Eva Randová (born 31 December 1936) is a Czech operatic mezzo-soprano who made an international career based in Germany. She appeared at major opera houses including the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

, and at festivals such as the Bayreuth Festival. She is known for performing Czech operas by

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, Music theory, music theorist, Folkloristics, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian folk music, Moravian and other Slavs, Slavic music, includin ...

and Antonín Dvořák.

Career

Born in Kolín, Czech Republic, on 31 December 1936, Randová was a Czech champion in swimming several times. She first worked as a teacher of sports and math. She then studied voice at the Prague Conservatory. She made her debut on the opera stage in 1962 in

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

and

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. She joined the ensemble of the Staatsoper Stuttgart in 1971. She appeared at the Bayreuth Festival first in 1973 as Waltraute in Wagner's '' Die Walküre'' and as Gutrune in ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...

'', performing these parts also the following two years. In 1975, she also appeared as Kundry in '' Parsifal'', singing the part also in 1976, 1977 and 1981. She appeared as Fricka in 1977 in the '' Jahrhundertring'', the centenary production of Wagner's ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...

'' staged by Patrice Chéreau and conducted by

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

. She appeared at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Azucena in Verdi's '' Il trovatore'' and as Laura in Ponchielli's '' La Gioconda''. She sang at the Cologne Opera Klytämnestra in '' Elektra'' by Richard Strauss and as Ortrud in Wagner's '' Lohengrin''. She was a guest at the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

and the

, among others. She took two parts in Dvořák's '' Rusalka'' at the Vienna State Opera in the 1980s, the mezzo part of the witch and the soprano part of the foreign princess. Her portrayal of the Kostelnička Buryjovka in Janáček's '' Jenůfa'' at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

was nominated for a 1987 Laurence Olivier Award in the category Outstanding Achievement in Opera. She was the director (Intendantin) of the State Opera in Prague.

Selected recordings

The German National Library holds recordings by Eva Randová, including: * Ortrud in Wagner's ''Lohengrin'' * Kostelnička Buryjovka in Janáček ''Jenufa'' * Male fox in Janáček's '' The Cunning Little Vixen'' * Witch and foreign princess in Dvořák's ''Rusalka'' * Vlasta in Zdeněk Fibich's '' Šárka'' * Lola in Schreker's '' Irrelohe'' * Mahler's Second Symphony * Janáček's '' Glagolitic Mass'' * Plácido Domingo: ''Covent Garden Gala Concert''

Bibliography

* Karl-Josef Kutsch / Leo Riemens: '' Großes Sängerlexikon'' (Saur Verlag) * Liner notes of the CD "Arien und Szenen aus Opern von Antonín Dvořák"

References

External links

*
Eva Randová
at the Bayerisches Musiker Lexikon Online *
Eva Randová
at the Czech National Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Randova, Eva 1936 births 20th-century Czech women opera singers Grammy Award winners Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem alumni Living people Czech operatic mezzo-sopranos Prague Conservatory alumni People from Kolín