Guilhermina Suggia
Guilhermina Suggia, completely Guilhermina Augusta Xavier de Medim Suggia Carteado Mena (* June 27, 1885 in Porto, † July 30, 1950 ibid ) was a Portuguese cellist and one of the first women who made a professional career with this instrument.
Youth
Guilhermina's musical talent was early by her father, Augusto Jorge de Menim Suggia, promoted, who was a former cellist of the Conservatory of Lisbon. At age five she started on a 3/4 cello that had finished her father in Paris to play. Your first public appearance was in, along with her three- year-old sister Virginia at the piano, at the age of 7 years, 1892 in Matosinhos Club in Porto. Between 1892 and 1895 the sisters had numerous appearances together and were known in the salons of Porto. In May In 1896 she made her debut at Gil Vicente theater with Haydn's Andante with Variations in a string quartet that accompanied her sister.
1898 learned Guilhermina the already known cellist Pau Casals know in which her father made her audition and her several months, weekly lessons given.
Studies in Leipzig
Beginning in 1901, were Guilhermina Virginia and a member of the quartet Moreira de Sá and played at the Conservatory of Lisbon. Its success was so great that they were invited to a performance of the Portuguese royal couple in the Palácio Necessidades. Queen Amélie promised Guilhermina, to assist them in their desire to study abroad. Thanks to this support, the young artist was able to study with a state scholarship for 16 months at the Leipzig Conservatory with Julius Klengel and played there as a 18 -year-old with the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
Relationship with Pau Casals
From 1907 to 1913 Guilhermina lived with Pau Casals in the Villa Molitor in Paris. Although no record of a marriage to exist, they will be out on concert lists the time Guilhermina Suggia Casals or Guilhermina Casals. Her style was influenced during this time of significant Casals ' influence, but by the relationship she came in exchange with some other of the most famous musicians of that time, Fritz Kreisler, George Enescu and Eugène Ysaÿe were regular visitors at the Villa Molitor. However, the ratio of Suggia and Casals subject to increasing tensions, as Guilhermina was not willing to stand permanently in the shadow of the famous Casals.
Musical development
After the end of the relationship with Casals Guilhermina 1914 moved to London, where she was initially known primarily as a "women Casals " in the next few years but became a celebrity of classical music. In 1919, she became engaged to the newspaper owner Edward Hudson, who as a gift a Stradivarius cello from 1717 presented her with, which bears her name. Even after the dissolution of the engagement Guilhermina kept this instrument. The famous portrait of " Madame Suggia " by Sir John August shows Guilhermina with her cello. The portrait was begun on behalf of Hudsons. When the order was null and void, John painted anyway. He started twice again, each time with a dress in a different color, a larger screen and a pose, showing her profile. It is considered one of his best. In March 1923, it was exhibited at the Alpine Club. William P. Clyde, Jr., owner of the Clyde Steamship Company, was flown in from Monte Carlo and bought the painting for $ 50,000. England was upset that it was now exhibited in America. In 1925 succeeded the art dealer Joseph Duveen, who ran a branch office in New York to persuade Clyde to sell him the picture. Duveen gave it to the Tate Gallery. Also, the photographer Alvin Langdon Colburn and Bertram Park made numerous well-known recordings of Guilharmina and her instrument.
In the 1920s Suggia was mainly known with performances of concertos by Joseph Haydn, Antonín Dvořák, Saint- Saëns and Schumann, as well as for her interpretation of Bach suites. In the 1930s, she expanded her repertoire to include pieces by Edward Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, and César Franck. In 1947 she performed with personal premieres ( Debussy Celosonate ) in appearance.
For decades it refused Guilhermina from performing in the United States because they did not want to expose them to the risk of long journeys their cellos. A finally planned there for 1950 tour Guilhermina then had to be canceled due to the poor health of the artist. As an inoperable cancer was found, the English public was greatly moved, and the young Queen Elizabeth II sent well wishes and a bouquet.
Your last appearance was Guilhermina Suggia in their home country Portugal, Aveiro on 31 May 1950. She died on the night of July 30, 1950 at her home in Porto at the consequences of their cancer suffering.
Awards and Responses
1923 appointed the Portuguese Government them for their extraordinary service to a lady of the Ordem Militar de Sant'Iago because Espada ( Damse ), an award that was rarely awarded to women. In 1937, she was even appointed as Commander of the Order. In 1938, she was awarded the Gold Medal of the city of Porto. The Conservatory of Porto annually awards the Guilhermina - Suggia Award to outstanding young cellists. In England, the British Arts Council leads the Suggia Foundation, which awards scholarships to talented cellist.