10-20-2021, 12:04 AM
Edita Gruberová (Slovak: [ˈedita ˈɡruberoʋaː]; 23 December 1946 – 18 October 2021)[1] was a Slovak coloratura soprano. She made her stage debut in Bratislava in 1968 as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, but successfully auditioned at the Vienna State Opera the following year, which became her base. She enjoyed huge success internationally in roles such as Mozart's Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss. In her later career, she explored heavier roles in the Italian bel canto repertoire, such as the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Elvira in Bellini's I puritani, and Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux. In 2019, she portrayed Elizabeth I who leaves her throne, concluding a stage career performing leading roles over 51 years. She is remembered as the "Slowakische Nachtigal" (Slovak Nightingale).
In 1968, Gruberová made her operatic debut at the National Theatre in Bratislava as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.[3][12][13] After winning a singing competition in Toulouse, she was then engaged as a soloist of the opera ensemble of the J. G. Tajovský Theatre in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, from 1968 to 1970.[3][8][14] Among her roles there was Eliza in Loewe's musical My Fair Lady.[15] Since communist Czechoslovakia was going through normalisation, during which the borders to non-communist countries were closed, Medvecká surreptitiously arranged for an audition for Gruberová at the Vienna State Opera in the summer of 1969. She was immediately engaged, and made her breakthrough the following year when she appeared as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.[3][13] In 1971, Gruberová decided to emigrate to the West.[16] She became a member of the Vienna State Opera in 1972.[9][17] and was invited to perform at many of the most important opera houses in the world, especially in coloratura roles.[3] Gruberová made her debut at Glyndebourne in 1973 as the Queen of the Night.[3][18] She became an Austrian citizen in 1974.[19]
Gruberová achieved international recognition in 1976 when she sang Zerbinetta in the premiere of a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss in Vienna, conducted by Karl Böhm.[8] The conductor wished that the composer could have heard that performance.[2] She first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in 1977,[20] again as the Queen of the Night, conducted by James Conlon.[21] She appeared there as Zerbinetta in 1979 in a live broadcast conducted by James Levine, and a reviewer of Opera News noted:
In 1977, she first appeared at the Salzburg Festival, as Thibault in Verdi's Don Carlo, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. She appeared as Gilda in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's 1982 film of Rigoletto, alongside Ingvar Wixell in the title role and Luciano Pavarotti as the Duke,[23] and in his 1988 film of Mozart's Così fan tutte, alongside Delores Ziegler and Ferruccio Furlanetto.[24] Gruberová made her Royal Opera House debut as Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi in 1984. Other important roles include the title roles of Verdi's La traviata, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, and Massenet's Manon. She performed as Konstanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Oscar in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera.
![[Image: 170px-Gruberova_2008_-_web.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Gruberova_2008_-_web.jpg/170px-Gruberova_2008_-_web.jpg)
Gruberová in 2008
Gruberová appeared as a regular guest at the Zürich Opera, as Marie in Donizetti's La fille du régiment in 1984, as Lucia in 1990, and in the title role of Rossini's Semiramide in 1992. She performed there in the title role of Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix in 1995, as Elvira in Bellini's I puritani in 1999, in the title role of Donizetti's Anna Bolena in 2000, and in the title role of Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda in 2001.[9] The same year, she withdrew from all her performances at the Zürich Opera, after Alexander Pereira [de], then intendant, refused that her dancer daughter's injury, which ruined her career, was an occupational accident.[8] In 2012, she appeared there again in a recital, stepping in for Jonas Kaufmann.[25] Later that year, after Pereira's departure, she finally performed with the company again, in a revival of Roberto Devereux.[26]
Gruberová appeared as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at La Scala in Milan in 1987 and as Elisabetta in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux in Vienna in 1990. The role became one of her signature roles; in a new production in Munich directed by Christof Loy, she made peace with Regietheater in a dramatic portrayal of the Queen, without loosing coloratura brilliance. She always performed coloratura ornamentation with dramatic expressiveness, with humour as Zerbinetta, and in rapture with a high trill as the dying Antonia in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann .[2] In 2006, she added the title role in Bellini's Norma to her repertoire, at the Bavarian State Opera.[8]
She gave her last opera performance on 27 March 2019 as Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux at the Bavarian State Opera.[27][7] She convincingly portrayed the aging Elizabeth I who leaves her throne, with still breathtaking singing.[2] She concluded her stage career after 51 years of singing leading roles,[2] and received ovations for 58 minutes.[12] She then focused on concerts and giving masterclasses.[27][7] She officially retired from the stage in September 2020, in part due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic which made planning further performances difficult.[28] Her last performance was in Gersthofen on 20 December 2019,[29] as two planned farewell performances in a semi-staged Roberto Devereux at the State Theatre Košice at the end of November 2020 were eventually cancelled due to the pandemic.[30]
Gruberová was introduced to Lieder repertoire by Harald Goertz [de], a professor at the Vienna Music Academy, and repetiteur at the Vienna State Opera. They often performed together, until Erik Werba became her lied partner with whom she performed sons by Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler.[8] They gave a recital at the Salzburg Festival in 1980,[8] with clarinetist Peter Schmidt, of songs by Schubert, Mendelssohn and Strauss.[31]
Gruberová made many recordings,[3][9] most notably in full-length opera, and extended selections from Donizetti's Tudor Queens' trilogy and other bel canto operas. In her later years, she recorded exclusively on the Nightingale label. More than a dozen of her filmed and televised opera appearances have been released on DVD, including Die Zauberflöte, Così fan tutte, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, I puritani, Norma, Manon, Beatrice di Tenda, and Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and Linda di Chamounix, and Ariadne auf Naxos.[3]
She recorded Bach's solo cantatas for soprano, such as Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51, and Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199, in 1979, with Helmut Winschermann conducting the Deutsche Bachsolisten and trumpeter Wolfgang Basch.[42][43]
More at Wikipedia.
