Róbert Ilosfalvy (June 18, 1927 – January 6, 2009) was a Hungarian operatic
tenor; he possessed a voice of lyric grace and dramatic power enabling him to sing a wide range of roles in the
Italian,
German
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**Ger ...
, and
French
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repertories.
Life
Born in
Hódmezővásárhely
Hódmezővásárhely (; also known by other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, on the Great Hungarian Plain, at the meeting point of the Békés-Csanádi Ridge and the clay grassland surrounding the river Tisza. ...
,
Hungary, he began his career as a
cantor singing in the Szentharomsag (Holy Trinity) Roman Catholic Church in his hometown, before studying at the
Budapest Music Academy
The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music ( hu, Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem, often abbreviated as ''Zeneakadémia'', "Liszt Academy") is a music university and a concert hall in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. It is home to the ...
with Andor Lendvai. In 1953, after winning a first prize in a vocal competition in
Bucharest, he made his operatic debut there. He returned to Hungary and sang at the
Budapest Opera
The Hungarian State Opera House ( hu, Magyar Állami Operaház) is a neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy út. Originally known as the Hungarian Royal Opera House, it was designed by Miklós Ybl, a major figure of ...
, also making guest appearances in
Poland,
Czechoslovakia,
Bulgaria, and
Russia.
In 1964, he began a career in West Germany, singing in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
,
Berlin,
Hamburg,
Cologne,
Munich, also making guest appearances at
La Monnaie in Brussels, the
Royal Opera House in London, the
San Francisco Opera, but never at the
Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Ilosfalvy was particularly admired in Italian lyric roles such as
Duke of Mantua
During its history as independent entity, Mantua had different rulers who governed on the city and the lands of Mantua from the Middle Ages to the early modern period.
From 970 to 1115, the Counts of Mantua were members of the House of Canoss ...
,
Alfredo,
Rodolfo
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,
Pinkerton
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People
* Allan Pinkerton (18191884), Scottish detective and spy
* Bill ...
, but was also able to tackle successfully more dramatic roles such as
Manrico,
Alvaro,
Cavaradossi, and
Dick Johnson. He also won acclaim as
Walther von Stolzing, and
Don Josė.
He is probably best known for his 1969 recording of ''
Roberto Devereux'', opposite
Beverly Sills. Also available is a 1976 "pirate" recording of the tenor in ''La fanciulla del West'', with
Anja Silja. Both recordings are conducted by Sir
Charles Mackerras.
Ilosfalvy died on January 6, 2009, aged 81, his remains are interred in Budapest's Szent Anna Roman Catholic Church.
[name=death>]
References
External links
Operissimo.comcafe momus komolyzenei magazin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilosfalvy, Robert
1927 births
2009 deaths
Hungarian operatic tenors
20th-century Hungarian male opera singers
People from Hódmezővásárhely