Birth

:

December 23, 1946 in Bratislava, Czchoslovakia

Death

:

October 18, 2021 in Zurich, Switzerland

Genre

:

Choral

 

 

Opera

 

Edita Gruberová is a Slovakian soprano who is widely regarded as one of the greatest coloratura sopranos of the 20th century. She was born on December 23, 1946, in Bratislava, Slovakia. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a pianist. Gruberová showed an early interest in music and began studying piano at the age of six. She later switched to voice and began taking lessons with Mária Medvecká. Gruberová made her professional debut in 1968 at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, where she sang the role of Rosina in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville." She quickly gained a reputation as a rising star in the opera world and was invited to perform at the Vienna State Opera in 1970. She made her debut there as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "The Magic Flute," a role that would become one of her signature pieces. Over the next few years, Gruberová continued to perform at the Vienna State Opera and other major opera houses around the world. She became known for her virtuosic coloratura technique, which allowed her to sing complex runs and trills with ease. She also had a powerful and expressive voice that could convey a wide range of emotions. One of Gruberová's most famous performances was her portrayal of Lucia in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor." She first performed the role in 1976 at the Vienna State Opera and went on to perform it at many other opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Her interpretation of the famous mad scene in the opera is considered one of the greatest in history. Gruberová also had a close association with the music of Mozart. In addition to her performances as the Queen of the Night, she also sang the roles of Konstanze in "The Abduction from the Seraglio" and Donna Anna in "Don Giovanni." Her performances of these roles were praised for their technical brilliance and emotional depth. Throughout her career, Gruberová received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to classical music. In 1981, she was awarded the title of Kammersängerin by the Austrian government, which is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a singer in Austria. She was also awarded the Order of Merit of the Slovak Republic in 1994 and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2000. Gruberová retired from the opera stage in 2017, after a career that spanned nearly five decades. She continues to be regarded as one of the greatest sopranos of all time and her recordings and performances are still widely admired by classical music fans around the world.

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