Aga Mikolaj

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Aga Mikolaj
Aga Mikolaj in 2018
Born
Agnieszka Beata Mikołajczyk

(1971-03-07)7 March 1971
Kutno, Poland
Died11 November 2021(2021-11-11) (aged 50)
Education
Occupation
Organizations
Websitewww.agamikolaj.com

Agnieszka Beata Mikołajczyk (7 March 1971 – 11 November 2021), better known by her stage name Aga Mikolaj, was a Polish operatic soprano who made an international career.

She was a member of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich from 2002 to 2007, focusing on Mozart roles, especially Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and performed from San Francisco to Tokyo. She performed and recorded Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, Penderecki's The Seven Gates of Jerusalem, and Detlev Glanert's Requiem for Hieronymus Bosch, live in Rotterdam in 2016 in its first recording.

Life and career

Born in Kutno on 7 March 1971,[1] Mikolaj studied at the Academy of Music in Poznań[2] with Antonina Kawecka from 1990 to 1996.[3] During her studies, she received a scholarship from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. In 1997, Mikolaj took master classes with Renata Scotto[3] and in 2001 with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, who coached her until her death in 2006.[4] Mikolaj won prizes at international singing competitions, such as in 1995 the 3rd Prize of the Ada Sari Competition in Nowy Sącz,[5] in 1996 both the Audience Prize and the G. F. Handel Award of the 41st International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch,[6] and in 1999 both the 2nd Prize and the Verdi Prize at the International Alfredo Kraus Competition, Las Palmas.[3]

Opera

Mikolaj's artistic career began at the

Le nozze di Figaro, Pamina in The Magic Flute and Rachel in Meyerbeer's La Juive. She appeared as a guest at the Grand Theatre, Warsaw and at the opera houses of Łódź, Wroclaw, Luxembourg, Heilbronn and Staatsoper Hannover.[3]

She was a member of the ensemble of the

La Bohème.[2][7]

Mikolaj appeared as a guest at European opera houses, performing roles such as Pamina and Eva in Wagner's

Aalto-Theater, Countess Almaviva at the Opéra Bastille and Micaela in Bizet's Carmen at the Vienna Volksoper. In 2004, Mikolaj toured Japan with the Vienna State Opera, conducted by Seiji Ozawa, as Elvira in Don Giovanni.[4] Her Glyndebourne Festival Opera debut as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte took place as part of a tour in the fall of 2006.[8]

In the 2008/09 season, Mikolaj appeared as Donna Elvira at the

Proms.[3][6]

Concert

As a concert singer, Mikolaj had a broad repertoire that included major works from

Concertgebouworkest in Verdi's Requiem conducted by Mariss Jansons.[6] A reviewer of a 2015 concert with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Zander noted that, in Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, "she exhibited a degree of abandon and rapture" and her "sublime rendering of 'So tief in Abendrot'".[9] He added that for Mahler's Symphony No. 4, "she had the right affect" for "a child's vision of heaven".[9]

Death

Mikolaj died on 11 November 2021, from complications of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. She was 50 years old.[10][7]

Recordings

Mikolaj recorded Penderecki's The Seven Gates of Jerusalem released by

WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln, Cologne, conducted by Karl Sollak. A reviewer noted her "marvellous intonation, a mellow-roasted, lyrical voice, generally exquisite phrasing and a well-trained 'squilla' over the orchestra".[11][12] She was the soprano soloist in the first recording of Detlev Glanert's Requiem for Hieronymus Bosch, live in Rotterdam in 2016, conducted by Markus Stenz.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Aga Mikolaj". harrisonparrott.com. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Aga Mikolaj" (in German). Bavarian State Opera. 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  3. ^
    Staatstheater Hannover
    . Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Aga Mikolaj". Los Angeles Philharmonic. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  5. ^ Laureates 1995 Archived 12 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine Ada Sari Competition
  6. ^
    Concertgebouworkest. Archived from the original
    on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Aga Mikolaj / Solistin (Gast)". Semperoper (in German). 12 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  8. ^ Aga Mikolaj glyndebourne.com
  9. ^ a b Gantz, Jeffrey (24 February 2015). "Boston Philharmonic shows its serious side". Boston Globe. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  10. ^ Vukosavljevic, Dejan (12 November 2021). "Obituary / Soprano Aga Mikolaj". operawire.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ^ Byzantion (May 2011). "Richard Strauss (1864–1949) / Four Last Songs ..." musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Aga Mikolaj sings Strauss & Mozart". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  13. ^ Morgan, Dan (June 2017). "Detlev Glanert (b. 1960) / Requiem for Hieronymus Bosch (version 2016)". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 24 March 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aga_Mikolaj&oldid=1199939601"