Young Edita Gruberova's fresh, unmannered Mozart

Описание: THE SONGBIRD: Edita Gruberova (1946 - 2021) was born in Bratislava. She was a child soprano prodigy and made her operatic debut as Rosina in 1968 in her hometown. She auditioned in 1969 for the Vienna State Opera, and was engaged for the 1970 season. Her star rose quickly in her signature roles of Queen of the Night and Zerbinetta, launching debuts in these roles at many of the top opera houses in the 1970s. In the 1980s she began to expand her repertoire into Italian bel canto roles and continued to dominate international operatic stages and appear regularly in commercial recordings. In the 1990s, she started her own commercial record label (Nightingale Classics) and added heavier bel canto works to her repertoire and discography. Her final full operatic performance was in Munich in 2019 (51 years after her debut) and her full retirement from singing professionally was announced in September 2020, at the age of 73. She passed away on October 18, 2021.

THE MUSIC: Mozart's short comic opera "Der Schauspieldirektor" ("The Impresario") K.486 was given in a private performance on February 7, 1786 for Joseph II at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna as part of a composition competition. A German singspiel (Mozart's work) was presented at one end of the room and an Italian opera buffa by Antonio Salieri ("Prima la musica e poi le parole" -"First the Music, then the Words"), was then shown at the other end of the room. Three public performances were given a few days later in Vienna. There are only five musical selections in the work, which pits two rival divas against each other: a fabulous overture, an aria for the first diva Madame Herz, a rondo for the second diva Mademoiselle Silberklang, a trio vocal battle, and a quartet finale. The diva roles were written for two of Mozart's muses: coloratura sopranos Aloysia Weber (Herz) and Caterina Cavalieri (Silberklang), both big stars in Vienna at the time. This is Herz's aria, "Da schlägt die Abschiedsstunde," which touches High D twice.