Edita Gruberová

Edita Gruberová (born 23 December 1946)[1] is a Slovak coloratura soprano. She enjoyed huge success internationally in roles such as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. 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 and Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux, and Elvira in Bellini's I puritani.

Edita Gruberová
Gruberová in 2013
Born (1946-12-23) 23 December 1946
Rača, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
OccupationOperatic soprano
TitleKammersängerin

Education

Born in Rača, Bratislava,[1] Gruberová began her musical studies at the Bratislava Conservatory (Konzervatórium v Bratislave),[2][3] where she was a student of Mária Medvecká. She then continued at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU). While studying, she was a singer of the Lúčnica folk ensemble and appeared several times in the Slovak National Theatre.[4]

Career

In 1968, Gruberová made her operatic debut in Bratislava as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.[5][6] 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.[2][7] Since communist Czechoslovakia was going through normalisation, during which the borders were closed with non-communist countries, Medvecká surreptitiously arranged for an audition for Gruberová in the summer of 1969 at the Vienna State Opera, which immediately engaged her. The following year, she made her breakthrough when she sang the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.[6] Gruberová then decided to emigrate to the West. In subsequent years, she became a soloist in Vienna and was invited to sing at many of the most important opera houses in the world, especially in coloratura roles.[4]

Gruberová made her debut at Glyndebourne in 1973 as the Queen of the Night.[4][8] She achieved international recognition in 1976 when she first sang Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss.[2] She appeared first at the Metropolitan Opera in 1977,[9] again as the Queen of the Night. 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 opposite Ingvar Wixell and Luciano Pavarotti,[10] and in his 1988 film of Mozart's Così fan tutte opposite Delores Ziegler and Ferruccio Furlanetto.[11] 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 role of Verdi's La traviata ad Donizetti's in Lucia di Lammermoor, Konstanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the title role in Massenet's Manon and Oscar in Verdi' Un ballo in maschera. She appeared as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at La Scala in Milan in 1987, as Marie in Doizetti's La fille du régiment in 1987, in the title role of Rossini's Semiramide in Zürich in 1982, and as Elizabeth I in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux in Vienna in 1990. In 2006, she added the title role in Bellini's Norma to her repertoire, at the Bavarian State Opera.[2]

In 2001, she withdrew all her performances at the Zürich Opera, after Alexander Pereira, then intendant of the company, refused to claim responsibility for her dancer daughter's injury, which ruined her career but was not considered an occupational accident.[2] She had not performed at the theatre until replacing Jonas Kaufmann in a recital on 11 May 2012.[12] Later that year, after Pereira's departure, she finally performed in staged opera with the company again, in a revival of Roberto Devereux.[13]

She gave her last opera performance on 27 March 2019 as Elizabeth I in Roberto Devereux at the Bavarian State Opera, after which she focused on concerts and masterclasses.[14] 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.[3]

Gruberová is an Austrian and Bavarian Kammersängerin and honorary member of the Vienna State Opera.[6][3] Gruberová has made many recordings, most notably in full-length opera recordings and extended selections from Donizetti's Tudor Queens' trilogy and other bel canto operas, lately exclusively on Nightingale label.

Discography

Recordings with Gruberová include:[15][16]

