Leyla Gencer
Encyclopedia
Leyla Gencer, or Ayşe Leyla Çeyrekgil (October 10, 1928 – May 10, 2008) was a world-renowned Turkish
opera
tic soprano
.
Known as "La Diva Turca" (The Turkish Diva) and "La Regina" (The Queen) in the opera world, Gencer was a notable bel canto
soprano who spent most of her career in Italy, from the early 1950s through the mid-1980s, and had a repertoire encompassing more than seventy roles. She made very few commercial recordings; however, numerous bootleg recording
s of her performances exist. In particular, Gencer was associated with the heroines of Donizetti
.
as the daughter of a Turkish
father and Polish
mother. Her mother, Lexanda Angela Minakovska (who later converted to Islam and chose the name Atiye after her husband's death), was the member of a Polish Catholic family of the Lithuanian aristocracy
; while her father, Hasanzade İbrahim Bey (who later adopted the surname Çeyrekgil following the Surname Law
of 1934) was a wealthy businessman who descended from a Turkish family of the Sunni Muslim faith, from the city of Safranbolu
.
Gencer lost her father at a very young age. She grew up in the Çubuklu district of Istanbul, on the Anatolia
n side of the Bosporus
, and began to study singing at the Istanbul Conservatory; but dropped out to study privately in Ankara
with her teacher, the Italian soprano Giannina Arangi-Lombardi
. She sang in the chorus of the Turkish State Theater until she made her operatic debut in Ankara in 1950 as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana
. During the next few years, she became well-known in Turkey and sang frequently at functions for the Turkish government.
In 1953, Gencer made her Italian debut at the Teatro di San Carlo
in Naples
as Santuzza. She returned to Naples the following year for performances of Madama Butterfly
and Eugene Onegin
. In 1957, she made her debut at La Scala
in Milan
as Mme. Lidoine in the world premiere of Poulenc
's Dialogues des Carmélites. She went on to appear regularly at La Scala, performing nineteen roles between 1957 and 1983, including Leonora in La forza del destino
, Elisabetta in Don Carlos
, Aïda
, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth
, Norma
, Ottavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea
, and Alceste
. At La Scala, she also appeared as the First Woman of Canterbury in the world premiere of Pizzetti
's L'assassinio nella cattedrale in 1958.
In 1960 Gencer toured the USSR in concert, performing in Moscow
and in Baku
.
In 1962, Gencer made her debut at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
as Elisabetta di Valois and as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni
. She made her U.S. debut at the San Francisco Opera
in 1956 as Francesca in Francesca da Rimini
. She sang at other American opera houses as well, but never sang at the Metropolitan Opera
, though there had been discussions for her to sing Tosca
there in 1956.
She performed Chopin
's Polish songs
in Paris with Nikita Magaloff, her Liszt-Bartok performance in La Scala and her concert regarding 'the operas about Turks' within the Venice Carnival at La Fenice Theatre, show her innovative character as an opera singer. In 1985, Gencer retired from the operatic stage with a performance of Gnecco's La Prova di un'opera seria at La Fenice
. She continued to appear in concerts until 1992. As of 2007, she was still active, and had recently been appointed by La Scala's music director Riccardo Muti
to run its school for young artists.
Throughout her career, Gencer was known primarily as a Donizetti
interpreter. Among her best-known Donizetti performances are Belisario
, Poliuto
, Anna Bolena
, Lucrezia Borgia
, Maria Stuarda
, and Caterina Cornaro
. Her most acclaimed and best-known performance, though, was Roberto Devereux
, which she sang in Naples in 1964.
In addition to the bel canto
roles for which she is best known, Gencer's repertory also included works by such composers as Prokofiev
, Mozart
, and Puccini
. She appeared in many rarely performed operas, including Smareglia
's La Falena, Rossini
's Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra
, Spontini
's Agnese di Hohenstaufen, Pacini
's Saffo, and Gluck
's Alceste
.
Gencer achieved an international career in a short time and performed with renowned Italian maestros such as; Gui, Serafin, Gavazzeni and Muti. She contributed to the improvement of the 'Donizetti Renaissance' with her great performances of Donizetti's forgotten operas.
