hietzinger Friedhof, Maxingstraße 15, Hietzing (Gruppe 49, Nummer 24F)

Helene Nahowski was the daughter of Anna Nahowski, the lover of emperor Francis Joseph of austria. Because Anna's husband Franz Nahowski wasn't near her when Helene was conceived it is assumed that Francis Joseph was her father. She grew up in Hietzing and studied singing.

In 1906 she met the composer Alban Berg and she married him on On 3 May 1911. Her family had its doubts about the marriage because of his mediocre prospects and his bad health. They had no children and Berg had affairs with other women but always stressed his love for Helene. They lived at Trauttmansdorffgasse 27 and after Berg's death in 1935 she continued to live there until her own death in 1976. It is now the home of the Alban Berg Stiftung that she founded in 1968. Only after her death it became known that Berg's opera "Lulu" was almost finished.

Family
• Father: Franz Joseph von Habsburg, Emperor of Austria
• Mother: Nahowski, Anna
• Husband: Berg, Alban (1911-1935, Wien: Evangelische Kirche, Dorotheergasse 16)
• Brother: Rudolf von Habsburg, Crown Prince of Austria and Hungary
• Sister: Gisela, archduchess of Austria, princess of Bavaria

Related persons
• was a friend of Mahler, Alma

Events

24/2/1979

Premiere of the three-act version of Alban Berg's "Lulu" at the Opera in Paris. After Berg's widow Helene Berg had died in 1976 a new completed version was made by Friedrich Cerha. Patrick Chéreau produced the performance and Pierre Boulez was the conductor. Teresa Stratas sang the part of Lulu and other singers were Yvonne Minton and Hanna Schwarz. [Berg, Alban][Chéreau, Patrice]