Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Romanian soprano who became an opera singer after winning first prizes in international competitions.
On the island
Eight records
Dance of the Blessed Spirits (from Orfeo ed Euridice)
Jean-Pierre Rampal with I Solisti Veneti
I love it very much. And this moment of the solo flute, I think it w it will be very beautiful also to to have it on a desert island because uh I I can uh imagine a beautiful beach and uh very um lonely and um the sea and um a forest behind
Air on the G String (from Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068)
New Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Otto Klemperer
when I when I was singing in this children's chorus, um a Romanian composer arranged uh the air of uh Bach from the D major suite for the chorus, and it was in in the in in a vocalized style, not with words. Uh so just a it was very beautiful and uh um I I recall a very beautiful uh moment of this um air.
Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543: II. Andante con moto
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Karl Böhm
Mozart is Mozart and it's it's it's so beautiful I I could accept it also Don Giovanni. But I choose I I I I choose uh um a symphony, E flat major, and uh this is a record uh done by Carl Bohm with the Berline Philharmonica.
Pelléas et Mélisande: Overture
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, conducted by Ernest Ansermet
we s we we we spoke about uh Pellaz uh by De Bussy. Uh it was a a happy uh moment for me uh because it was my my first debut in uh in the opera with the Lop Titin Yalt. And then it was another happy moment uh having the the first appearance in England.
Messa da Requiem: IngemiscoFavourite
because we talk uh so much about Italy, shall we have uh Verdi? ... So shall we hear a little bit of uh of the requiem
Waltzes, Op. 34: No. 3 in F major
with Dinu Lipati, uh a marvellous interpreter of uh Chopin, and um a Romanian pianist.
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120: Transition from the Third to the Fourth Movement
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler
Schumann for me is very beautiful, it's very romantic and I uh as a as a as a young student I sang a lot of uh songs by by Schumann. But I chose the uh again uh something without the voice, uh a symphony.
Impromptu in E-flat major, D. 899 No. 2
If I don't have uh this possibility to to have mice singing Schubert, then I thought to take uh uh Alfred uh because I want enter, I'm sure I will do such a record in in in the future, maybe in five years where I'll be no more good, uh to make such a record with Alfred Brendel as uh accompanist.
In conversation
Presenter asks
3:55Was there a lot of music in the house when you were a child?
Well, my my parents, they were not uh not at all professionals. But uh my father was uh uh used to sing as a tenor in in uh in a chorus and uh m my mama uh she she sang f so at home uh cooking or uh dusting or doing her house uh work. And uh she told me later I I was uh singing uh from a very, very, very early um age.
Presenter asks
5:16Did you make up your mind very early that you wanted to be a musician?
Well, it was very um very strange because uh singing in this chorus for so many years, uh people they they they uh got used to my name, Iliana Kotrubash, uh soloist of this children's chorus, and uh everybody was uh was um very sure I will become a uh an opera singer. But uh when when I I um went to the Conservatory of Music, the teachers uh they told me uh I'll be a concert singer. My voice wasn't too developed and they didn't believe my voice will will carry enough in an opera house. And I was quite sad because I I loved very much opera being in in this uh small group of children at the opera house. I I watched all the time singers and uh um I was always in in love with with singing and and acting. And so I was quite disappointed when my teacher at the Conservatory of Music he said, Well, your voice is not uh it's not enough for the opera.
Presenter asks
8:58The keepsakes
The book
What's the policy of the Bucharest Opera House? Are operas given in the original languages or in Romanian?
No, mostly in in Romanian. And uh we have a um an international festival, Georgia Nesco, every three years and uh ... We will give some operas in original language. So, for example, in 1964, it was my debut at the Opera House as a Leptitine Yorde in Palais Émile by Debussy. And I recall another beautiful moment that in the audience was Nadia Boulanger. And after the performance, she came in my dressing room and she congratulated me for my beautiful French. And I was very proud.
Presenter asks
12:57When did you first sing in Britain?
My debut in England was in 1969 at the Glendbon Festival with Mélisande. And it was a very nice moment because an agent came to Frankfurt to hear me as Parmina and we had a talk and he asked me if I would like to sing Melisande in Glendbon. I said I would love to do it. And he said, but for this you have to give an audition for John Pritchard, who was the chief conductor of Gleibon Festival. And so I went to Munich when John Pritchard were there for some concerts and I gave an audition. I sang for him a little bit of Parmina. ... And uh a little bit of uh melisande. And um it was very, very sweet of him because after uh he heard me he said, You are my melisande and so I was engaged for Glenborn and it was my my first appearance in England and it was I think it was a very happy one.
Presenter asks
16:07You made your debut at La Scala, Milan, in rather a hurry, I believe?
Yes, I received a telephone call uh that uh La Scala uh needed a Mimi and um it was a revival of uh the beautiful production by Zeffirelli. The conductor was uh Georges Pretre and Mirella Freini was uh Mimi and Pavarotti Rodolfo, and Mirela became ill uh uh in in the dress rehearsal. ... And so she cancelled and I I was wondering after why they couldn't find uh a Mimi in in the whole uh uh Italy. But it was very nice because uh Luciano Pavarotti, who knew me from Chicago, we sang together the the same uh opera in seventy four, I think. And uh he said call Ilana Kotrubash because she will be able to to do it. But I was in London uh having uh um a test uh uh for my stomach because I wasn't feeling very well and my husband received the call. And so uh when I came home, it was eleven o'clock and he told me and uh I I asked well but when it's is this uh performance and he said it's tonight and I said well it's rubbish I can't I can't accept this it's it's it's not possible. And he said yes you can do it. I can't I can't understand why he was so sure I could I could he said I will not I will not think you will be able to sing Traviata for example or another another another part but Mimi you could and so we called back and we said yes we will and it was some troubles with the the the flight and I arrived at quarter to eight and the performance should start at eight thirty
Presenter asks
23:14How are you going to manage on this island? Are you going to look after yourself?
No, I think I'll be very well it's it's very so difficult for me to to be uh ... And no no other no other people at all, just myself with animals and insects. ... No, no, then I would prefer to die. ... No, I don't know. I will I could not uh uh um survive uh um I think uh maybe a day, but uh when the night is uh is coming I will uh f from fear and uh anguish I will uh I will have a heart attack or uh I don't know what
“I'm ashamed to say I don't listen to records and uh even to my own records I'm listen listening not very often, just when I'm uh receiving a record from a record company and just to to check if it's is all right or not and uh um most of the time I'm quite unhappy about it. I'm not very pleased with”
“I think you you are quite mean to um to give us only just a small uh chance to to to take with us um some of the the beauties.”
“I will not try to escape, I don't think so. I will wait or I will I will sing and I will cry for help. Maybe somebody will uh hear me.”