Edita Gruberová (; 23 December 1946 – 18 October 2021) was a Slovak

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

. She made her stage debut in Bratislava in 1968 as Rosina in Rossini's '' Il barbiere di Siviglia'', and successfully auditioned at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

the following year, which became her base. She received international recognition for roles such as Mozart's Queen of the Night in ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inc ...

'' and Zerbinetta in ''

Ariadne auf Naxos (''Ariadne on Naxos''), Opus number, Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one o ...

'' by Richard Strauss. In her later career, she explored heavier roles in the Italian

bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...

repertoire, such as the title role in Donizetti's ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

'', and Elvira in Bellini's ''

I puritani ' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and later changed to three acts on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set to a librett ...

''. In 2019, she portrayed Elisabetta in Donizetti's ''

Roberto Devereux ''Roberto Devereux'' (or ''Roberto Devereux, ossia Il conte di Essex'' 'Robert Devereux, or the Earl of Essex'' is a ''tragedia lirica'', or tragic opera, by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian libretto after François A ...

'', who leaves her throne, concluding a stage career performing leading roles over 51 years. She is remembered as the "" (Slovak Nightingale), and as prima donna assoluta.

Early life and education

Edita Gruberová was born on 23 December 1946 in Rača, Bratislava, to a German father and a Hungarian mother. As an anti-communist, her father survived a five-year prison sentence for treason. Her father drank and she developed a close relationship with her mother. She sang in a school choir and in the children's choir of the broadcaster. The pastor of the parish where she prepared for

Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an wikt:affirmation, affirma ...

accompanied her when she sang solos at church, and prepared her in piano playing to pass the exam to enter the conservatory. Gruberová began her musical studies at the Bratislava Conservatory (''Konzervatórium v Bratislave''), where she was a student of . She then continued at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU). While studying there, she was a singer of the Lúčnica folk ensemble and appeared several times in the Slovak National Theatre. She would later study with Ruthilde Boesch in Vienna.

Career

Opera

In 1968, Gruberová made her operatic debut at the National Theatre in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% o ...

as Rosina in Rossini's '' Il barbiere di Siviglia''. After winning a singing competition in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

, she was then engaged as a soloist of the opera ensemble of the J. G. Tajovský Theatre in

Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other alternative names) is a middle-sized town in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica M ...

, Slovakia, from 1968 to 1970. Among her roles was

Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower woman, who comes to Prof ...

in Loewe's musical ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flowe ...

''. 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

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 ''

''. In 1971, Gruberová decided to emigrate to the West. She became a member of the Vienna State Opera in 1972, where she was only given secondary and supporting roles in her early years. She was invited to perform at many of the most important opera houses in the world, especially in

coloratura Coloratura is an elaborate melody with runs, trills, wide leaps, or similar virtuoso-like material,''Oxford American Dictionaries''.Apel (1969), p. 184. or a passage of such music. Operatic roles in which such music plays a prominent part, a ...

roles. Gruberová made her debut at

Glyndebourne Glyndebourne () is an English country house, the site of an opera house that, since 1934, has been the venue for the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The house, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England, is thought to be about six hundre ...

in 1973 as the Queen of the Night. She became an Austrian citizen in 1974. In Vienna, she studied with Ruthilde Boesch, whom she described as a wonderful, tough, diligent teacher, the demanding role of Zerbinetta in ''

'' by Richard Strauss. Although a guest was planned to sing the role in a new production in 1976, Gruberová convinced conductor

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz. T ...

that she was capable. The premiere won her international recognition, and Böhm said he wished that the composer could have heard that performance. Gruberová first appeared at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1977, again as the Queen of the Night, conducted by James Conlon. She appeared as Zerbinetta in a live broadcast conducted by

James Levine James Lawrence Levine (; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March ...

in 1979. Robert Jacobson of ''Opera News'', in his review noted: In 1977, she first appeared at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

, as Thibault in Verdi's '' Don Carlo'', conducted by

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wi ...

. In opera films, she performed as Gilda in Ponnelle's 1982 film adaptation of ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

'', alongside Ingvar Wixell in the title role and

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

as the Duke, and in his 1988 film adaptation of Mozart's ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte ...

'', alongside Delores Ziegler and Ferruccio Furlanetto. Gruberová made her

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

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 ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on '' La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his o ...

