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Sena Jurinac

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Sena Jurinac - Masterclasses Paris -Salle GaveauMay 1989

Srebrenka "Sena" Jurinac(Croatian pronunciation:[srêbreːŋkasěːnajurǐːnat͜s]) (24 October 1921 – 22 November 2011) was aBosnian-bornAustrianoperaticsoprano.

Biography

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Jurinac was born inTravnik,Bosnia-Herzegovina(then part of theKingdom of Yugoslavia), the daughter of a Croatian father (a doctor) and a Viennese mother.[1]

She studied at theZagreb Academy of Music,and with Milka Kostrenčić. Her voice was pitched exactly between soprano and mezzo. Her repertoire included Poppea, Elisabetta (Don Carlos), Desdemona (Otello), Elisabeth (Tannhäuser), Ilia, Iphigenia,Jenůfa,Leonora (La forza del destino), the Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos), Marie (Wozzeck), Pamina (The Magic Flute), Mimi, Butterfly and Tosca. In many operas, her repertoire included more than one major role: Cherubino and Countess Almaviva, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, Amor and Eurydice, Leonore and Marzelline (Fidelio), Marina and Fyodor (Boris Godunov); Octavian and the Marschallin. She also played supporting roles inThe Ring of the Nibelung:Woglinde, Gutrune and several of the Norns.[citation needed][2]

She débuted as Mimi at Zagreb in 1942. In the following two years she sang the Countess, Freia, and Isabella in the première ofWerner Egk'sColumbus.In 1943, she was summer student of Anna von Mildenburg at the Salzburg Mozarteum. She appeared in the first Croatian sound movie,Lisinski(1944).[citation needed]In 1944, theVienna State Operaengaged her, where she was first nicknamed "Sena". ConductorKarl Böhm's secretary suggested it because she feared the pronunciation of "Srebrenka" would cause difficulties for many Austrians. Because of the war, and the consequential closing of the opera three days after her arrival, she was unable to sing at the Vienna State Opera until 1946, when her first role was Cherubino. In the first year at the Staatsoper, she sang more than 150 performances. She remained associated with the company for almost four decades, receiving an honorary membership of the company with the title ofKammersängerin.[3]

In the autumn of 1947, she appeared atCovent Gardenwith others of the Vienna company, singing Dorabella. HerSalzburg Festivaldébut was in 1947. She appeared atLa Scalaas Cherubino, and became established as one of the Wiener Ensemble (together withIrmgard Seefried,Elisabeth Schwarzkopf,Christa Ludwig,Lisa della Casa,Anton Dermotaand others). In 1951, she recorded Richard Strauss'sFour Last Songs,shortly afterKirsten Flagstadhad sung the world premiere in London.[3]

She often visited England, where between 1951 and 1956 she sang the principal Mozart soprano roles atGlyndebourne,recording both the Countess inFigaroand Ilia inIdomeneo.She appeared regularly at Covent Garden between 1959 and 1963, singing Leonore inFideliounderOtto Klempererin 1961. Her American début was in the title role ofMadama Butterfly,in San Francisco in 1959. Her portrayal of Octavian is preserved in thePaul Czinnerfilm ofDer Rosenkavalier,conducted byHerbert von Karajanwith Schwarzkopf as the Marschallin. Her final operatic performance was as the Marschallin at the Vienna State Opera in November 1982. She continued to give recitals and master classes, and served on the juries of international singing competitions.

Jurinac was married twice. Her first marriage was to the Italian baritoneSesto Bruscantinifrom 1953 to 1956. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1965, she married Josef Lederle, and the marriage lasted until his death in 2005. She had no children.[4]

Decorations and awards

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References

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  1. ^Alan Blyth (23 November 2011)."Sena Jurinac obituary".The Guardian.Retrieved1 July2015.
  2. ^Götterdämmerung: Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Della Radio Italiana directed by Wilhelm Furtwängler, - 1953, Roma. Recording RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana - published by EMI Records (C) 1972.
  3. ^ab"Sena Jurinac".Telegraph.24 November 2011.Retrieved1 July2015.
  4. ^Zachary Woolfe(25 November 2011)."Sena Jurinac, Longtime Soprano in Vienna, Dies at 90".New York Times.Retrieved1 July2015.
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