Sena Jurinac
Srebrenka "Sena" Jurinac (Croatian pronunciation: .
Biography
Jurinac was born in
She studied at the
She débuted as Mimi at Zagreb in 1942. In the following two years she sang the Countess, Freia, and Isabella in the première of Werner Egk's Columbus. In 1943, she was summer student of Anna von Mildenburg at the Salzburg Mozarteum. She appeared in the first Croatian sound movie, Lisinski (1944).[citation needed] In 1944, the Vienna State Opera engaged her, where she was first nicknamed "Sena". Conductor Karl Böhm's secretary suggested it because she feared the pronunciation of "Srebrenka" would cause difficulties for many Austrians. Because of the war, and the consequential closing of the opera three days after her arrival, she was unable to sing at the Vienna State Opera until 1946, when her first role was Cherubino. In the first year at the Staatsoper, she sang more than 150 performances. She remained associated with the company for almost four decades, receiving an honorary membership of the company with the title of Kammersängerin.[3]
In the autumn of 1947, she appeared at
She often visited England, where between 1951 and 1956 she sang the principal Mozart soprano roles at
Jurinac was married twice. Her first marriage was to the Italian baritone Sesto Bruscantini from 1953 to 1956. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1965, she married Josef Lederle, and the marriage lasted until his death in 2005. She had no children.[4]
Decorations and awards
- 1961: Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
- 1967: Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
- 1968: Honorary Ring of the Vienna State Opera
- 1971: Honorary Member of the Vienna State Opera
References
- ^ Alan Blyth (23 November 2011). "Sena Jurinac obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ Götterdämmerung: Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Della Radio Italiana directed by Wilhelm Furtwängler, - 1953, Roma. Recording RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana - published by EMI Records (C) 1972.
- ^ a b "Sena Jurinac". Telegraph. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ Zachary Woolfe (25 November 2011). "Sena Jurinac, Longtime Soprano in Vienna, Dies at 90". New York Times. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
External links
- Vijenac Sretan zgoditak za operu; accessed 1 July 2015 (in Croatian)
- Darko Zubrinic, "Sena Jurinac 1921-2011 legendary Croatian artist who shaped the entire opera world", Croatian World Network, 28 January 2012; accessed 1 July 2015.
- Naxos website page
- Rasponi, Lanfranco: The Last Prima Donnas, Alfred A Knopf, 1982; ISBN 0-394-52153-6
- Discography (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings); accessed 1 July 2015.
- Bach Cantata website biography
- Classical CD Review page