'', Donizetti's ''

'', and Massenet's '' Manon''. She performed as Konstanze in Mozart's ''

Die Entführung aus dem Serail ' () ( K. 384; ''The Abduction from the Seraglio''; also known as ') is a singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's ''Belmont und Constanze, oder D ...

'', and Oscar in Verdi's ''

Un ballo in maschera ''Un ballo in maschera'' ''(A Masked Ball)'' is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, '' Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué''. Th ...

''.

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 ''

'' in 1999, in the title role of Donizetti's ''

Anna Bolena ''Anna Bolena'' is a tragic opera (''tragedia lirica'') in two acts composed by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after Ippolito Pindemonte's ''Enrico VIII ossia Anna Bolena'' and Alessandro Pepoli's ''Anna Bolena'', b ...

'' in 2000, and in the title role of Bellini's ''

Beatrice di Tenda ''Beatrice di Tenda'' is a tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, after the play of the same name by . Initially, a play by Alexandre Dumas was chosen as the subject for the opera, but Bellini had reserv ...

'' in 2001. The same year, she withdrew from all her performances at the Zürich Opera, after Alexander Pereira, then intendant, claimed that her dancer daughter's injury, which forced her to quit dancing, was not an occupational accident.. In 2012, she appeared there again in a recital, stepping in for

Jonas Kaufmann Jonas Kaufmann (born 10 July 1969) is a German operatic tenor. He is best known for the versatility of his repertoire, performing a variety of opera roles in multiple languages in recital Tommasini, Anthony (21 February 2014)"A Tenor Finds Energy ...

. Later that year, after Pereira's departure, she performed with the company again, in a revival of ''

''. Gruberová appeared as Donna Anna in Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spani ...

'' at La Scala in Milan in 1987 and as

Elisabetta Elisabetta is an Italian feminine given name related to Elizabeth. * Elisabetta Artuso (born 1974), Italian former middle distance runner * Elisabetta Barbato (1921–2014), Italian operatic soprano * Elisabetta Casellati (born 1946), Italian pol ...

in Donizetti's ''Roberto Devereux'' in Vienna in 1990. The latter became one of her signature roles; in a new production in Munich directed by

Christof Loy Christof Loy (born 5 December 1962) is a German stage director especially for opera, whose work received several awards. A freelance director, he has staged operas from Baroque to premieres of new works at major European opera houses and festivals. ...

, she made peace with '' Regietheater'' in a dramatic portrayal of the Queen, without losing her distinctive coloratura. 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''. In 2006, she added the title role in Bellini's ''

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy * Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Laz ...

'' to her repertoire, at the

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

. She gave her last opera performance on 27 March 2019 as Elisabetta in ''Roberto Devereux'' at the Bavarian State Opera. She concluded her stage career after 51 years of singing leading roles, and received ovations for 58 minutes.

Jürgen Kesting Jürgen Kesting (born 26 July 1940) is a German journalist, music critic and author. Life and career Born in Duisburg, Kesting studied German and English culture as well as philosophy in Cologne and Vienna from 1960 to 1967. After four years as ...

, writing for the '' FAZ'', allegorized her convincing portrayal of the aging Elizabeth I who leaves her throne and drew parallels to her retiring. She then focused on concerts and giving masterclasses. She officially retired from the stage in September 2020, in part due to delays related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

which made planning further performances difficult. Her last performance was in Gersthofen on 20 December 2019. Her two planned farewell performances in November 2020, in a semi-staged ''Roberto Devereux'' at the State Theatre Košice, were cancelled due to the pandemic.

''Lied''

Gruberová was introduced to ''

Lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French sp ...

er'' repertoire by , 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 songs by

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

, Gustav Mahler and Strauss. In 1980, they performed a recital at the

with clarinetist Peter Schmidl, featuring songs by

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...

, Schubert and Strauss.

Recognition

Gruberová was an Austrian and Bavarian

Kammersänger Kammersänger (male) or Kammersängerin (female), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was bestowed by princes or ...

in, and an honorary member of the Vienna State Opera from 1988."Kammersängerin Edita Gruberova"
profile at Vienna State Opera (Archive) She was known as the "Slowakische Nachtigall" (Slovak Nightingale).''"Slowakische Nachtigall" / Edita Gruberova ausgezeichnet.''
(in German) In: ''Rathauskorrespondenz'', 27 May 2009 Kesting recognized Gruberová as the last prima donna assoluta.

