Leyla Gencer

Leyla Gencer (born Ceyrekgil, born October 10, 1928 in Istanbul; † 9 May 2008 Milan ) was a Turkish opera singer (soprano), in the world of opera La Diva Turca often ( "The Turkish Diva" ) and La Regina ( " The queen " ) called. She was one of the most famous Donizetti interpreters of the 20th century.

Life

Gencer grew up as the daughter of a Polish mother and a Turkish father in Istanbul's Çubuklu on the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus. They first completed a vocal training at the Conservatory of Ankara in Elvira de Hidalgo, who was already singing teacher of Maria Callas. In 1946 she married the banker Ibrahim Gencer. First, she appeared as a chorus girl on the Turkish State Theatre, where she also gave her operatic debut in 1950 in the role of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana in Santuzza. After she dropped out of education at the conservatory, she took in Ankara privately with Giannina Arangi - Lombardi. Furthermore, lessons she received from Apollo Gran Forte.

1953 she debuted, again in the role of Santuzza in Italy at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The following year she appeared there in Puccini's Madame Butterfly and in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Throughout her career, which developed mainly in Italy, she earned a wide, more than 70 games comprehensive repertoire.

In 1957 she appeared in the premiere of Francis Poulenc Les Dialogues des Carmelites as Madame Lidoine first time at La Scala in Milan. Overall, she sang at La Scala 1957-1983 19 roles, including in the Verdi opera Leonora in La Forza del Destino, Elisabetta in Don Carlos, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Aida in Aida, and Norma in Bellini's Norma and Ottavia in Monteverdi's L' incoronazione di Poppea, and Alceste Alceste in Gluck. In the world premiere of L' Pizzetis Assassinio nella cattedrale she portrayed in 1958 at La Scala, First Woman of Canterbury.

1956, Gencer as Francesca in Zandonai Francesca da Rimini their first appearance in the U.S. at the San Francisco Opera, which, although more invitations to American homes in Dallas, Chicago, Newark and New York's Carnegie Hall followed, but they (due to disagreements at first appearance hearings) never led to the Metropolitan Opera. Outside Italy, she was also at the Vienna State Opera (5 performances in the years 1957-1962 ), the Bavarian State Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, at the festivals in Glyndebourne and Edinburgh, at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Kirov Theater on the operas of Stockholm, Oslo, Warsaw and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires to see in Leningrad.

During her stage career she performed with the most important conductors of the day, such as Karajan, Muti, Serafin, Solti.

In 1985 she participated in the Teatro La Fenice with Francesco Gneccos La prova di un'opera seria her farewell to the operatic stage, but designed to further concerts in 1992. From 1983 to 1989 she was President of the International Music Festival of Istanbul. She was also 1983-88 artistic director of the Associazione Lirica e Concertistica ( As.Li.Co ) and commenced under the direction of Riccardo Muti, the Opera Studio of La Scala in Milan in the 1997/98 season.

Gencer was known primarily as a Donizetti interpreter, for example in Belisario, Poliuto, Anna Bolena, Lucrezia Borgia, Maria Stuarda and Caterina Cornaro. Your most acclaimed appearance was in 1964 in Roberto Devereux in Naples. Particular importance they acquired through their rediscovery of forgotten largely bel canto operas from the first half of the 19th century, such as Smareglias La Falena, Rossini's Elisabetta, regina d' Inghilterra ( Elizabeth, Queen of England), Spontini's Agnes von Hohenstaufen, Giovanni Pacini's Saffo, and Gluck's Alceste. In addition, her repertoire included among others in addition to the already mentioned also roles in works by Cilea, Mozart, Massenet, Ponchielli, Prokofiev, Weber and Weinberger.

Although Gencer was during her entire career from the official record industry largely ignored, but there are now numerous recordings of their performances that reflect at least a little idea of their skill.

Since 1996 it is held " singing competition Leyla Gencer " in honor in Istanbul.

