Jaroslava Maxova
Encyclopedia
Jaroslava Maxová is a Czech mezzo-soprano
opera
singer and vocal coach
.
, Moravia
and studied singing at the Bratislava
Academy in Slovakia
. She made her Slovak National Opera
début already during her studies and became a soloist there in 1986. She sang principal roles throughout the next eight years and since 1994 continued to do so at the Prague National Opera Theatre
.
Her repertoire includes Strauss‘ Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier
, Offenbach’s Niklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Verdi’s Amneris in Aida
, Fenena in Nabucco
, Maddalena in Rigoletto
, Preziosilla in La forza del destino
, Mozart’s Dorabella in Così fan tutte
, Cherubino and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro
and Sesto in La clemenza di Tito
, Rossini’s Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia
, Tchaikovsky’s Olga in Eugene Onegin
, Bizet’s Mercedes in Carmen
, Mascagni‘s Lola in Cavalleria rusticana
, Martinů’s Filoména in Alexander Twice, Gluck’s Orpheus in Orpheus and Eurydice
, Dvořák’s Witch in Rusalka
and Kate in The Devil and Kate
, Smetana’s Radmila in Libuše
and Háta in The Bartered Bride
, Handel’s Ulysses in Deidamia
, Purcell’s Witch in Dido and Aeneas
, Britten’s Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw
, Janáček’s Varvara in Káťa Kabanová
, Kedruta in The Excursions of Mr Brouček and Pastuchyňa (Herdswoman) in Jenůfa
. Two performances deserve a special mention: Maxwell Davies
' solo operas
Miss Donnithorne’s Maggot and Medium.
She has sung in opera houses and concert halls in Austria, France, Germany, Holland, Italy (including a concert for Pope John Paul II), Japan, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey, under the baton of Mosche Atzmon, Jiří Bělohlávek, Oliver Dohnányi, Arpád Jóo, Zdeněk Košler, Ferenz Nagy, Andrew Parott, Sir Libor Pešek, Arturo Sacchetti, Hubert Soudant, Andreas Stöhr, Johannes Wildner and others. Her concert repertoire is also vast and varied, and it is only logical that with her experience plus a university degree in Education, she has also become a professor at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory
, and is as successful and as much in demand for her vocal coaching as for her singing.
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
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 and vocal coach
Vocal coach
A vocal coach is a music teacher who instructs singers on how to improve their singing technique, take care of and develop their voice, and prepare for the performance of a song or other work. Vocal coaches may give private music lessons to singers, or they may coach singers who are rehearsing on...
.
Biography
Jaroslava Maxová was born on 6 April 1957 in Moravská TřebováMoravská Trebová
Moravská Třebová is a town in the Svitavy District and lies in the Pardubice Region, Czech Republic. It has around 11,300 inhabitants.Moravská Třebová is located on the Třebůvka River in the landscape of the "Schönhengstgau"....
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
and studied singing at the Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
Academy in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. She made her Slovak National Opera
Slovak National Theatre
The Slovak National Theatre denotes:* the oldest Slovak professional theatre consisting of 3 ensembles ,* a Neo-Renaissance theatre building in the Old Town of Bratislava, Slovakia, which formerly housed two of the theatre's ensembles , and* the theatre's large modern theatre building in...
début already during her studies and became a soloist there in 1986. She sang principal roles throughout the next eight years and since 1994 continued to do so at the Prague National Opera 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...
.
Her repertoire includes Strauss‘ Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
, Offenbach’s Niklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Verdi’s Amneris in Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, Fenena in Nabucco
Nabucco
Nabucco is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the Biblical story and the 1836 play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornue...
, Maddalena 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...
, Preziosilla in La forza del destino
La forza del destino
La forza del destino is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino , by Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas, with a scene adapted from Friedrich Schiller's Wallensteins Lager. It was first performed...
, Mozart’s Dorabella in Così 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....
, Cherubino and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
and Sesto in La clemenza di Tito
La clemenza di Tito
La clemenza di Tito , K. 621, is an opera seria in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Metastasio...
, Rossini’s Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia
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...
, Tchaikovsky’s Olga in Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin (opera)
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
, Bizet’s Mercedes in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
, Mascagni‘s Lola in Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
, Martinů’s Filoména in Alexander Twice, Gluck’s Orpheus in Orpheus and Eurydice
Orfeo ed Euridice
Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck based on the myth of Orpheus, set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the azione teatrale, meaning an opera on a mythological subject with choruses and dancing...
