Carmen Hanganu

Carmen Hanganu (* 1934 in Bucharest ) is a Romanian - German opera, operetta, lied, concert and oratorio singer ( soprano ).

Life

Carmen Hanganu completed her training as a concert and opera singer at the Music Academy and Music Academy in Bucharest with Eugenia Elinescu and Stela Simonetti . She made her operatic debut in Brașov as Violetta Valéry in La traviata . In addition, she repeatedly had guest appearances at the Opera Națională Bucureşti . Her roles on both stages included u. a. Gilda in Rigoletto , Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor , Mimi and Musette in La Bohème , Tatjana in Eugen Onegin , Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail , the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro or Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow , to name just a few to name many.

After she won the first prize in the national competition for young soloists, many radio and television recordings followed. The soprano, who at the time was one of the most famous opera singers in Romania alongside Ileana Cotrubaș , also went on tours to Poland, Germany, Iran, Bulgaria, France, Austria and Switzerland. TV and radio broadcasts as well as recordings on sound carriers increased their popularity.

In 1976 Carmen Hanganu moved to Germany. From 1979 to 1981 she had an engagement at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and at the same time sang at the Cuvilliés-Theater , frenetically acclaimed by the Munich audience, Violetta Valéry and Konstanze. In addition, the soprano was a much sought-after interpreter as a concert, lied and oratorio singer:

In recitals she proved that, in addition to the passionate drama of opera roles, she also mastered the challenges of lyrical sensitivity with ease. At church concerts and when performing oratorios or cantatas, she impressed with her ability to brilliantly illustrate the different vocal styles of Bach, Schütz, Haydn and Dvořak ('Requiem') .

In parallel to her solo activity, Carmen Hanganu worked as a singing teacher. As such, she taught at the music schools in Dillingen on the Danube and Günzburg , also at the Günzburg Maria Ward Gymnasium and at the A. B. von Stetten Institute in Augsburg . From 1986 she taught the then 15-year-old Diana Damrau . Hanganu's (now divorced) husband, Diana's music teacher, recognized the singing potential of his student and recommended her to his wife. The now world-famous singer said about her teacher, with whom she is still in close contact today:

She prepared me for the entrance exam at the Musikhochschule Würzburg . A very spirited lady who was convinced of me: 'You have to go to college, not a conservatory, you have to do a diploma' - she was strict about that. We then developed a really large repertoire for the entrance examination, it has not let up .

In order to be able to continue teaching her protégé, Carmen Hanganu received a teaching position as a singing lecturer at the Würzburg University of Music from 1990 to 2001 and took Diana Damrau to the state examination.

Another of her students was Hubert Nettinger , meanwhile an internationally sought-after song singer and interpreter in the field of sacred concert music , and also a member of the vocal ensemble, the Singphoniker .

The soprano, who lives in Dillingen an der Donau , ended her active artistic career around 2000 . But she continues to work as a sought-after singing teacher who discovers and promotes young talents.

documentary

• Diana Damrau - Diva divina, ARTE (Monday, February 7th 2011)

literature

• The interview. Theater trips to Diana . In: The opera glasses . 2007, issue 11, pp. 20-24
• Erich Pawlu : She shone on the stages of Europe. Carmen Hanganu discovered Diana Damrau as a singing teacher. In: Donauzeitung, No. 243, October 18, 2008, p. 28
• Erich Pawlu: How Carmen Hanganu discovered a great talent. In: Donauzeitung, No. 30, February 7, 2011, p. 29

Web links

• She shone on the opera stages of Europe
• Interview with Carmen Hanganu and insight into her singing career
• http://www.abcmuzical.ro/artisti/carmen-hanganu Video

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pawlu 2008, p. 28
2. ↑ Das Opernglas 2007, p. 21