Stoyanka Savova Nikolova ( bg, Стоянка Савова Николова), best known by her
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Elena Nicolai ( bg, Елена Николай) (24 January 1905 – 24 October 1993), was a Bulgarian operatic
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...
.
Early life and training
Nicolai was born in the village of Tzerovo, Pazardzhik, Bulgaria. She spent her childhood in another Bulgarian town,
Panagurishte
Panagyurishte ( bg, Панагюрище, also transliterated ''Panagjurište'', ) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of P ...
. At the age of 19, she moved to Milan to study opera, first with Vincenzo Pintorno and later with
Ettore Pozzoli
Ettore Pozzoli (July 23, 1873 – November 9, 1957) was an Italian classical pianist and composer.
Biography
Born in the Italian city of Seregno, Ettore Pozzoli began his career soon after he received his music diploma from the Milan Conserva ...
.
Operatic career
She made her operatic debut as Maddalena in Verdi's '' Rigoletto'' in 1932. She spent 20 seasons as a leading mezzo-soprano at Milan's
Teatro alla Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
. After her retirement from opera, she became an actress and had a short film career, starring in seven movies in the period between 1963-68.
She recorded complete operas for RAI and EMI: Eboli in ''Don Carlos'' with
Antonietta Stella
Maria Antonietta Stella (15 March 1929 – 23 February 2022) was an Italian operatic soprano, and one of the most prominent Italian spinto sopranos of the 1950s and 1960s. She made her debut in Spoleto in 1950, as Leonora in Verdi's ''Il trovator ...
,
Boris Christoff
Boris Christoff ( bg, Борис Кирилов Христов, Boris Kirilov Hristov, ; 18 May 1914 – 28 June 1993) was a Bulgarian opera singer, widely considered one of the greatest basses of the 20th century.
Early life
He was born i ...
, and Tito Gobbi stands out among the others, which include the Grand Vestale in '' La vestale'' and Cuniza in '' Oberto'', both with Maria Vitale, Santuzza in ''Cavalleria rusticana'' with Mario del Monaco, the Principessa in ''Adriana Lecouvreur'' with Mafalda Favero, and Preziosilla in ''La forza del destino'' with Callas. She sang Wagnerian roles, including Brünnhilde in ''Die Walküre'' at the Verona Arena, according to her interview with Lanfranco Rasponi in his book, ''The Last Prima Donnas''.
List of operas by Ponchielli
This is a complete list of the operas of the Italian composer Amilcare Ponchielli (1834–1886).
References
;Sources
*Budden, Julien (1992), 'Ponchielli, Amilcare' in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' i ...
Nerone (Boito)
''Nerone'' (''Nero'') is an opera in four acts composed by Arrigo Boito, to a libretto in Italian written by the composer. The work is a series of scenes from Imperial Rome at the time of Emperor Nero depicting tensions between the Imperial religio ...
* Ortrud,
Lohengrin (opera)
''Lohengrin'', WWV 75, is a Romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the ''Parzival'' of Wolfram von Esch ...
* Dalila,
Samson and Delilah (opera)
''Samson and Delilah'' (french: Samson et Dalila, links=no), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the (Grand Ducal) Theater ( ...
Cilea Cilea or CILEA may refer to:
* Consorzio Interuniversitario Lombardo per l'Elaborazione Automatica, academic consortium in Italy
* Francesco Cilea
Francesco Cilea (; 23 July 1866 – 20 November 1950) was an Italian composer. Today he is partic ...
- ''
Adriana Lecouvreur
''Adriana Lecouvreur'' () is an opera in four acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the 1849 play ''Adrienne Lecouvreur'' by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé. It was first performed on 6 November 1902 at t ...
'' (Principessa di Bouillon, 1949) conducted by
Federico Del Cupolo Federico Del Cupolo (Naples, 1884-Milan, 1974) was an Italian orchestra conductor whose activity mainly focussed on Italian opera. His career developed in Italy and abroad spanning 60 years and including some recordings from the early 1950s which ha ...
, Colosseum
*
Mascagni Mascagni is a surname of Italian origin. Notable people with the surname include:
* Donato Mascagni (1579–1636), Italian painter
* Paolo Mascagni (1755–1815), Italian physician
* Pietro Mascagni (1863–1945), Italian composer
{{surname
Su ...
Franco Ghione
Franco Ghione (1886–1964) was an Italian conductor and violinist. He graduated from the Parma Conservatory and became a violinist for the Parma Theatre and the Augusteo in Rome. He began a conducting career in 1913 and conducted in many op ...
, Decca
* Verdi - '' Don Carlo'' (Principessa d'Eboli, 1954) conducted by
Gabriele Santini
Gabriele Santini (20 January 1886, Perugia - 13 November 1964, Rome) was an Italian conductor, particularly associated with the Italian opera repertory.
He studied in Perugia and Bologna, and made his debut in 1906, as assistant conductor to Gin ...
, HMV/EMI
* Verdi - ''
La forza del destino
' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, wi ...
'' (Preziosilla, 1954) conducted by Tullio Serafin, Columbia/EMI
Films
*
Il boom
''Il Boom'' is a 1963 in film, 1963 commedia all'italiana film by Italian people, Italian director Vittorio De Sica.
The "boom" in the title was the Italian economic miracle which transformed the country in the span of a decade, from the late 19 ...
La mia signora
''La mia signora'' (internationally released as ''My Wife'') is a 1964 Italian comedy film directed by Tinto Brass, Mauro Bolognini and Luigi Comencini.
It consists of five episodes, all starring Alberto Sordi and Silvana Mangano.
The episod ...
(episode "I miei cari," directed by Mauro Bolognini) (1964)
*
Sedotti e bidonati
''Sedotti e bidonati'' (Italian for "Seduced and cheated") is a 1964 comedy film written and directed by Giorgio Bianchi and starring the comic duo Franco and Ciccio.
Plot
Cast
*Franco Franchi as Franco La Capra
* Ciccio Ingrassia as Cicc ...
Gli amanti latini
, image = Gli Amanti latini.jpg
, caption =
, director = Mario Costa
, producer = Thomas Sagone
, writer = Bruno Corbucci Giovanni Grimaldi
, starring = TotòFranco Franchi Ciccio Ingrassia
, mu ...
(episode "L'irreparabile," directed by Mario Costa) (1965)
*
I nostri mariti
''I nostri mariti'' is a 1966 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Filippo D'Amico, Dino Risi and Luigi Zampa.
Cast
* Alberto Sordi - Giovanni Lo Verso (segment "Il marito di Roberta")
* Ugo Tognazzi - Carabiniere (segment "Il Marito di Attili ...
Il medico della mutua
''Be Sick... It's Free'' ( it, Il medico della mutua) is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Alberto Sordi. A sequel was made titled ''Il Prof. Dott. Guido Tersilli, primario della clinica Villa Celeste, convenziona ...