Ludmila Červinková
Encyclopedia
Ludmila Červinková was a Czech
operatic soprano
who had a celebrated international career during the 1930s through the 1960s. She notably had a long and fruitful association with the National Theatre
in Prague from 1942 until 1966. Her voice is preserved on a number of recordings on the Supraphon
label.
, Červinková studied singing privately with Jarmila Pěničková, while attending a girl's college in Prague. From 1928 to 1934 she studied singing at the Prague Conservatory
with Doubravka Branbergerová née Černochová (1885–1945). In 1936 she went to Vienna
to study with Cecílie Steinbrücková.. She continued studying with Pěničková after 1942. She began her career as a principal soprano at the opera house in Olomouc
in 1934. She remained at that house for the next six years, after which she was involved with the Zdeněk Nejedlý Theatre
in Ostrava
from 1940–1942. Vaclav Talich
attended some of her performances in Ostrava and was impressed by her beautiful voice and dramatic skills. Under his recommendation she was engaged as a member of the National Theatre
in Prague in 1942.
Červinková spent the rest of her career at the National Theatre and was one of the house's most important artists during the 1940s through the 1960s. Her repertoire in Prague constituted mainly dramatic soprano
and spinto
roles, including Donna Anna in Don Giovanni
, Julie in The Jacobin
, Kostelnička Buryjovka in Jenůfa
, Mařenka in The Bartered Bride
, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin
, Venus in Tannhäuser
, and the title roles in Aida
, Káťa Kabanová
, Libuše
, and Tosca
among others.
Červinková was also active as a concert singer and was particularly admired for her interpretations of the concert works of Antonín Dvořák
. She gave numerous guest performances with the orchestras and opera houses in Moscow and Sofia
, and made several appearances at the Berlin State Opera
. She made numerous recordings on the Supraphon
label, including complete opera recordings of the roles of Vendulka in Bedřich Smetana
's The Kiss
and the title heroine in Dvořák's Rusalka
.
She taught singing, from 1958 at the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
(HAMU) and from 1960 at the Prague Conservatory.
Červinková retired from the stage in 1966, shortly after being honored with the title of People's Artist of the USSR
. She then devoted herself to teaching
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...
operatic 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...
who had a celebrated international career during the 1930s through the 1960s. She notably had a long and fruitful association with 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 from 1942 until 1966. Her voice is preserved on a number of recordings 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.
Biography
Born in PraguePrague
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...
, Červinková studied singing privately with Jarmila Pěničková, while attending a girl's college in Prague. From 1928 to 1934 she studied singing at the Prague Conservatory
Prague 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 Doubravka Branbergerová née Černochová (1885–1945). In 1936 she went to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to study with Cecílie Steinbrücková.. She continued studying with Pěničková after 1942. She began her career as a principal soprano at the opera house in Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
in 1934. She remained at that house for the next six years, after which she was involved with the Zdeněk Nejedlý Theatre
Antonín Dvořák Theatre
Antonín Dvořák Theatre in Ostrava is one of the opera houses in the Czech Republic. It is a part of the National Moravian Silesian Theatre, founded in 1918.- History :...
in Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
from 1940–1942. Vaclav Talich
Václav Talich
Václav Talich was a Czech conductor, violinist and pedagogue.- Life :Born in Kroměříž, Moravia, he started his musical career in a student orchestra in Klatovy. From 1897 to 1903 he studied at the conservatory in Prague with Otakar Ševčík...
attended some of her performances in Ostrava and was impressed by her beautiful voice and dramatic skills. Under his recommendation she was engaged as a member of 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 in 1942.
Červinková spent the rest of her career at the National Theatre and was one of the house's most important artists during the 1940s through the 1960s. Her repertoire in Prague constituted mainly dramatic soprano
Dramatic soprano
A dramatic soprano is an operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually mean less agility than lighter voices but a sustained, fuller sound. Usually this voice has a lower tessitura than...
and spinto
Spinto
Spinto is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large musical climaxes in opera at moderate intervals...
roles, including 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...
, Julie in The Jacobin
The Jacobin
The Jacobin is an opera in three acts by Antonín Dvořák to an original Czech libretto by Marie Červinková-Riegrová. Červinková-Riegrová took some of the story's characters from the story by Alois Jirásek, "At the Ducal Court", but devised her own plot around them. The first performance was at the...
, Kostelnička Buryjovka 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...
, Mařenka 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...
, Tatyana 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....
, Venus in Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (opera)
Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
, and the title roles 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...
, 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...
, 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 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...
among others.
Červinková was also active as a concert singer and was particularly admired for her interpretations of the concert works of Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
. She gave numerous guest performances with the orchestras and opera houses in Moscow and Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, and made several 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:...
. She made numerous recordings 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, including complete opera recordings of the roles of Vendulka in Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
's 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 :...
and the title heroine in Dvořák's 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...
.
She taught singing, from 1958 at the Music Faculty of 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:...
(HAMU) and from 1960 at the Prague Conservatory.
Červinková retired from the stage in 1966, shortly after being 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 :...
. She then devoted herself to teaching