Year Role Other cast Conductor
Orchestra and chorus
Label
1976 Strauss
Ariadne auf Naxos
(Zerbinetta)
Gundula Janowitz
Agnes Baltsa
James King
Walter Berry
Karl Böhm
Orchestra of Wiener Staatsoper
Live performance
Orfeo
1977 Strauss
Ariadne auf Naxos
(Zerbinetta)
Leontyne Price
Tatiana Troyanos
René Kollo
Walter Berry
Barry McDaniel
Georg Solti
London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Records
Decca Records
1978 Mozart
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
(Konstanze)
Francisco Araiza
Roland Bracht
Gudrun Ebel
Norbert Orth
Harald Leipnitz
Heinz Wallberg
Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Choir of Bayerischer Rundfunk
Eurodisc
1978 Humperdinck
Hänsel und Gretel
(Taumännchen)
Lucia Popp
Julia Hamari
Walter Berry
Brigitte Fassbaender
Anny Schlemm
Norma Burrowes
Georg Solti
Wiener Philharmoniker
Wiener Sängerknaben
Decca Records
1979 Verdi
Don Carlo (four acts)
(Tebaldo)
José Carreras
Mirella Freni
Agnes Baltsa
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Piero Cappuccilli
Ruggero Raimondi
José van Dam
Herbert von Karajan
Choir of Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berliner Philharmoniker
EMI Classics
1979/80 Verdi
Un ballo in maschera
(Oscar)
Plácido Domingo
Renato Bruson
Katia Ricciarelli
Elena Obraztsova
Claudio Abbado
Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
Deutsche Grammophon
1980 Mozart
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
(Konstanze)
Reri Grist
Francisco Araiza
Norbert Orth
Martti Talvela
Karl Böhm
Symphonie-Orchester of Bayerischer Rundfunk
Choir of BR]]
Deutsche Grammophon DVD
1981 Mozart
Die Zauberflöte
(Königin der Nacht)
Wolfgang Brendel
Roland Bracht
Lucia Popp
Brigitte Linder
Heinz Zednik
Siegfried Jerusalem
Bernard Haitink
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Choir of Bayerischer Rundfunk, Tölzer Knabenchor
EMI Classics
Angel Records
1981 Gluck
Orfeo ed Euridice (Vienna Version 1762)
(Amore)
Agnes Baltsa
Margaret Marshall
Riccardo Muti
Ambrosian Opera Chorus
Philharmonia Orchestra
His Master's Voice
1982 Mozart
Die Zauberflöte
(Königin der Nacht)
Ileana Cotrubaș
Peter Schreier
Martti Talvela
Christian Boesch
Gudrun Sieber
Horst Hiestermann
James Levine
Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Wiener Philharmoniker
Filmed at the 1982 Salzburg Festival
TDK
1983 Donizetti
Lucia di Lammermoor
(Lucia)
Alfredo Kraus
Kathleen Kuhlmann
Robert Lloyd (bass)
Renato Bruson
Bruno Lazzaretti
Nicola Rescigno
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
Ambrosian Singers
EMI Classics
1983 Mozart
Idomeneo
(Elettra)
Luciano Pavarotti
Agnes Baltsa
Lucia Popp
Leo Nucci
John Pritchard
Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor
Decca Records
1984 Bellini
I Capuleti e i Montecchi
(Giulietta)
Agnes Baltsa
Gwynne Howell
Dano Raffanti
John Tomlinson
Riccardo Muti
Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Recorded live over several performances May 1984
EMI Classics
1984 Verdi
Rigoletto
(Gilda)
Renato Bruson
Neil Shicoff
Brigitte Fassbaender
Robert Lloyd
Giuseppe Sinopoli
Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Philips Classics Records
1985 Mozart
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
(Konstanze)
Kathleen Battle
Gösta Winbergh
Heinz Zednik
Martti Talvela
Georg Solti
Choir of Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Philharmoniker
Decca Records
1988 Mozart
Die Zauberflöte
(Königin der Nacht)
Barbara Bonney
Marjana Lipovšek
Peter Keller
Thomas Moser
Thomas Hampson
Matti Salminen
Hans Peter Blochwitz
Anton Scharinger
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Choir and orchestra of Opernhaus Zürich
Teldec[17]
1988 Strauss
Ariadne auf Naxos
(Zerbinetta)
Jessye Norman
Júlia Várady
Paul Frey
Olaf Bär
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Rudolf Amsus
Kurt Masur
Gewandhausorchester
Recorded at Neues Gewandhaus, Leipzig, January 1988
Philips Classics Records
1989 Donizetti
Maria Stuarda
(Maria Stuarda)
Agnes Baltsa
Francisco Araiza
Francesco Ellero d'Artegna
Simone Alaimo
Iris Vermillion
Giuseppe Patanè
Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Choir of Bayerischer Rundfunk
Philips Classics Records
1989 Mozart
Lucio Silla
(Giunia)
Cecilia Bartoli
Peter Schreier
Dawn Upshaw
Yvonne Kenny
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Concentus Musicus Wien
Teldec
1989 Offenbach
Les contes d'Hoffmann
(Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta)
Plácido Domingo
Claudia Eder
Gabriel Bacquier
James Morris
Justino Díaz
Seiji Ozawa
Chœurs de Radio France, Orchestre National de France
Deutsche Grammophon
1991 Donizetti
Lucia di Lammermoor
(Lucia)
Neil Shicoff
Alexandru Agache
Alastair Miles
Bernard Lombardo
Francesco Piccoli
Richard Bonynge
Ambrosian Singers, London Symphony Orchestra
Recorded St Augustine's Church, London September 1991
Teldec
1992 Bellini
Beatrice di Tenda
(Beatrice)
Vesselina Kasarova
Igor Morosow
Don Bernardini
Pinchas Steinberg
Wiener Jeunesse-Chor, ORF-Symphonieorchester
Live performance at the Wiener Konzerthaus 30/1 & 1/2 1992
Nightingale Classics
1992 Verdi
La traviata
(Violetta)
Neil Shicoff
Giorgio Zancanaro
Carlo Rizzi
London Symphony Orchestra
Ambrosian Singers
Teldec
1992 Verdi
La traviata
(Violetta)
Neil Shicoff
Giorgio Zancanaro
Carlo Rizzi
Filmed live at La Fenice, Venice, in December
Warner Music Vision DVD
1993 Humperdinck
Hänsel und Gretel
(Gretel)
Ann Murray
Christa Ludwig
Gwyneth Jones
Franz Grundheber
Barbara Bonney
Christiane Oelze
Colin Davis
Staatskapelle Dresden
Children's choir of Staatsoper Dresden, Women of the Dresdnen Opera choir
Philips Classics Records
1993 Donizetti
Linda di Chamounix
(Linda)
Dan Bernardini
Ettore Kim
Monica Groop
Stefano Palatchi
Anders Melander
Friedrich Haider
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mikaeli Chamber Choir
Nightingale Classics
1994 Donizetti
Roberto Devereux
(Elisabetta)
Delores Ziegler
Don Bernardini
Ettore Kim
Friedrich Haider
Chœurs de l'Opéra du Rhin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg
Live recording
Nightingale Classics
1994 Donizetti
Anna Bolena
(Anna Bolena)
Delores Ziegler
Stefano Palatchi
José Bros
Igor Morosow
Helene Schneiderman
Elio Boncompagni
Chorus and Orchestra of Hungarian Radio and Television
Recorded live Wiener Konzerthaus 28/11 & 1/12 1994
Nightingale Classics
1995 Donizetti
La fille du régiment
(Marie)
Deon van der Walt
Rosa Laghezza
Philippe Fourcade
François Castel
Marcello Panni
Chor of Bayerischer Rundfunk, Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Recorded Herkulessaal of Münchner Residenz March 1995
Nightingale Classics
1997 Rossini
Il barbiere di Siviglia
(Rosina)
Juan Diego Flórez
Rosa Laghezza
Vladmir Chernov
Enric Serra
Francesco Ellero d'Artegna
Ralf Weikert
Choir of Bayerischer Rundfunk, Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Live recording
Nightingale Classics
2004 Bellini
Norma
(Norma)
Elīna Garanča
Aquiles Machado
Alastair Miles
Judith Howarth
Friedrich Haider
Vocal Ensemble Rastatt, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
Live recording
Nightingale Classics
2010 Donizetti
Lucrezia Borgia
(Lucrezia Borgia)
José Bros
Silvia Tro Santafé
Franco Vassallo
Andriy Yurkevych
Chor of Oper Köln, WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln
Live recording at the Kölner Philharmonie
Nightingale Classics

