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Anna Tomowa-Sintow Анна Томова-Синтова | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1941-09-22)22 September 1941 (age 83) Stara Zagora,Kingdom of Bulgaria |
| Genres | Classical,Romantic |
| Occupation | Opera singer (soprano) |
| Years active | 1962 – present |
| Website | www |
Anna Tomowa-Sintow (Bulgarian:Анна Томова-Синтова, by official transliterationAnna Tomova-Sintova; born 22 September 1941, inStara Zagora) is a Bulgariansoprano who has sung to great acclaim in all the major opera houses around the world in a repertoire that includesMozart,Rossini,Verdi,Puccini,Heinrich Marschner,Wagner, andStrauss. She enjoyed a particularly close professional relationship withconductorHerbert von Karajan from 1973 until his death in 1989.
Tomowa-Sintow began studying piano at age six. At sixteen she won a national singing competition. She later attended theNational Conservatory of Sofia, where she studied voice with Professor Georgi Zlatev-Tcherkin and soprano Katia Spiridonowa and graduated with diplomas in voice and piano, making her stage debut, for her master class finals, as Tatiana inTchaikovsky'sEugene Onegin. Upon graduation, she joined the Opera Studio of theLeipzig Opera, where, in 1967, she made her professional debut as Abigaille in Verdi'sNabucco. While with this company she built up her repertoire with the leading roles in Puccini'sMadama Butterfly andManon Lescaut; Verdi'sLa traviata,Il trovatore, andOtello; Mozart'sDon Giovanni; Strauss'sArabella; andWerner Egk'sDie Zaubergeige. For many of these roles she studied with the company's music director, Professor Paul Schmitz, who had studied with Richard Strauss.
In 1972, she was invited to join theDeutsche Staatsoper Berlin, where she was namedKammersängerin during her very first year. In Berlin she continued to expand her repertoire with leading roles in Mozart'sThe Marriage of Figaro andCosì fan tutte, Verdi'sAida, Puccini'sTosca, Tchaikovsky'sEugene Onegin, Wagner'sTannhäuser andLohengrin, and Strauss'sAriadne auf Naxos andDer Rosenkavalier.
She is also aKammersängerin of theVienna State Opera.
In 1973, Tomowa-Sintow auditioned for conductor Herbert von Karajan for the upcoming world premiere ofCarl Orff'sDe temporum fine comœdia at theSalzburg Festival. He hired her immediately, and for the next sixteen years, the two worked frequently together in opera houses, concert halls, and recording studios around the world. Karajan called Tomowa-Sintow "the greatest talent I have encountered over the past years." From 1973 through 1991, Tomowa-Sintow was a permanent guest of the Salzburg Festival. With that maestro, she recordedLe nozze di Figaro (1978),Lohengrin (oppositeRené Kollo andDunja Vejzovic, 1976–81) andDer Rosenkavalier (withAgnes Baltsa andJanet Perry, 1982).
Tomowa-Sintow made herSan Francisco Opera debut in 1974, as Donna Anna inDon Giovanni; herCovent Garden debut in 1975, as Fiordiligi inCosì fan tutte; herMetropolitan Opera debut in 1978 and herLyric Opera of Chicago debut in 1980, both as Donna Anna; and herLa Scala debut in 1982, as Elsa inLohengrin.
Her recording ofAriadne auf Naxos withJames Levine and theVienna Philharmonic won the 1988Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.