Gencer's repertoire consists of 72 roles including works from composers such as; Monteverdi, Gluck, Mozart to neo-classical period; from Cherubini, Spontini, Johann Simon Mayr and the romantic period to Puccini, Prokofiev, Britten, Poulenc, Menotti and Rocca; from a lyric soprano varying to dramatic colorature.
In 1982, Gencer dedicated herself for education of young opera artists. She worked as a didactic art director of As.Li.Co. of Milan between 1983-88 and was appointed by Maestro Riccardo Muti to run La Scala's School for Young Artists between 1997-1998. Gencer was the artistic director of the academy for opera artists formed in Teatro alla Scala
where she taught opera interpretation.
Gencer performed leading roles in many famous operas and she is known as the 'last diva of the 20th century'. She achieved her strong presence in the opera world, not only by the variety of her repertoire, but also with the dramatic nuances that she attributed to the roles she performed. Being a good researcher and a teacher, she reintroduced many forgotten works of the romantic period to the opera stages. In 1996 she had a spectacular appearance in Jan Schmidt-Garre
's film Opera Fanatic.
Gencer died on May 10, 2008 in Milan, Italy. Following the funeral service in San Babila Church
and subsequently cremation
in Milan, her ashes were brought to Istanbul and consigned to the waters of the Bosphorus on May 16, 2008 according to her wish.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
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...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
.
Known as "La Diva Turca" (The Turkish Diva) and "La Regina" (The Queen) in the opera world, Gencer was a notable bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
soprano who spent most of her career in Italy, from the early 1950s through the mid-1980s, and had a repertoire encompassing more than seventy roles. She made very few commercial recordings; however, numerous bootleg recording
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
s of her performances exist. In particular, Gencer was associated with the heroines of Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico 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...
.
Biography
Leyla Gencer was born in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
as the daughter of a Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
father and Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
mother. Her mother, Lexanda Angela Minakovska (who later converted to Islam and chose the name Atiye after her husband's death), was the member of a Polish Catholic family of the Lithuanian aristocracy
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
; while her father, Hasanzade İbrahim Bey (who later adopted the surname Çeyrekgil following the Surname Law
Surname Law (Turkey)
The Surname Law of the Republic of Turkey was adopted on June 21, 1934. The law required all citizens of Turkey to adopt the use of surnames. Turkey's Christian and Jewish citizens were already using surnames, but Muslims generally did not use Western-style surnames...
of 1934) was a wealthy businessman who descended from a Turkish family of the Sunni Muslim faith, from the city of Safranbolu
Safranbolu
Safranbolu is a town and district of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is about two hundred kilometers north of Ankara and about a hundred kilometers south of the Black Sea coast, or more precisely about 9 kilometers north of the city of Karabük...
.
Gencer lost her father at a very young age. She grew up in the Çubuklu district of Istanbul, on the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n side of the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
, and began to study singing at the Istanbul Conservatory; but dropped out to study privately in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
with her teacher, the Italian soprano Giannina Arangi-Lombardi
Giannina Arangi-Lombardi
Giannina Arangi-Lombardi was a prominent spinto soprano, particularly associated with the Italian operatic repertory....
. She sang in the chorus of the Turkish State Theater until she made her operatic debut in Ankara in 1950 as Santuzza 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...
. During the next few years, she became well-known in Turkey and sang frequently at functions for the Turkish government.
In 1953, Gencer made her Italian debut at the Teatro di San Carlo
Teatro di San Carlo
The Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...
in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
as Santuzza. She returned to Naples the following year for performances of Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
and 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....
. In 1957, she made her debut at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
as Mme. Lidoine in the world premiere of Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
's Dialogues des Carmélites. She went on to appear regularly at La Scala, performing nineteen roles between 1957 and 1983, including Leonora 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...
, Elisabetta in Don Carlos
Don Carlos
Don Carlos is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller...
, Aïda
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...
, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth
Macbeth (opera)
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
, Norma
Norma (opera)
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet. First produced at La Scala on December 26, 1831, it is generally regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition...
, Ottavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'incoronazione di Poppea is an Italian baroque opera comprising a prologue and three acts, first performed in Venice during the 1642–43 carnival season. The music, attributed to Claudio Monteverdi, is a setting of a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello...
