Medea Figner
Medea Iwanowna Figner , also Mei-Figner ( Russian Медея Ивановна Фигнер ; born Mei ; born April 4, 1859 in Florence , † July 8, 1952 in Paris ), was a Russian opera singer ( mezzo-soprano and soprano ) of Italian origin.
Life
Figner made her stage debut as Azucena in Verdi's Il trovatore . Between 1877 and 1887 Figner sang in Italy , other European countries, including Russia , and South America . In 1889 she married the famous Russian tenor Nikolai N. Figner . The couple was very much appreciated by the royal family , among others .
Her repertoire included the role of Amneris in Verdi's Aida , Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera , Leonora in Donizetti's La favorita , Charlotte in Massenet's Werther , Valentine in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots and the role of Carmen in Georges Bizet 's opera of the same name .
In 1890 she sang the role of Lisa in the world premiere of the opera Pique Dame by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , and in 1892 - also at the world premiere - the title role in Tchaikovsky's opera Jolanthe . Figner was one of the most celebrated actresses of Tatjana in the history of the opera Eugene Onegin .
In 1904, after her husband had left her, she made one last opera tour through South America and then continued her career at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, which had begun in 1887, until her farewell performance as Carmen in 1912. Until 1923 she taught concert and opera singers. In 1930 she left Russia and settled in Paris, where she died in 1952.
Works
- Мои воспоминания ( My memories ). Saint Petersburg 1912.
literature
- Harold D. Rosenthal, John Hamilton Warrack (Eds.): The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera . Oxford University Press 1964, p. 255.
- Entry: Фигнер, Медея Ивановна . In: Большая советская энциклопедия . Third edition. Издательство "Советская энциклопедия", Moscow 1969–1978 (Russian).
Web links
- Medea Figner at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
- Portrait of Mei-Figner (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Julie A. Buckler: The literary lorgnette: attending opera in imperial Russia . Stanford University Press 2000, p. 108.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Figner, Medea |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Figner, Medea Ivanovna (full name); Mei-Figner, Medea; Figner, Mei (maiden name); Фигнер, Медея Ивановна (Russian) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Russian opera singer (mezzo-soprano and soprano) of Italian origin |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 4, 1859 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Florence |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 8, 1952 |
| Place of death | Paris |