Naděžda Kniplová
Naděžda Kniplová | |
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 As Foreign Princess in Rusalka, 1987 | |
| Born | Naděžda Pokorná 18 April 1932 |
| Died | 14 January 2020 (aged 87) |
| Education | |
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| Organizations | |
Naděžda Kniplová (née Pokorná; 18 April 1932 – 14 January 2020) was a Czech operatic soprano who had an active international career from the 1950s through the 1980s. Kniplová possessed a large voice with a sonorous, metallic, dark timbre that was particularly well suited to the dramatic soprano repertoire. While she was most admired in Czech operas and as Wagnerian heroines, she sang a wide repertoire that also encompassed Italian, Russian, and Hungarian language roles. A fine actress, her performances were praised for their intensity and pathos. However, some critics commented on a certain lack of steadiness or purity in her singing. Her voice is preserved on a number of recordings made on the Supraphon and Decca labels.
Biography
Born in Ostrava to a musical family, Kniplová had her first vocal training from her father before studying under Jarmila Vavrdová at the Prague Conservatory from 1947 to 1953.[1] She pursued further studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague from 1954 to 1958 where her principal teachers were Zdeněk Otava and K. Ungrová.[1] She made her professional opera debut at the opera house in Ústí nad Labem in the title role of Smetana's Libuše in 1957. In 1958 she won the Geneva International Singing Competition.[1]
Kniplová joined the roster of principal singers at the
In 1965 Kniplová became a principal soprano at the Prague National Theatre (PNT), where her first role was Ortrud in Wagner's Lohengrin. The PNT remained her principal home for more than two decades. She expanded her repertoire by Anežka in The Two Widows, Brünnhilde in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, Kundry in Parsifal, Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth, Leonora in Beethoven's Fidelio, Milada in Smetana's Dalibor, Senta in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, and the title roles in Janáček's Káťa Kabanová, Fibich's Šárka, and Puccini's Tosca and Turandot.[1]
While committed to the PNT, Kniplová was also highly active as a guest artist at international opera stages. In 1965 she appeared at the
Retired from the stage, Kniplová served on the voice faculty at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Among her notable pupils was mezzo-soprano Andrea Kalivodová. Kniplová was selected for the lifetime achievement award in opera at the 2010 Thalia Awards, however she refused the award stating that she should have received it sooner.[2]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-3-59-844088-5.
- ^ "Pěvkyně odmítla cenu Thálie: 'Měli jste si vzpomenout dřív...'" [The singer refused the Thalia award: 'You should have remembered earlier...']. Týden (in Czech). 24 March 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
External links
- Naděžda Kniplová discography at Discogs
