Jana Jonášová
Encyclopedia
Jana Jonášová is a Czech
opera
singer. One of the most important Czech coloratura soprano
s of her generation, she has had an active international career at the world's major opera house
s and concert stages for roughly four decades. As an opera singer she performed a varied repertoire from a variety of musical periods and in many languages. She drew particular acclaim for her portrayal of Mozart
heroines and roles from the standard Czech repertory. In 1970 she joined the National Theatre
in Prague
where she was a member for more than three decades.
As a concert singer, Jonášová assailed an equally diverse repertoire but is chiefly remembered for performances of works by baroque
composers like Johann Sebastian Bach
, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
, Georg Friedrich Handel, Georg Philipp Telemann
, and Antonio Vivaldi
. Her voice is preserved on a number of concert, opera, and solo recordings made with the Supraphon
and ORFEO
labels among others. Although she still occasionally performs in concert, she retired from the opera stage in the early 2000s. She is currently on the voice faculty at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
.
with Bendlová and then at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
with Teodor Šrubař. She made her professional opera debut in 1965 at the Liberec Theatre as Konstanze in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
's The Abduction from the Seraglio. That same year she became involved with the Chamber Opera Prague. She remained committed to the Liberec Theatre through 1970 and then joined the National Theatre
in Prague where she initially sang minor roles and worked in the opera chorus.
In 1973 Jonášová was promoted to principal sopranos at the National Theatre and she quickly became one of the house's most important artists. Among the large number of roles she has performed with the house include Susanne in Le Nozze di Figaro, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte
, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute
, Rosina in The Barber of Seville
, Norina in Don Pasquale
, Gilda in Rigoletto
, Violetta in La Traviata
, and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos
.
On the international stage she has performed as a guest artist at numerous opera houses since the early 1970s. Her performance credits include appearances at the Berlin State Opera
, the National Theatre in Belgrade
, the Bolshoi Theatre
, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, the Edinburgh Festival
, the Grand Théâtre de Genève
, the Hungarian State Opera House
, La Monnaie
, De Nederlandse Opera
, the Opéra National de Bordeaux, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie
, the Semperoper
, the Teatro Massimo
, and the Teatro Real
among others. In 1977 she made her first appearance at the Salzburg Festival
performing a solo concert of Mozart arias which was recorded on the Supraphon
label.
Jonášová has made several recordings of complete operas and the concert repertoire with a variety of music labels. Of particular note is her 1981 recording of the role of Katerina in Bohuslav Martinů
's The Greek Passion
under the baton of Charles Mackerras
. The recording one numerous awards, including the Grand Prix audiovisuel de L'Europe, the Grand Prix de l'Académie du disque Français, and the Orphee d'or de L'Academie Nationale du disque lyrique. She has also recorded a number of solo albums, recording arias by Mozart, Verdi, Strauss, among others in addition to concert repertoire. She has notably recorded several song cycle
s by such 20th century Czech composers as Pavel Bořkovec
, Jaroslav Ježek
, Iša Krejčí
, and Jan Seidel.
Jonášová is a past recipient of the Wiener Flötenuhr and in 1985 she was honored with the title of People's Artist of the USSR
. Her daughter Hana Jonášová
is also a successful operatic soprano.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer. One of the most important Czech coloratura soprano
Coloratura soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano who specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs and leaps. The term coloratura refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice...
s of her generation, she has had an active international career at the world's major opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
s and concert stages for roughly four decades. As an opera singer she performed a varied repertoire from a variety of musical periods and in many languages. She drew particular acclaim for her portrayal of Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
heroines and roles from the standard Czech repertory. In 1970 she joined the National Theatre
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
where she was a member for more than three decades.
As a concert singer, Jonášová assailed an equally diverse repertoire but is chiefly remembered for performances of works by baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
composers like Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
right|250pxCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and second son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach...
, Georg Friedrich Handel, Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually...
, and Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
. Her voice is preserved on a number of concert, opera, and solo recordings made with the Supraphon
Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
and ORFEO
ORFEO
ORFEO is a German classical record label founded in 1979 and launched in 1982. It has released the archives of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. The record label was used by its owner F. Axel Merhle as a tax shelter, which resulted in his prosecution for fraud in December 1985.-...
labels among others. Although she still occasionally performs in concert, she retired from the opera stage in the early 2000s. She is currently on the voice faculty at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague is a university level school of music, dance, drama, film, TV and multi-media studies.- Faculties :*Film and TV School - FAMU*Music Faculty - HAMU*Theatre Faculty - DAMU-Notable alumni:...
.