References

  1. Kesting, Jürgen (30 March 2019). "Ich regiere nicht mehr. Geht!". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Frankfurt. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  2. Hanning, Ilona (19 December 2016). ""Einfach Rauf und Runter" – Die Sopranistin Edita Gruberová". BR-Klassik.
  3. "Die Gruberova beendet ihre Opernkarriere". Die Zeit (in German). Hamburg. dpa. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  4. Patmore, David. "Elena Gruberová". Naxos Records. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  5. Thiel, Markus (29 March 2019). "Edita Gruberova: Die Königin dankt ab". Merkur (in German). Munich. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  6. "Kammersängerin Edita Gruberova", profile at Vienna State Opera (Archive)
  7. App, Rolf (23 December 2016). "OPER: Die bescheidene Königin". St. Galler Tagblatt (in German). St. Gallen. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  8. "The Opera Archive". glyndebourne.com. Glyndebourne. 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  9. Kozinn, Allan (7 November 1989). "Reviews/Music; Edita Gruberova in Recital". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  10. Rigoletto (1982) at IMDb
  11. Così fan tutte (1988) at IMDb
  12. "Comeback von Edita Gruberova". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 9 May 2012.
  13. Schneider, Oliver (1 October 2012). "Die triumphale Rückkehr von Edita Gruberova". DrehPunktKultur.
  14. Salazar, Francisco (20 March 2019). "Edita Gruberova Gives Final Performances At The Bayerische Staatsoper". OperaWire.
  15. Recordings with Edita Gruberova Naxos Records
  16. Discography AllMusic
  17. "CD Preview".

Further reading

  • Niel Rishoi, Edita Gruberová. Ein Portrait, Atlantis Musikbuch, Zürich and Mayence, 1996, ISBN 3-254-00192-3 (in German)
  • Thiel, Markus (June 2012). Edita Gruberova – "Der Gesang ist mein Geschenk". Henschel Verlag. ISBN 978-3894879150.
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