Libuše Márová
Encyclopedia
Libuše Márová is a Czech operatic mezzo-soprano
who has been a principal artist at the National Theatre
in Prague
since 1969. She has sung on a number of recordings in the Supraphon
label and currently teaches on the voice faculty at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
.
, Márová studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague with Přemysl Kočí
, Josef Frýdl, Štěpánka Štěpánová, and Michael Zabejda. She made her professional opera debut in 1965 at the Divadlo Josefa Kajetána Tyla
in Plzeň as Azucena in Giuseppe Verdi
's Il Trovatore
.
In 1969 Márová was appointed to the Prague National Theatre where she quickly became one of the theatre's most important artists. On stage she excelled in the dramatic Czech repertoire, portraying such roles as Donna Isabella in The Bride of Messina
, Fanny in The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon and to the 15th Century, Martinka in The Kiss
, Varvara in Káťa Kabanová
, Vlasta in Šárka
, and the title role in Jiří Pauer
's Zuzana Vojiřovà. Among the other roles she has portrayed on stage are Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro
, Dorabella in Così fan tutte
, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
, Judith in Bluebeard's Castle
, Princess Eboli in Don Carlo, Rosina in The Barber of Seville
, and the title role in Carmen
.
Márová has also worked actively as a guest artist with opera house
s throughout Europe. At the Komische Oper Berlin
she has portrayed Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera
and Dulcinée in Jules Massenet
's Don Quichotte
. She has also made appearances at the De Nederlandse Opera
, the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
, La Monnaie
, the Norwegian National Opera, and the Edinburgh Festival
.
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...
who has been a principal artist at 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...
since 1969. She has sung on a number of recordings in 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 and currently teaches 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 SušiceSušice
Sušice is a town in the Pilsen Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Otava River, some to the south of the regional capital of Pilsen.Sušice is also the seat of the Municipality with Extended Competence and with Commissioned Local Authority....
, Márová studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague with Přemysl Kočí
Přemysl Kočí
Přemysl Kočí was a Czech operatic baritone, actor, music educator, stage director, theater manager and official of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.-Biography:...
, Josef Frýdl, Štěpánka Štěpánová, and Michael Zabejda. She made her professional opera debut in 1965 at the Divadlo Josefa Kajetána Tyla
J. K. Tyl Theatre
Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre is a main theatre in Plzeň, Czech Republic. The theatre was built between 1899-1902 in the neo-renaissance style with some art nouveau elements to the design of Antonin Balsanek...
in Plzeň as Azucena in Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Il Trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
.
In 1969 Márová was appointed to the Prague National Theatre where she quickly became one of the theatre's most important artists. On stage she excelled in the dramatic Czech repertoire, portraying such roles as Donna Isabella in The Bride of Messina
The Bride of Messina (opera)
The Bride of Messina is a tragic opera in three acts, op. 18, by composer Zdeněk Fibich. The Czech language libretto by Otakar Hostinský is based on Friedrich Schiller's play Die Braut von Messina...
, Fanny in The Excursions of Mr. Brouček to the Moon and to the 15th Century, Martinka in The Kiss
The Kiss (opera)
The Kiss is an opera in two acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana and text by Eliška Krásnohorská, based on a novel by Karolina Světlá. It received its first performance in Prague on November 7, 1876.- Roles :- Act I :...
, 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...
, Vlasta in Šárka
Šárka (Janácek)
Šárka is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by Julius Zeyer, based on Bohemian legends of Šárka in Dalimil’s Chronicle...
, and the title role in Jiří Pauer
Jirí Pauer
Jiří Pauer was a Czech composer.Pauer studied first with Otakar Šín, then from 1943 to 1946 at the Prague Conservatory with Alois Hába, and finally with Pavel Bořkovec at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He later taught for many years at the Academy where his pupils included composer...
's Zuzana Vojiřovà. Among the other roles she has portrayed on stage are Cherubino in The Marriage of 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...
, 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....
, Donna Elvira 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...
, Judith in Bluebeard's Castle
Bluebeard's Castle
Duke Bluebeard's Castle is a one-act opera by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The libretto was written by Béla Balázs, a poet and friend of the composer. It is in Hungarian, based on the French fairy tale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault...
, Princess Eboli in Don Carlo, 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...
, and the title role 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...
.
Márová has also worked actively as a guest artist with 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 throughout Europe. At the Komische Oper Berlin
Komische Oper Berlin
The Komische Oper Berlin is an opera company in Berlin, Germany, which specializes in German language productions of opera, operetta and musicals....
she has portrayed Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The libretto is loosely based on an 1833 play, Gustave III, by French playwright Eugène Scribe who wrote about the historical assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden...
and Dulcinée in Jules Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
's Don Quichotte
Don Quichotte
Don Quichotte is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn.Massenet's comédie-héroïque, like so many other dramatized versions of the story of Don Quixote, relates only indirectly to the great novel by Miguel de Cervantes...
. She has also made appearances at the 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 Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, is a Theatre in Bordeaux, France, first inaugurated on 17 April 1780. It was in this theatre that the ballet La Fille Mal Gardée premiered in 1789, and where a young Marius Petipa staged some of his first ballets....
, La Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
, the Norwegian National Opera, and 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...
.