Personal life

Gruberová was married to Štefan Klimo, a Czech composer and musicologist. They divorced in 1983 and Klimo died by suicide soon afterwards. Beginning in the 1980s, she had a long professional and personal relationship with Friedrich Haider, a pianist and conductor. They separated in 2007. She is the mother of two daughters, including the dancer and choreographer Barbara Klimo. She moved her residence to Zürich in the mid-1980s for tax reasons. Gruberová died of an accidental head injury in Zürich on 18 October 2021 at age 74.

Recordings

Gruberová made many recordings, most notably in full-length opera, and extended selections from Donizetti's Tudor Queens' trilogy and other bel canto operas. She recorded ''Die Zauberflöte'' with conductors Alain Lombard,

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lon ...

and

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; () (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music ...

, ''Ariadne auf Naxos'' with

Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt and London, and as a long-serving ...

, and ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'' with Heinz Wallberg, among others. In her later years, she recorded exclusively on the Nightingale label that she founded. 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 Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Gover ...

'' and ''Linda di Chamounix'', and ''Ariadne auf Naxos''. 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 Deutsche Bachsolisten (DBS) (The German Bach Soloists) is a German Baroque chamber orchestra dedicated to the works of J.S. Bach. It was established by German conductor and oboist, Helmut Winschermann in 1960. ReferencesBachsolisten 1973 photo, o ...

and trumpeter

Wolfgang Basch Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words '' wolf'', meaning "wolf", and '' gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the reg ...

Awards

* 1980: Austrian Kammersängerin * 1988: Honorary member of the

* 1989: Bavarian Kammersängerin * 1997: Bayerischer Verdienstorden * 1999:

Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art The Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art (german: Bayerischer Maximiliansorden für Wissenschaft und Kunst, links=no) was first established on 28 November 1853 by King Maximilian II von Bayern. It is awarded to acknowledge and reward exc ...

(in the field of art) * 2009: in Gold * 2013: Herbert von Karajan Music Prize * 2014: ''Goldener Schikaneder'' for her life's work * 2016: Ehrenplakette of the in Garmisch-PartenkirchenEröffnungsprogramm der Richard-Strauss-Festivals 2016
(in German) Richard-Strauss-Festival, retrieved 6 April 2018{{cite web , title=Tickets und Infos Kongresszentrum Garmisch-Partenkirchen Eröffnung Richard-Strauss-Festival 2016 , website=Kultur.net , url=http://kultur.net/kongresszentrum-garmisch-partenkirchen/programm/eroeffnung-richard-strauss-festival-2016 , language=de , access-date=21 December 2021 * 2021:

International Classical Music Awards The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) are music awards first awarded 6 April 2011. ICMA replace the Cannes Classical Awards (later called MIDEM Classical Awards) formerly awarded at MIDEM. The jury consists of music critics of magazines ...

, Lifetime Achievement{{cite web , title=The ICMA winners 2021 are published – ICMA , website=ICMA , url=https://www.icma-info.com/the-icma-winners-2021-are-published/ , access-date=19 October 2021 , archive-date=10 April 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410143650/https://www.icma-info.com/the-icma-winners-2021-are-published/ , url-status=live

References

{{Reflist

External links

{{commons category * {{official * {{IMDb name, 0344310, name=Edita Gruberová * {{discogs artist
Edita Gruberová
(management) Hilbert * Trevor Gillis
Edita Gruberová
(video of Queen of the Night) 1 December 2016 * {{YouTube, DwP-5TQjuOo, Edita Gruberova as Zerbinetta Live at the MET (17 February 1979) nHouse Recording}
Recordings of rehearsals and performances with Edita Gruberová
in the online-archive of the Österreichische Mediathek {{registration required {{Herbert von Karajan Music Prize {{International Classical Music Awards Lifetime Achievement {{Authority control {{Portal bar, Biography, Opera {{DEFAULTSORT:Gruberova, Edita 1946 births 2021 deaths Slovak operatic sopranos Musicians from Bratislava Czechoslovak emigrants to Austria Österreichischer Kammersänger Herbert von Karajan Music Prize winners 20th-century Slovak women opera singers 21st-century Slovak women opera singers Slovak expatriates in Switzerland