, Dvořák’s Witch in Rusalka
Rusalka (opera)
Rusalka is an opera by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová. Rusalka is one of the most successful Czech operas, and represents a cornerstone of the repertoire of Czech opera houses...
and Kate in The Devil and Kate
The Devil and Kate
The Devil and Kate, Op. 112, B.201, is an opera in three acts by Antonín Dvořák to a Czech libretto by Adolf Wenig. It is based on a farce by Josef Kajetán Tyl, and the story also had been treated in the Fairy Tales of Božena Němcová...
, Smetana’s Radmila in Libuše
Libuše (opera)
Libuše is a '"festival opera" in three acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana. The libretto was originally written in German by Josef Wenzig, and was then translated into Czech by Ervin Špindler. In Czech historical myth, Libuše, the title character, prophesied the founding of Prague. The opera...
and Háta in The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
, Handel’s Ulysses in Deidamia
Deidamia (opera)
Deidamia was George Frideric Handel's last Italian opera. The Italian text was by Paolo Antonio Rolli.-Performance history:The opera was first performed on 10 January 1741 at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, London. The opera received only three performances, at a time when the public was becoming...
, Purcell’s Witch in Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
, Britten’s Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw is a novella written by Henry James. Originally published in 1898, it is ostensibly a ghost story.Due to its ambiguous content, it became a favourite text of academics who subscribe to New Criticism. The novella has had differing interpretations, often mutually exclusive...
, Janáček’s Varvara in Káťa Kabanová
Káta Kabanová
Káťa Kabanová is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by Vincenc Červinka, based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. The opera was also largely inspired by Janáček's love for Kamila Stösslová...
, Kedruta in The Excursions of Mr Brouček and Pastuchyňa (Herdswoman) in Jenůfa
Jenufa
Jenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
. Two performances deserve a special mention: Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
' solo operas
Monodrama
A monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character.- Monodrama in opera :...
Miss Donnithorne’s Maggot and Medium.
She has sung in opera houses and concert halls in Austria, France, Germany, Holland, Italy (including a concert for Pope John Paul II), Japan, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey, under the baton of Mosche Atzmon, Jiří Bělohlávek, Oliver Dohnányi, Arpád Jóo, Zdeněk Košler, Ferenz Nagy, Andrew Parott, Sir Libor Pešek, Arturo Sacchetti, Hubert Soudant, Andreas Stöhr, Johannes Wildner and others. Her concert repertoire is also vast and varied, and it is only logical that with her experience plus a university degree in Education, she has also become a professor at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory
Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory
Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory , located in Prague, Czech Republic, is a conservatory specializing in contemporary music. Known primarily as a school for jazz and commercial music, it also offers a six-year undergraduate diploma in Classical music, composition, conducting, scriptwriting and musical...
, and is as successful and as much in demand for her vocal coaching as for her singing.
Discography
- 1986 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: RequiemRequiem (Mozart)The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
[Zdeněk Košler, conductor] [CD]. Czechoslovakia: Opus - 1989 Perosi, Lorenzo: Stabat Mater, Dies Iste, L'Inno della Pace. [Arturo Sacchetti, conductor] [CD]. Vaticano, Italy: Frequenz
- 1997 Zandonai, RiccardoRiccardo ZandonaiRiccardo Zandonai was an Italian composer.-Biography:Zandonai was born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, then part of Austria–Hungary....
: Francesca da RiminiFrancesca da Rimini (Zandonai)Francesca da Rimini is an opera in four acts, composed by Riccardo Zandonai, with libretto by Tito Ricordi, , after a play by Gabriele D'Annunzio. It was premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 19, 1914, and is still staged occasionally.This opera is Zandonai's best-known work...
. [Fabio Luisi, conductor] [CD]. Vienna, Austria: KOCH International - 1997 Donizetti, GaetanoGaetano DonizettiDomenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
: Messa da Requiem. [Alexander Rahbari, conductor] [CD]. Vienna, Austria: KOCH International - 2002 Klusák, JanJan KlusákJan Klusák is a contemporary Czech composer, author of film, television and incidental music.- Life :...
: Zpráva pro akademii, Bertram a Mescalinda. [Přemysl Charvát, conductor] [CD]. Prague, Czech Republic: National theatre. - 2005 Wagner, Richard: Der Ring des NibelungenDer Ring des NibelungenDer Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
[John Fiore, conductor] [CD]. Prague, Czech Republic: National theatre - 2009 Goldscheider, AlexanderAlexander GoldscheiderAlexander Goldscheider is a Czech-born composer, music producer, and computer specialist living since 1981 in London....
