Eva Urbanová (born 20 April 1961) is a Czech
operatic
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
who has had an active international career since 1987. She has been a principal artist at the
National Theatre in
Prague since 1990 and has appeared as a guest artist at many of the world's best
opera houses, including
La 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 ...
in
Milan and the
Metropolitan Opera in
New York City. She has made several recording on the
Supraphon music label and was honored with a
Thalia Award
The Czech ''Actors' Association'' has presented its annual Thalia Awards (Czech: Ceny Thálie) since 1993. The award is named after Thalia, the muse of comedy. The 2016 ceremony was broadcast by Česká televize and radio station .
Thalia Awards a ...
in 1993.
In 2003 she was presented with the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...
by the
Government of France
The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...
.
Biography
Urbanová was born in the hospital in
Slaný, but her native village is
Zvoleněves where she grew up. Later she moved to
Vrčeň, where she has been living ever since.
She studied singing with
Ludmilla Kotnauerová
Ludmila, Ludmilla, or Lyudmila (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Людмила, ''Lyudmila'') may refer to:
People
* Ludmila (given name) a Slavic female given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Ludmila da Silva (born 1994), Brazilia ...
in
Plzeň
Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...
. She made her professional opera debut on 18 April 1987 at the
J. K. Tyl Theatre
Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre ( cs, Divadlo Josefa Kajetána Tyla) is a main theatre in Plzeň, Czech Republic. The theatre was built between 1899 and 1902 in the neo-renaissance style with some art nouveau elements to the design of Antonin Balsanek ...
in Plzeň, remaining at that theatre for the next three years. Among the roles she portrayed at that house include Amelia in
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''
Un ballo in maschera'', Julie in
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...
's ''
The Jacobin'', and Milada in
Bedřich Smetana's ''
Dalibor''.
Urbanová made her debut at the National Theatre in Prague on 16 March 1990 as Milada under the baton of conductor
Zdeněk Košler. She became a member of that company the following September and the theatre continues to be he principal home to this day. Among the many roles she has sung in Prague are Amneris in ''
Aida'', Eboli in ''
Don Carlos'', Elisabeth in ''
Tannhäuser'', the Foreign Princess in ''
Rusalka
In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalky/rusalki; ; pl, rusałka}) is a typically feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water, with counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as the French Melus ...
'', Kostelnička Buryjovka in ''
Jenůfa'', Leonora in ''
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 ...
'', Mařenka in ''
The Bartered Bride'', Minnie in ''
La fanciulla del West'', Ortrud in ''
Lohengrin'', The Princess in ''
The Devil and Kate'', Santuzza in ''
Cavalleria Rusticana'', and the title heroines in ''
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 ...
'', ''
La Gioconda La Gioconda ( , ; "the joyful one" feminine_gender.html" ;"title="'feminine gender">f.'' may refer to:
* ''Mona Lisa'' or ''La Gioconda'', a painting by Leonardo da Vinci
* Lisa del Giocondo, the model depicted in da Vinci's painting
* La Gioconda ...
'', ''
Libuše
, Libussa, Libushe or, historically ''Lubossa'', is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czech people as a whole. According to legend, she was the youngest but wisest of three sisters, who became queen after their father died; s ...
'',
Zdeněk Fibich's ''
Šárka'', Janáček's ''
Šárka'', ''
Suor Angelica'', ''
Tosca'', and ''
Turandot'' among others. In November 2009 she is scheduled to sing the title role in
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
's ''
Salome
Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...
'' under the baton of conductor
Thomas Netopil.
Urbanová has also been active as a guest artist on the international opera stage. In 1993 she sang Donna Anna in ''
Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...
'' for her debut at the
Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg and Elisabetta di Valois in ''
Don Carlos'' for her debut at the
Opéra National du Rhin. In 1994 she made her United States debut at the
Connecticut Grand Opera in her first portrayal of Tosca. In 1995 she sang Libuše at the
Prague Spring Festival in a performance commemorating the end of
World War II. In 1996 she made he debut at the
Zurich Opera as Suor Angelica on short notice as a list minute replacement for an ailing singer, earning rave reviews from audience and critics.
On 28 June 1997, Urbanová made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Santuzza to the Turiddu of
Vahan Khanzadian. She has since returned there to sing The Princess in ''Rusalka'' and the roles of Ortrud, Tosca, and Turandot. Urbanová also made her debut at
La 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 ...
in 1997 as Tosca. She has since made guest appearances at numerous other opera houses internationally, including the
Canadian Opera Company,
Den Norske Opera
The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet ( no, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, links=no) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisati ...
, the
Deutsche Oper Berlin, the
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.
Leadersh ...
, the
Opéra National de Paris, the
Prague State Opera, the
Royal Opera, London
The Royal Opera is a British opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Cove ...
at
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
, and the
San Francisco Opera.
Urbanová has also been active as a concert singer. In 1991 she had the distinction of opening the Prague Spring Festival as the soprano soloist in Dvořák's
oratorio ''
Saint Ludmila
Ludmila of Bohemia (c. 860 – 15 September 921) is a Czech saint and martyr venerated by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. She was born in Mělník as the daughter of the Sorbian prince Slavibor. Saint Ludmila was the grandmother ...
'' with the
Czech Philharmonic
The Česká filharmonie (Czech Philharmonic) is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra's principal concert venue is the Rudolfinum.
History
The name "Czech Philharmonic Orchestra" appeared for the first time in 1894, as the title ...
under conductor
Gerd Albrecht. She toured with that orchestra to
Brussels the following year. In the early 1990s she was heard as the soprano soloist in Dvořák's ''
Stabat Mater
The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Sabatier, Paul ''Life o ...
'' at the
Frankfurt Opera
The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt.
Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Shrek's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Frede ...
, Janáček's ''
Glagolitic Mass'' with the
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...
, and
Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. He bec ...
's ''Gilgameš'' with the
BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 1996 she sang the ''Glagolitic Mass'' in Prague under conductor
Sir Charles Mackerras. In 1997 she sang the soprano solos in the ''
War Requiem'' for performances at the
Salzburg Festival and in
London.
References
External links
Official Website of Eva Urbanová
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urbanova, Eva
1961 births
Living people
Czech operatic sopranos
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
People from Slaný
Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic)
20th-century Czech women opera singers
Recipients of the Thalia Award