, and Alceste
Alceste (Gluck)
Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck from 1767. The libretto was written by Ranieri de' Calzabigi and based on the play Alcestis by Euripides. The premiere took place in Vienna.-Preface and reforms:...
. At La Scala, she also appeared as the First Woman of Canterbury in the world premiere of Pizzetti
Ildebrando Pizzetti
Ildebrando Pizzetti was an Italian composer of classical music.- Biography :Pizzetti was born in Parma in 1880. He was part of the "Generation of 1880" along with Ottorino Respighi and Gian Francesco Malipiero. They were among the first Italian composers in some time whose primary contributions...
's L'assassinio nella cattedrale in 1958.
In 1960 Gencer toured the USSR in concert, performing in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
.
In 1962, Gencer made her debut at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
as Elisabetta di Valois and as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. She made her U.S. debut at the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
in 1956 as Francesca in Francesca da Rimini
Francesca 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...
. She sang at other American opera houses as well, but never sang at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, though there had been discussions for her to sing Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
there in 1956.
She performed Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
's Polish songs
Polish songs by Frédéric Chopin
Although Frédéric Chopin is best known for his works for piano solo, among his output are a number of songs for voice and piano, set to Polish texts.-Background:...
in Paris with Nikita Magaloff, her Liszt-Bartok performance in La Scala and her concert regarding 'the operas about Turks' within the Venice Carnival at La Fenice Theatre, show her innovative character as an opera singer. In 1985, Gencer retired from the operatic stage with a performance of Gnecco's La Prova di un'opera seria at La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
. She continued to appear in concerts until 1992. As of 2007, she was still active, and had recently been appointed by La Scala's music director Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor and music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.-Childhood and education:...
to run its school for young artists.
Throughout her career, Gencer was known primarily as a Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico 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...
interpreter. Among her best-known Donizetti performances are Belisario
Belisario
Belisario is a tragedia lirica, or opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian libretto after Luigi Marchionni's adaptation of Eduard von Schenk's play. The plot is loosely based on the life of the famous general Belisarius of the 6th century Byzantine Empire...
, Poliuto
Poliuto
Poliuto is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera, by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian libretto after Pierre Corneille's play Polyeucte . It was composed in 1838 and first performed on 30 November 1848 at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples...
, Anna Bolena
Anna Bolena
Anna Bolena is a tragedia lirica, or opera, in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after Ippolito Pindemonte's Enrico VIII ossia Anna Bolena and Alessandro Pepoli's Anna Bolena, both telling of the life of Anne Boleyn...
, Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (opera)
Lucrezia Borgia is a melodramma, or opera, in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after the play by Victor Hugo, in its turn after the legend of Lucrezia Borgia. Lucrezia Borgia was first performed on 26 December 1833 at La Scala, Milan with...
, Maria Stuarda
Maria Stuarda
Maria Stuarda is a tragic opera, , in two acts, by Gaetano Donizetti, to a libretto by Giuseppe Bardari, based on Friedrich Schiller's 1800 play Maria Stuart....
, and Caterina Cornaro
Caterina Cornaro (opera)
Caterina Cornaro ossia La Regina di Cipro is a tragedia lirica, or opera, in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Giacomo Sacchèro wrote the Italian libretto after Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges' libretto for Halévy's La reine de Chypre...
. Her most acclaimed and best-known performance, though, was Roberto Devereux
Roberto Devereux
Roberto Devereux is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera, by Gaetano Donizetti...
, which she sang in Naples in 1964.
In addition to the bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
roles for which she is best known, Gencer's repertory also included works by such composers as Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, 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...
, and Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
. She appeared in many rarely performed operas, including Smareglia
Antonio Smareglia
Antonio Smareglia was an Austro-Hungarian opera composer of Italian ethnicity.-Life:Antonio Smareglia was born in the town of Pola , in a house on Via Nettuno which still stands and in which there is now a small museum of his life and work...
's La Falena, Rossini
Gioacchino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces...
's Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra
Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra
Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, is a dramma per musica or opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, from the play The Page of Leicester by Carlo Federici...
, Spontini
Gaspare Spontini
Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini was an Italian opera composer and conductor, extremely celebrated in his time, though largely forgotten after his death.-Biography:...