: The Song of Songs. [CD]. London, United Kingdom: Romantic Robot
Cooperation with conductors
- Moshe AtzmonMoshe AtzmonMoshe Atzmon is a Hungarian-born Israeli conductor.He was born in Budapest, and at the age of thirteen he emigrated with his family to Tel Aviv, Israel. He started his musical career on the horn before going to London for further studies in conducting....
- Arturo SacchettiArturo SacchettiArturo Sacchetti Italian organist, conductor and musicologist. He worked as artistic director at the Radio Vatican....
- Andrew Parrot
- Hubert SoudantHubert SoudantHubert Soudant is a Dutch conductor. He played the French horn as a youth. He has won prizes in several conducting competitions, including the Besançon Young Conductor Competition and the Karajan International Conducting Competition.Soudant has held music directorships with the Utrecht Symphony...
- Arpad JóoArpad JoóArpad Joó is a Hungarian|conductor and concert Pianist.-Early life:Maestro Joo was born in Hungary, Europe. Coming from an ancient line of Hungarian nobility—his father's side was raised to ranks by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Rudolf, in recognition of scholarly achievements—and on his mother's...
- Ferenc NagyFerenc NagyFerenc Nagy was a Hungarian politician of the Smallholders Party. He was a Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary from 29 November 1945 to 5 February 1946 and a member of the High National Council from 7 December 1945 to 2 February 1946.Later he served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 4...
- Otakar Kudrna
- Zdeněk KošlerZdenek KošlerZdeněk Košler was a Czech conductor, who played an important role in Czech musical life of the second half of 20th century, notably during the sixties and the eighties. He was particularly well-known as an opera conductor....
- Jiří BělohlávekJirí BelohlávekJiří Bělohlávek is a Czech conductor. His father was a barrister and judge. In his youth Bělohlávek studied cello with Miloš Sádlo and was later a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
- Oliver von DohnányiOliver von DohnányiOliver von Dohnányi is a Slovak conductor. He is currently Intendant/Artistic Director of the Opera of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, Intendant/Artistic Director of the Opera of the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre, Ostrava and principal guest conductor of the Slovak Radio Symphony...
- Libor PešekLibor PešekLibor Pešek KBE is a Czech conductor.Pešek was born in Prague and studied conducting, piano, cello and trombone at the Academy of Musical Arts there, with Václav Smetáček and Karel Ančerl among his teachers. He worked at the Pilsen and Prague Operas, and from 1958 to 1964 was the founder and...
- Johannes WildnerJohannes WildnerJohannes Wildner is an Austrian conductor.Born in Austria in 1956, Johannes Wildner studied conducting, violin and musicology and has established himself as one of the foremost Austrian conductors....
- Andreas Stöhr
- Přemysl CharvátPřemysl CharvátPřemysl Charvát was a Czech conductor from Prague. In his career he directed in the National Theater, Prague State Opera and was Artistic Director of the Symphony Orchestra at Prague Conservatory. One of his pupils was Adolf Melichar who is currently with the Prague State Opera....
- Ali RahbariAli RahbariAli Rahbari is a Persian composer and conductor, who played with more than 120 European orchestras including Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
- Fabio LuisiFabio LuisiFabio Luisi is an Italian conductor. On September 6, 2011, he was named Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera....
- John Fiore
Cooperation with Composers
- Peter Maxwell DaviesPeter Maxwell DaviesSir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
- Jan KlusákJan KlusákJan Klusák is a contemporary Czech composer, author of film, television and incidental music.- Life :...
- Alexander GoldscheiderAlexander GoldscheiderAlexander Goldscheider is a Czech-born composer, music producer, and computer specialist living since 1981 in London....
- Alexander Rudajev
Sources
- Jaroslava Maxova's Website
- Theatre Institute; Jaroslava Maxova (in English, p. 44)
- National Theatre; archive; Jaroslava Maxova (in Czech)
- Czech singers; Jaroslava Maxova (in Czech)
- Muzikus; Jaroslava Maxova (in Czech)
- The Free Library; Report on the condition of opera in the Czech Republic; Jaroslava Maxova (in English)
- MusicWeb; CD REVIEW ; Jaroslava Maxova (in English)
Literature
- Janota, Dalibor; Kučera, Jan P. Malá encyklopedie české opery. Prague (Czech Republic), Litomyšl (Czech Republic): Paseka, 1999. ISBN 80-7185-236-8
- Poledňák, Ivan. Vášeň rozumu. Olomouc (Czech Republic): Univerzita Palackého, 2004. ISBN 80-244-0932-1