In 1968, Gruberová made her operatic debut at the National Theatre in Bratislava as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.[3][12][13] After winning a singing competition in Toulouse, she was then engaged as a soloist of the opera ensemble of the J. G. Tajovský Theatre in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, from 1968 to 1970.[3][8][14] Among her roles there was Eliza in Loewe's musical My Fair Lady.[15] Since communist Czechoslovakia was going through normalisation, during which the borders to non-communist countries were closed, Medvecká surreptitiously arranged for an audition for Gruberová at the Vienna State Opera in the summer of 1969. She was immediately engaged, and made her breakthrough the following year when she appeared as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.[3][13] In 1971, Gruberová decided to emigrate to the West.[16] She became a member of the Vienna State Opera in 1972.[9][17] and was invited to perform at many of the most important opera houses in the world, especially in coloratura roles.[3] Gruberová made her debut at Glyndebourne in 1973 as the Queen of the Night.[3][18] She became an Austrian citizen in 1974.[19]
Gruberová achieved international recognition in 1976 when she sang Zerbinetta in the premiere of a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss in Vienna, conducted by Karl Böhm.[8] The conductor wished that the composer could have heard that performance.[2] She first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in 1977,[20] again as the Queen of the Night, conducted by James Conlon.[21] She appeared there as Zerbinetta in 1979 in a live broadcast conducted by James Levine, and a reviewer of Opera News noted:
Quote:New, and a brilliant addition to the ensemble, was Edita Gruberova as Zerbinetta, The Slovak soprano is everything one could hope for in this soaring, most demanding role, for she acts enchantingly, sings with great skill and musicality and possesses a voice that not only sails easily to the top, but is filled out with sweetness and quality; she had a triumph, predictably, not only in her big aria, but in the touching duet with the Composer in the prologue as well.[22]
In 1977, she first appeared at the Salzburg Festival, as Thibault in Verdi's Don Carlo, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. She appeared as Gilda in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's 1982 film of Rigoletto, alongside Ingvar Wixell in the title role and Luciano Pavarotti as the Duke,[23] and in his 1988 film of Mozart's Così fan tutte, alongside Delores Ziegler and Ferruccio Furlanetto.[24] Gruberová made her Royal Opera House debut as Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi in 1984. Other important roles include the title roles of Verdi's La traviata, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, and Massenet's Manon. She performed as Konstanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Oscar in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera.
![[Image: 170px-Gruberova_2008_-_web.jpg]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gruberova_2008_-_web.jpg)
Gruberová in 2008
Gruberová appeared as a regular guest at the Zürich Opera, as Marie in Donizetti's La fille du régiment in 1984, as Lucia in 1990, and in the title role of Rossini's Semiramide in 1992. She performed there in the title role of Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix in 1995, as Elvira in Bellini's I puritani in 1999, in the title role of Donizetti's Anna Bolena in 2000, and in the title role of Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda in 2001.[9] The same year, she withdrew from all her performances at the Zürich Opera, after Alexander Pereira [de], then intendant, refused that her dancer daughter's injury, which ruined her career, was an occupational accident.[8] In 2012, she appeared there again in a recital, stepping in for Jonas Kaufmann.[25] Later that year, after Pereira's departure, she finally performed with the company again, in a revival of Roberto Devereux.[26]
Gruberová appeared as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at La Scala in Milan in 1987 and as Elisabetta in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux in Vienna in 1990. The role became one of her signature roles; in a new production in Munich directed by Christof Loy, she made peace with Regietheater in a dramatic portrayal of the Queen, without loosing coloratura brilliance. She always performed coloratura ornamentation with dramatic expressiveness, with humour as Zerbinetta, and in rapture with a high trill as the dying Antonia in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann .[2] In 2006, she added the title role in Bellini's Norma to her repertoire, at the Bavarian State Opera.[8]
She gave her last opera performance on 27 March 2019 as Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux at the Bavarian State Opera.[27][7] She convincingly portrayed the aging Elizabeth I who leaves her throne, with still breathtaking singing.[2] She concluded her stage career after 51 years of singing leading roles,[2] and received ovations for 58 minutes.[12] She then focused on concerts and giving masterclasses.[27][7] She officially retired from the stage in September 2020, in part due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic which made planning further performances difficult.[28] Her last performance was in Gersthofen on 20 December 2019,[29] as two planned farewell performances in a semi-staged Roberto Devereux at the State Theatre Košice at the end of November 2020 were eventually cancelled due to the pandemic.[30]
Gruberová was introduced to Lieder repertoire by Harald Goertz [de], a professor at the Vienna Music Academy, and repetiteur at the Vienna State Opera. They often performed together, until Erik Werba became her lied partner with whom she performed sons by Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler.[8] They gave a recital at the Salzburg Festival in 1980,[8] with clarinetist Peter Schmidt, of songs by Schubert, Mendelssohn and Strauss.[31]
Gruberová made many recordings,[3][9] most notably in full-length opera, and extended selections from Donizetti's Tudor Queens' trilogy and other bel canto operas. In her later years, she recorded exclusively on the Nightingale label. More than a dozen of her filmed and televised opera appearances have been released on DVD, including Die Zauberflöte, Così fan tutte, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, I puritani, Norma, Manon, Beatrice di Tenda, and Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and Linda di Chamounix, and Ariadne auf Naxos.[3]
She recorded Bach's solo cantatas for soprano, such as Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51, and Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199, in 1979, with Helmut Winschermann conducting the Deutsche Bachsolisten and trumpeter Wolfgang Basch.[42][43]
More at Wikipedia.
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