's Agnese di Hohenstaufen, Pacini
Giovanni Pacini
Giovanni Pacini was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Pacini was born in Catania, Sicily, the son of the buffo Luigi Pacini, who was to appear in the premieres of many of Giovanni's operas...
's Saffo, and Gluck
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...
's Alceste
Alceste (Gluck)
Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck from 1767. The libretto was written by Ranieri de' Calzabigi and based on the play Alcestis by Euripides. The premiere took place in Vienna.-Preface and reforms:...
.
Gencer achieved an international career in a short time and performed with renowned Italian maestros such as; Gui, Serafin, Gavazzeni and Muti. She contributed to the improvement of the 'Donizetti Renaissance' with her great performances of Donizetti's forgotten operas.
Gencer's repertoire consists of 72 roles including works from composers such as; Monteverdi, Gluck, Mozart to neo-classical period; from Cherubini, Spontini, Johann Simon Mayr and the romantic period to Puccini, Prokofiev, Britten, Poulenc, Menotti and Rocca; from a lyric soprano varying to dramatic colorature.
In 1982, Gencer dedicated herself for education of young opera artists. She worked as a didactic art director of As.Li.Co. of Milan between 1983-88 and was appointed by Maestro Riccardo Muti to run La Scala's School for Young Artists between 1997-1998. Gencer was the artistic director of the academy for opera artists formed in Teatro alla Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
where she taught opera interpretation.
Gencer performed leading roles in many famous operas and she is known as the 'last diva of the 20th century'. She achieved her strong presence in the opera world, not only by the variety of her repertoire, but also with the dramatic nuances that she attributed to the roles she performed. Being a good researcher and a teacher, she reintroduced many forgotten works of the romantic period to the opera stages. In 1996 she had a spectacular appearance in Jan Schmidt-Garre
Jan Schmidt-Garre
-Biography:Jan Schmidt-Garre studied philosophy at the Hochschule für Philosophie der Jesuiten in Munich from 1982 to 1986...
's film Opera Fanatic.
Gencer died on May 10, 2008 in Milan, Italy. Following the funeral service in San Babila Church
San Babila
San Babila is a church in Milan, northern Italy. It was once considered the third most important in the city after the Duomo and the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio...
and subsequently cremation
Cremation in the Christian World
Today, cremation is an increasingly popular form of disposition of the deceased. This is true even in the Christian world, which for many years was opposed to cremation, but has come to a greater acceptance of cremation over the past century....
in Milan, her ashes were brought to Istanbul and consigned to the waters of the Bosphorus on May 16, 2008 according to her wish.
Discography
- BelliniVincenzo BelliniVincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
: Norma / 1966, de Fabritiis, Gencer, Cossotto, et al. - Bellini: Norma / 1965, Gavazzeni, Gencer, Simionato, et al.
- Bellini: Beatrice di Tenda1964 / Gui, Gencer, Zanasi, et al.
- Bellini: I Puritani 1961 / Quadri, Gencer, Raimondi, et al.
- Pacini: Saffo 1967 / Gencer, Del Bianco, Mattiucci
- CherubiniLuigi CherubiniLuigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
: Medea 1968/ Gencer, Bottion, et al. - Mayr: Medea in Corinto 1976/ Ferro, Gencer, Johns
- Gluck: Alceste 1967/ Gui, Gencer, Picchi
- ChopinFrédéric ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
: Polish SongsPolish songs by Frédéric ChopinAlthough Frédéric Chopin is best known for his works for piano solo, among his output are a number of songs for voice and piano, set to Polish texts.-Background:...
; LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
/ Leyla Gencer, Nikita Magaloff - DonizettiGaetano 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...
: Anna Bolena 1958/ Gavazzeni, Gencer, Simionato, et al. - Donizetti: Anna Bolena 1965/ Gavazzeni, Gencer, Cava, et al.
- Donizetti: Caterina Cornaro 1972 / Cillario, Gencer, Aragall
- Donizetti: Les Martyrs / 1975 Camozzo, Gencer, Bruson, et al.
- Donizetti: Les Martyrs / 1978 Gelmetti, Gencer, Bruson, et al.
- Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia / 1970 Gracis, Gencer, Raimondi et al.
- Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia / 1966 Franci, Gencer, Aragall, Petri et al.
- Donizetti: Maria Stuarda / 1967 Molinari-Pradelli, Gencer, Verret, Tagliavini et al.
- Donizetti: Messa di Requiem / Gavazzeni, Teatro La Fenice
- Donizetti: Roberto Devereux 1964 / Gencer, Cappuccilli, et al.
- Donizetti: Belisario 1969 / Gavazzeni, Gencer, Taddei et al.
- Mozart: Don Giovanni 1960/ Molinari-Pradelli, Gencer, Petri, Bruscantini, Stich-Randall et al.
- Mozart: Don Giovanni 1962/ Solti, Gencer, Jurinac, Freni
- PonchielliAmilcare PonchielliAmilcare Ponchielli was an Italian composer, largely of operas.-Biography:Born in Paderno Fasolaro, now Paderno Ponchielli, near Cremona, Ponchielli won a scholarship at the age of nine to study music at the Milan Conservatory, writing his first symphony by the time he was ten years old.Two years...
: La Gioconda 1971 / de Fabritiis, Gencer, Raimondi - ZandonaiRiccardo ZandonaiRiccardo Zandonai was an Italian composer.-Biography:Zandonai was born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, then part of Austria–Hungary....
: Francesca da Rimini 1961 / Capuana, Gencer, Cioni et al. - Rossini: Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra 1971/ Sanzogno, Gencer, Grilli
- VerdiGiuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
: I due Foscari" 1957/ Serafin, Gencer, Guelfi - Verdi: Battaglia di Legnano 1959/ Gencer, Limarilli
- Verdi: Rigoletto 1961/ Quadri, Gencer, McNeil, Raimondi
- Verdi: Gerusalemme 1963/ Gavazzeni, Gencer, Aragall, Guelfi
- Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani 1965/ Gavazzeni, Gencer, et al.
- Verdi: Macbeth 1960/ Gui, Gencer, Taddei, Picchi et al.
- Verdi: Macbeth 1968/ Gavazzeni, Gencer, Guelfi, Corradi, et al.
- Verdi: Attila 1972/ Silipigni, Gencer, Hines
- Verdi: Ernani 1972/ Gavazzeni, Gencer, Bergonzi
- Verdi: Simon Boccanegra 1961/ Gavazzeni, Gobbi, Gencer
- Verdi: Trovatore 1957/Previtali, Gencer, Del Monaco, Barbieri, Bastianini
- Verdi: Un ballo in maschera 1961/ Gencer, Bergonzi
- Verdi: Aida 1966/ Capuana, Gencer, Bergonzi, Cossotto
- Verdi: La Forza del Destino 1957/ Serafin, Gencer, Di Stefano
- Verdi: La Forza del Destino 1965/ Molinari Pradelli, Gencer, Bergonzi
External links
- Leyla Gencer biography, performance chronology, discography and videography
- Leyla Gencer Voice Competition
- Biography with photo gallery
- Bel Canto Society page with Interview and photos
- Tribute of the Teatro alla Scala to Leyla Gencer
- Leyla Gencer in an excerpt from Anna Bolena (1978).
- Leyla Gencer Commemorative Coin (Lira)
Obituaries
- The Independent Leyla Gencer: Operatic soprano idolised in Italy
- The Guardian A Turkish soprano of great dramatic power, she excelled in a wide range of Italian opera
- Telegraph Imperious soprano known as the Turkish Diva who made a glittering career at La Scala.
- Times Turkish operatic soprano who excelled in bel canto and Verdi roles
- The New York Times Leyla Gencer, Turkish-Born Soprano and a Popular Star of La Scala, Dies
- Los Angeles Times Turkish soprano thrived in Italy
- International Herald Tribune Leyla Gencer
- Boston Herald Soprano Leyla Gencer, known as La Diva Turca, dies in Milan
- The Boston Globe Leyla Gencer; Turkish soprano made mark on Italian stage
- Denver Post Turkish soprano Gencer, who performed at La Scala, dies
- BBC Turkish soprano Leyla Gencer dies
- Turkish Daily News Turkish opera diva Leyla Gencer dies