Elena Obraztsova | |
|---|---|
Елена Образцова | |
 Obraztsova at the Kremlin, 2000 | |
| Born | Yelena Vasilyevna Obraztsova (1939-07-07)July 7, 1939 |
| Died | 12 January 2015(2015-01-12) (aged 75) |
| Occupation | Opera singer (mezzo-soprano) |
| Awards | Hero of Socialist Labour |
Elena Vasilyevna Obraztsova (Russian:Еле́на Васи́льевна Образцо́ва,IPA:[ɪ̯ɪˈlʲenəvɐˈsʲilʲɪ̯ɪvnəɐbrɐˈstsovə]; 7 July 1939 – 12 January 2015) was a Soviet and Russianmezzo-soprano.[1] She was awarded thePeople's Artist of the USSR in 1976 andHero of Socialist Labour in 1990.
As a child, Obraztsova lived in Leningrad through the severelong siege (more than 870 days) duringWorld War II.[2] In 1948, at the age of nine, she began singing in the children's chorus of thePioneers Palace in Leningrad.[3]
From 1954 to 1957, she studied in the Tchaikovsky musical college inTaganrog and frequently participated in concerts onstage ofTaganrog Theatre. From 1957 to 1958, Obraztsova studied inRostov-on-Don's music school. In August 1958, Obraztsova passed the examinations and became a student at theLeningrad Conservatory. In 1963 she was invited to perform in aBolshoi Theatre production ofBoris Godunov in Moscow.[4] Her introduction to the opera houses of Europe and the world was a recital in theSalle Pleyel in Paris.
She played many roles throughout her career, including performances under the baton of such leading conductors asClaudio Abbado andHerbert von Karajan. In December 1977 she opened the 200th opera season inLa Scala singingDon Carlos's Eboli with Abbado as conductor. She first performed in New York in 1976, in Aida, and was called a "major artist" in reviews.[2]
In 1978, she played the title role ofCarmen oppositePlácido Domingo inFranco Zeffirelli's television production of the opera. She also appeared as Santuzza in Zeffirelli's film version ofCavalleria rusticana in 1982.[2] In her career she performed in operas with many other well-known opera singers of her generation:Luciano Pavarotti,Joan Sutherland,Ingvar Wixell, and appeared in Don Carlos with Domingo andMargaret Price.[4]
On 27 December 1990, she was awarded the title of theHero of Socialist Labour (mark of distinction - "Hammer and Sickle" gold medal ),Order of Lenin by the President of USSR for her contribution to the development of Soviet Music.[2]
In June 2007, Obraztsova was appointed artistic director of opera at theMikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.[4] She also trained young soloists in her own cultural center in St. Petersburg. Obraztsova regularly appeared on stage at the Mikhailovsky in the role of the Countess inTchaikovsky'sThe Queen of Spades. In 2008, Obraztsova ended her artistic director contract with the Mikhailovsky to concentrate on the competition of her name and the recently announced project of International Academy of Music in St Petersburg. Obraztsova remained in collaboration with the Mikhailovsky at the General Director's Artistic Advisor.
On 7 July 2009, Obraztsova's 70th birthday was marked with a special program at the Mikhailovsky Theater that included ballet performances, opera arias, excerpts from films, and jazz and piano recitals.[5]
She strongly supported the Soviet Union, and signed a letter in 1974 denouncingMstislav Rostropovich andGalina Vishnevskaya for their support forAleksandr Solzhenitsyn.[4]
Obraztsova expressed her support for theInternational Delphic Games. Greetings with her signature came to the III Delphic Games 2009 in Jeju/South Korea, under the motto "In Tune with Nature",[6] and to the IV Junior Delphic Games 2011 in Johannesburg/South Africa with their motto "Provoke, Innovate, Inspire".[7]
She was married twice, first to Vyacheslav Makarov, a physicist, and later Algis Ziuraitis,[8] who was a conductor at the Bolshoi.[2] She had a daughter, Elena, with Makarov.[4]
Obraztsova died on 12 January 2015 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, while undergoing medical treatment. She was 75 years old.[9]
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| Role | Composer | Opera |
|---|---|---|
| Adalgisa | Bellini | Norma |
| Amneris | Verdi | Aida |
| Azucena | Verdi | Il trovatore |
| Carmen | Bizet | Carmen |
| Charlotte | Massenet | Werther |
| Countess | Tchaikovsky | The Queen of Spades |
| Dalila | Saint-Saëns | Samson et Dalila |
| Eboli | Verdi | Don Carlos |
| Federica | Verdi | Luisa Miller |
| Frosya | Prokofiev | Semyon Kotko |
| Giovanna Seymour | Donizetti | Anna Bolena |
| Governess | Tchaikovsky | The Queen of Spades |
| Grandma | Prokofiev | The Gambler |
| Hélène Bezukhova | Prokofiev | War and Peace |
| Hérodiade | Massenet | Hérodiade |
| Jocasta | Stravinsky | Oedipus rex |
| Judith | Béla Bartók | Bluebeard's Castle |
| Konchakovna | Borodin | Prince Igor |
| Léonor de Guzman (Leonora di Gusmann) | Donizetti | La favorite |
| Lyubasha | Rimsky-Korsakov | The Tsar's Bride |
| Lyubava Buslayevna | Rimsky-Korsakov | Sadko |
| Marfa | Mussorgsky | Khovanshchina |
| Maria Akhrosimova | Prokofiev | War and Peace |
| Marina Mniszech | Mussorgsky | Boris Godunov |
| Marya Bolkonskaya | Prokofiev | War and Peace |
| Néris | Cherubini | Médée |
| Oberon | Britten | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
| Orfeo | Gluck | Orfeo ed Euridice |
| Santuzza1 | Mascagni | Cavalleria rusticana1 |
| Silvana | Respighi | La fiamma |
| The Marquise of Birkenfeld | Donizetti | The Daughter of the Regiment |
| The Princess | Puccini | Suor Angelica |
| Polina; Milovzor (Daphnis) | Tchaikovsky | The Queen of Spades |
| Princess de Bouillon | Cilea | Adriana Lecouvreur |
| Prince Orlofsky | J. Strauss II | Die Fledermaus |
| Ulrica | Verdi | Un ballo in maschera |
| Zhenya Komelkova | Molchanov | The Dawns Here Are Quiet |
