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Text 2. Solomia Krushelnytska





 

Solomia Krushelnytska triumphantly performed on the best opera stages in many European countries. Critics called her «unforgettable Aida», «the most charming Cio-Cio-San», «matchless Halka», «ideal Brunnhilde», and «the most beautiful Salome». Famous Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini used to say that the female characters created by Solomia Krushelnytska in the operas by Wagner, Strauss, Pizzetti and Puccini remain unsurpassed. «Matchless, gifted with a strong voice that can be both tender and tragic, Krushelnytska is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest singers of her time’ commented the Paris art journal D’Art Dramatique. Famous composers, conductors, singers, musicians including Giacomo Puccini, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Richard Strauss, Enrico Caruso, Fedor Shaliapin, Mattia Battistini, and Eleonora Duse were the ardent admirers and true friends of Krushelnytska’s.

So who is Solomia Krushelnytska? How did she manage to capture the hearts of the most fastidious critics and listeners all over the world?

Тhe opera diva-to-be was born in 1873 in the Ternopil region of Ukraine to a family of a village clergyman, interesting is the fact that several other stars of the world opera namely: Enrico Caruso, Fedor Shaliapin and Аntonina Nezhdanova, were born in the same year. Krushelnytska’s early attempts at singing amazed all those who listened to her. First, she sang in a choir; later, her father managed to gather money to send her to the Lviv Conservatory. Despite the severe financial difficulties, Krushelnytska graduated from the Conservatory with honors. The examination commission made a note in her diploma «Recommended to perform on the best stages of the world».

Being extremely gifted, Krushelnytska could not fully realize her talent in her motherland. In those times, Ukraine was a remote province of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and did not even have an own opera school. Understanding that natural talent was lot enough to conquer the summit of art, Krushelnytska decided to go to Italy with a hope to grasp the latest trends in opera singing.

With time, the ordinary village girl, who was fond of singing, turned into a professional singer. In Milan Krushelnytska became a pupil of famous vocal professor F. Crespi. After a year of studies, Krushelnytska began to sing the leading parts on the best Italian opera stages. Her great Italian triumph opened doors to the national opera houses of Poland, France, Russia, Spain, Germany, Portugal, South and North America. Krushelnytska received lots of invi­tations and contract proposals. She took part in the national musical performances of the Warsaw Great Theater. In Vienna she mastered the techniques of German opera singing. Krushelnytska succeeded even in Paris, the city that traditionally dictated fashions in clothes, manners, music, etc.

Nevertheless, Italy remained Krushelnytska’s favorite country, where her talent was realized most fully. On January 31,1907 in La Scala there was the first night of Richard Wagner’s «Tristan und Isolde» with Krushelnytska singing the leading female part. The premiere was a great success. In two years Krushelnytska sang the part of Elektra in Strauss’ opera by the same name and had the similar success. In 1915 she performed Fedra in the first production of I. Pizzetti’s «Fedra».

It is interesting to note that Krushelnytska practically saved Giacomo Puccini’s «Madame Butterfly» from failure. Opera fans had been looking forward to the opera’s first night for a long time. On February 28,1904 «Madame Butterfly» was staged for the first time in La Scala with a different singer performing the leading female part. Alas, the long-awaited premiere failed.

Later Puccini showed the score of «Madame Butterfly» to Krushelnytska, and she advised the composer to make certain changes in it. «Maestro, your tender and colourful butterfly will live a long life. I will sing the part of «Cio-Cio-San», she concluded confidently.

Indeed, the opera was saved thanks to the great Ukrainian singer. The next production of «Madame Butterfly» turned out an unparalleled success, the audience was captured and Krushelnytska received a storm of applause and a standing ovation. After that memorable night, the world recognized Puccini’s masterpiece. One of the opera critics of that time noted that the image of petite Japanese geisha Cio-Cio-San created by Krushelnytska is ideal, and all future performers of this role are destined to be no more than her pale shadow’.

Krushelnytska also eclipsed the fame of her contemporary performers of Wagner’s operas. She sang with an amazing confidence and in a really aristocratic manner. «Lohengrin», «Die Walkure», «Tannhauser», «Tristan und Isolde» are among Krushelnytska’s brightest triumphs. As for Krushelnytska’s personal likes, the image of Isolde was one of her favourites. In fact, she used to say that this role became her other nature.

Overall, Krushelnytska’s repertoire included about 60 parts. By the mid 1920s she sang at practically all major world opera stages. After her performance in Chile, the audience let go dozens of white doves which sig­nifies praise and great honor to a singer in that country. During her tour to Russia, the most fastidious opera lovers of St-Petersburg presented her a bouquet of flowers with a ribbon that read «To Solomia Krushelnytska, the world’s only true Gioconda». When Krushelnytska performed in Naples (as a matter of fact, the Naples audience was known as extremely critical), the public gave her a standing ovation. Solomia Krushelnytska had an absolute, wide range soprano remarkable for its unique mellow timbre. Her listeners admitted that she could «take a burden off one’s heart with her singing». There are several recordings of Krushelnytska’s singing. Unfortunately, the imperfect record­ing equipment of those times failed to reproduce the heavenly beauty of Krushelnytska’s voice as well as her passionate temperament. In addition to her rare voice and unparalleled performance skills, Krushelnytska had a perfect music memory. It is known that she could learn an opera part within two or three days! However, she was never satis­fied with her achievements completely. Working on a new role, she thoroughly studied the history of the respective epoch and the personality of her heroine. As a result, her every role was really original and unique.

It should be noted that wherever Krushelnytska sang, she always includ­ed Ukrainian folk songs and the works of Ukrainian composers in her concerts. Moreover, she often toured her native Galychyna (region in Western Ukraine) and performed in small towns and villages, mostly for free. She also donated money for the construction of schools, and the development of education and literature in Ukraine.

Despite numerous rehearsals and concerts, Krushelnytska read a lot, liked to take pictures, conducted an extensive correspondence, played tennis, rode a bicycle and even drove a car. Being a polyglot, she sang in the Italian, French, German. Russian, Polish and Spanish languages, amazing the listeners with her perfect diction.

Solomia Krushelnytska was not only a great singer but also a beautiful and kind woman. She married for love in 1910, at the age of 37. Her husband, an Italian Cesare Riccioni, abandoned his legal career to become Solomia’s impressario.

Contemporaries described Krushelnytska as an energetic, optimistic and industrious person. Perhaps the best compliment ever paid to Krushelnytska belongs to Italian poet Giosue Carducci, whose poem to her featured the following line: «Roses grow and nightingales sing where she passed by».

At the zenith of fame and popularity, Krushelnytska left the opera stage and devoted herself to chamber singing. She brightly performed the works of the greatest classic composers including Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rakhmaninov, Brahms, Shubert, Schumann, as well as the folk songs of various nations of the world.

She left the stage for good in her fifties, while her voice was still great.

In 1939, Solomia Krushelnytska returned to Ukraine. She lectured at the L’viv Conservatory until her death in 1952. They say that on one of her last days Krushelnytska exclaimed: «How wonderful would it be to be able to sing after death too!»

 

 

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