Pauline Viardot, née Garcia (1821-1910) and Julius Rietz (1812-1877) had a significant influence on the cultural life of their age.

Pauline Viardot was active as an artist in Germany, France, Russia, Britain and Ireland, and can undoubtedly be seen as a cultural ambassador in Europe. She was friends with Clara and Robert Schumann and with Frédéric Chopin and George Sand. She collaborated as both composer and performer with Meyerbeer, Gounod, Berlioz, Fauré and many others, and she was an ad...