Ileana CotrubaÈ™

Ileana Cotrubas ( born June 9, 1939 in Galaţi ) is a Romanian soprano. She was one of the most famous opera singers of the 20th century.

Life

Training and beginnings

Ileana Cotrubas was born into a musical family. In 1948 she was a member of the children's choir of Radio Bucharest and the Opera Naţională Bucureşti. They sang and Others in the operas Carmen, La Bohème and Tosca. After high school she studied in Bucharest on Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory with Constantin Stroescu. In 1964, she was on the Bucharest National Opera debut in the role of the boy Yniold in the opera Pelléas et Mélisande by Claude Debussy. She stayed until 1966 at the Bucharest National Opera in commitment and sang at this time especially roles in the field of Koloratursoubrette: Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, Blonde in The Abduction from the Seraglio, as well as Gilda in Rigoletto already.

In 1964 she won the solo singing the Enescu Competition in Bucharest. In 1965 she was the winner of the singing competition in 's- Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. In 1966 she was awarded first prize in the singing competition of the ARD broadcasting organizations in Munich.

International career

In the 1970/71 season Cotrubas Ileana debut as Tatiana in Eugene Onegin at Covent Garden Opera in London.

Since 1969 she also sang at the Vienna State Opera. From 1970 to 1973 she was engaged there permanently, where she performed a Mozart and Richard Strauss repertoire developed itself. To the already studied Mozart role of Blondchen new roles came in their time in Vienna added: Konstanze, also Susanna, Pamina, Ilia in Idomeneo, the, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata on the side of Nicolai Gedda and Mimì in La Bohème.

In 1973 she sang for the first time at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Mimì in La Bohème.

1975 followed her acclaimed debut at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, as they stepped in at the last minute for Mirella Freni. The same role, which Mimì, she gave her first presentation in 1977 at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Your partner were Josep Carreras as Rodolfo and Renata Scotto as Musetta. It was followed at the Metropolitan Opera, the roles of Gilda ( 1977/ 78) and Violetta in La Traviata ( 1980/81 season ), this. Partners with Plácido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes, conducted Carlos Kleiber The opera was recorded with this line later in a now in opera circles "legendary " regarded as a production of the Bavarian State Opera, the Bavarian State Orchestra for the label " German Gramophone ".

At the Paris Opera in 1983 she sang Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss

In 1989 she sang at Maggio Musicale again the role of Mélisande. In 1990 she gave up her active career on the stage. Your last game at the Vienna State Opera was on 26 November 1990, the Mimi in La Boheme at the side of Luis Lima.

Today she is active as a juror in singing competitions, gives master classes and works as a private vocal coach for singers.

Festival engagements

Ileana Cotrubas performed at numerous international festivals. In Glyndebourne she sang et al 1969, Melisande, 1970, Pamina in The Magic Flute and 1973, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. At the Salzburg Festival she sang et al 1980 and 1981, Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio and 1982-1984 Pamina in The Magic Flute.

Criticism of the director's theater

Ileana Cotrubas was regarded directors and directors at the time of her career as "difficult". In 1973, she got out in Vienna from a new production of the opera Eugene Onegin, 1980 as well during the rehearsals for Don Pasquale at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1981, she threatened from a production of the opera La Traviata off at the Metropolitan Opera, because they did not agree with the scenic refurnishing of the director John Dexter.

In 1987, she turned to a performance of the opera La Traviata at Zurich Opera in an address to the audience and asked for leniency, that she had in this for them visually unsatisfactory production by director Nicolas Joel and the stage designer Pet stalks must occur.

After the end of her career she has expressed in her autobiography Opera truths at the prevailing operatic sharp criticism.

Private

Ileana Cotrubas is married to the German conductor Manfred Ramin since 1972. The marriage is childless.