Biography
Born in Plzeň, Jonášová studied singing at the Prague ConservatoryPrague Conservatory
Prague Conservatory, sometimes also Prague Conservatoire, in Czech Pražská konzervatoř, is a Czech secondary school in Prague dedicated to teaching the arts of music and theater acting.- Instruction :...
with Bendlová and then at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague is a university level school of music, dance, drama, film, TV and multi-media studies.- Faculties :*Film and TV School - FAMU*Music Faculty - HAMU*Theatre Faculty - DAMU-Notable alumni:...
with Teodor Šrubař. She made her professional opera debut in 1965 at the Liberec Theatre as Konstanze in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's The Abduction from the Seraglio. That same year she became involved with the Chamber Opera Prague. She remained committed to the Liberec Theatre through 1970 and then joined the National Theatre
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
in Prague where she initially sang minor roles and worked in the opera chorus.
In 1973 Jonášová was promoted to principal sopranos at the National Theatre and she quickly became one of the house's most important artists. Among the large number of roles she has performed with the house include Susanne in Le Nozze di Figaro, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, Rosina in The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
, Norina in Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
, Gilda in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, Violetta in La Traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
, and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos
Ariadne auf Naxos
Ariadne auf Naxos is an opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Bringing together slapstick comedy and consuming beautiful music, the opera's theme is the competition between high and low art for the public's attention.- First version :The opera was originally...
.
On the international stage she has performed as a guest artist at numerous opera houses since the early 1970s. Her performance credits include appearances at the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
, the National Theatre in Belgrade
National Theatre in Belgrade
The National Theatre was founded in the latter half of the 19th century. It is located on Republic Square, in Belgrade, Serbia.The National Theatre was declared a Monument of Culture of Great Importance in 1983, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia....
, the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, the Grand Théâtre de Genève
Grand Théâtre de Genève
Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland.As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, officially opened in 1876, partly destroyed by fire in 1951 and reopened in...
, the Hungarian State Opera House
Hungarian State Opera House
The Hungarian State Opera House is a neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy út. It is home to the Budapest Opera Ball, a society event dating back to 1886.-History:...
, La Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
, De Nederlandse Opera
De Nederlandse Opera
De Nederlandse Opera , in Amsterdam, is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Het Muziektheater, a modern building designed by Cees Dam which opened in 1986....
, the Opéra National de Bordeaux, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie
Opéra Royal de Wallonie
The Opéra Royal de Wallonie ' is an opera house in Liège, Belgium, one of four situated in that country.- External links :*...
, the Semperoper
Semperoper
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841...
, the Teatro Massimo
Teatro Massimo
The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II....
, and the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
among others. In 1977 she made her first appearance at the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
performing a solo concert of Mozart arias which was recorded on the Supraphon
Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
label.
Jonášová has made several recordings of complete operas and the concert repertoire with a variety of music labels. Of particular note is her 1981 recording of the role of Katerina in Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Martinu
Bohuslav Martinů was a prolific Czech composer of modern classical music. He was of Czech and Rumanian ancestry. Martinů wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. Martinů became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic...
's The Greek Passion
The Greek Passion (opera)
The Greek Passion is an opera in four acts by Bohuslav Martinů. The libretto, by the composer, is based on the novel The Greek Passion by Nikos Kazantzakis. The opera exists in two versions. Martinů wrote the original version from 1954 to 1957...
under the baton of Charles Mackerras
Charles Mackerras
Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan...
. The recording one numerous awards, including the Grand Prix audiovisuel de L'Europe, the Grand Prix de l'Académie du disque Français, and the Orphee d'or de L'Academie Nationale du disque lyrique. She has also recorded a number of solo albums, recording arias by Mozart, Verdi, Strauss, among others in addition to concert repertoire. She has notably recorded several song cycle
Song cycle
A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
s by such 20th century Czech composers as Pavel Bořkovec
Pavel Borkovec
Pavel Bořkovec was a Czech composer and music teacher.Bořkovec studied at the Prague Conservatory under Josef Suk. From 1946 to 1967 he taught at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague. His students there included Pavel Blatný, Jiří Pauer, Vladimír Sommer, Petr Eben, Jan Klusák and Jan Truhlář...
, Jaroslav Ježek
Jaroslav Ježek
Jaroslav Ježek was a Czech composer, pianist and conductor, author of jazz, classical, incidental and film music.- Life :...
, Iša Krejčí
Iša Krejcí
Iša Krejčí , was a Czech Neoclassicist composer, conductor and dramaturg.He was born in Prague. He studied history and musicology at Charles University and concurrently piano playing with Albín Šíma and composition at the Prague Conservatory with Karel Boleslav Jirák and Vítězslav Novák and...
, and Jan Seidel.
Jonášová is a past recipient of the Wiener Flötenuhr and in 1985 she was honored with the title of People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
. Her daughter Hana Jonášová
Hana Jonášová
Hana Jonášová is a Czech opera singer active in concerts, recitals, and operas. A coloratura soprano, she is currently a principal artist at the Prague State Opera...
is also a successful operatic soprano.