Gencer died of heart failure associated with a lung disease. Her ashes were scattered in the Bosphorus in accordance with her ​​last wish.

Repertoire (selection)

  • Luigi Cherubini Medea ( Medea )
  • Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor ( Lucia)
  • Anna Bolena (Anna )
  • Maria Stuarda (Mary)
  • Roberto Devereux ( Elisabetta )
  • Lucrezia Borgia ( Lucrezia )
  • Poliuto ( Paolina )
  • Les Martyrs ( Paoline )
  • Caterina Cornaro ( Caterina )
  • Belisario ( Antonina )
  • Francesco Gnecco La Prova di un'opera seria ( Corilla )
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Idomeneo ( Elettra )
  • Don Giovanni ( Donna Anna )
  • Don Giovanni ( Donna Elvira )
  • Le Nozze di Figaro ( Contessa Almaviva )
  • Giovanni Pacini Saffo ( Saffo )
  • Francis Poulenc Dialogues des Carmelites ( Madame Lidoine )
  • Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev The Fiery Angel ( Renata )
  • Gioachino Rossini Elisabetta, regina d' Inghilterra ( Elisabetta )
  • Guglielmo Tell ( Matilde )
  • Stabat Mater (Soprano)
  • Peter I. Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin ( Tatiana )
  • Pique Dame ( Lisa )
  • Giuseppe Verdi Aida ( Aida )
  • Macbeth (Lady Macbeth)
  • Il trovatore (Leonora )
  • I vespri siciliani (Elena )
  • Jérusalem ( Helene )
  • Don Carlos ( Elisabetta )
  • Ernani ( Elvira )
  • La forza del destino (Leonora )
  • Un ballo in maschera ( Amelia)
  • Simon Boccanegra ( Amelia)
  • La Battaglia di Legnano ( Lida)
  • I due Foscari ( Lucrezia Contarini )
  • Rigoletto ( Gilda )
  • La Traviata ( Violetta )
  • Attila ( Odabella )
  • Carl Maria von Weber Der Freischütz ( Agathe )

Recordings ( selection)

  • Luigi Cherubini
  • Carlo Franci, 1968 Medea. Leyla Gencer - Giasone: Aldo Bottion - Glauce: Daniela Mazzucato Meneghini - Creonte: Ruggerio Raimondi - Neris: Giovanna Fioroni - Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice
  • Gaetano Donizetti
  • Gianandrea Gavazzeni, 1958 Anna Bolena. Leyla Gencer - Giovanna Seymour: Giulietta Simionato - Enrico VIII: Plinio Clabassi - Lord Riccardo Percy: Aldo Bertocci - Smenton: Anna Maria Rota - Hervey: Mario Carlin - Rochefort: Silvio Majonica - RAI Symphony Orchestra at Chorus
  • Gianandrea Gavazzeni, 1965 Anna Bolena: Leyla Gencer - Giovanna Seymour. Patricia Johnson - Enrico VIII: Carlo Cava - Lord Riccardo Percy: Juan Oncina - Smenton: Maureen Morelle - Hervey: Lloyd Strauss Smith - Rochefort: Don Garrard - Orchestra e Coro Glyndebourne Festival Opera
  • Francesco Gnecco
  • John Fisher, 1983 Corilla. Leyla Gencer - Violante Pescarelli: Patrizia Dordi - Federico mordents: Luigi Alva - Fischietto: Mario Bolognesi - Maestro Campanono: Signor Francesco - Poeta Pasticci: Giancarlo Luccardi - Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice

Awards (selection)

May 9 Music school Eugene Onegin (opera) Christoph Willibald Gluck Glyndebourne Festival Opera Edinburgh Festival Tullio Serafin Georg Solti Lucrezia Borgia (opera) Belcanto Jaromír Weinberger Norma (opera) Caterina Cornaro (opera) Alceste (Gluck) La Gioconda (opera) The Fiery Angel (opera) Agnes von Hohenstaufen Macbeth (opera) Attila (opera) Integrated Authority File
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