July 7: the birthday of Elena Obraztsova, the prima ballerina who conquered the world opera stage
Elena Obraztsova, a singer and actress, prima of the world's leading opera houses, and one of the most significant singers of the second half of the 20th century, was born in Leningrad on July 7, 1939.
I've never said "no" to any conductor or director. If I was offered an opera I knew nothing about and asked, "Do you sing this?" I'd immediately answer, "Of course."
Childhood during the Siege of Leningrad and the path to music
Obraztsova spent her early childhood in Leningrad during the siege, then in evacuation to the Vologda region with her family. After the war, she sang in the children's choir of the Leningrad Palace of Pioneers. Her father, an engineer, was a skilled violinist and instilled in his daughter a love of music.
I was five years old. I saw the film "The Great Waltz" about Johann Strauss. Melica Korjus played and sang in it, and I said I wanted to sing like her.
Conservatory and first victories
After school, Obraztsova entered the Leningrad Conservatory.
I sang Lel's third song from "Snegurochka" to the admissions committee, then Rimsky-Korsakov's romance "Octava." They said, "Thank you, you're free!" and I begged them to listen to a few more songs so they could see how broad my range was. The committee laughed at me, but allowed me to sing. That evening, I learned I'd been accepted.
While still a student, she won first prize at the All-Union Glinka Vocalists' Competition, as well as first prize at the Helsinki Youth and Student Festival. Following this, Obraztsova was invited to the Bolshoi Theater. At 24, she made her debut there, singing the role of Marina Mnishek in Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov. A year later, she was shining with the touring company at Milan's La Scala.
World triumph
Obraztsova achieved worldwide fame in the mid-1970s: during a tour of the United States, the 36-year-old singer was called on stage five times, and the performance (it was the same triumphant Boris Godunov) even had to be stopped.
Carmen, who was feared by everyone
The Spanish called Obraztsova the best Carmen in the history of the theater—she performed the role in Franco Zeffirelli's production. When the singer asked the director to describe her character in one word, he bit her shoulder.
I immediately understood: Carmen is a panther, the kind everyone wants, everyone fears, and she does whatever she wants. She took off her shoes, sang barefoot, and became a little animal.
"Carmen" is the only opera I don't sing, but that I sing. When I first performed in it, I truly experienced my debut. I stopped feeling like an artist; it was as if Carmen's soul had entered me.
Stage partners and worldwide recognition
Obraztsova sang on stage with Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti and was friends with Montserrat Caballe. Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko said she contributed more to Soviet diplomacy than the entire ministry combined.
Queen of the Opera
In her homeland, Obraztsova performed the leading roles in Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina and Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride. She sang the Countess in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades for almost 40 years, calling it mystical and comparing it to Carmen.
When I sang The Queen of Spades for the first time, my mother was sitting in the audience and didn't recognize me: "Look, my little fool got scared and didn't come out." Only later did she recognize my voice.
“In the opera I experienced emotions I had never experienced in my life,” the singer said.
Cinema, directing and pedagogy
Obraztsova acted in films: in 1982 she played the leading role in the film-opera "Rural Honor".
There have been three shocks in my life: [Italian actress] Anna Magnani, [American singer] Maria Callas and Elena Obraztsova, who performed a miracle during the filming of the movie "Cavalleria Rusticana"
— said director Franco Zeffirelli.
Obraztsova starred in the musical television films "The Merry Widow," "My Carmen," and "Tosca." In 1986, she made her debut as an opera director, staging Jules Massenet's opera "Werther" at the Bolshoi Theater, performing the title role.
The singer performed at the Roman Viktyuk Theater and the Satire Theater, sang jazz with Igor Butman, and headed the Mikhailovsky Theater opera troupe. She taught at the Moscow Conservatory and gave master classes in Europe and Asia. She founded a cultural center, a charitable foundation for the support of musical arts, and an international music academy, which opened after her death.
I feel like if I stop, I'll die right away.
Last years
Obraztsova suffered from leukemia since 2014 and underwent a bone marrow transplant. She died in 2015 in a Leipzig clinic at the age of 75.
