Elena Nicolai

Stoyanka Savova Nikolova (Bulgarian: Стоянка Савова Николова), best known by her stage name Elena Nicolai (Bulgarian: Елена Николай) (24 January 1905 – 24 October 1993), was a Bulgarian operatic mezzo-soprano.^[1]

Early life and training

Nicolai was born in the village of Tzerovo, Pazardzhik, Bulgaria. She spent her childhood in another Bulgarian town, Panagurishte. At the age of 19, she moved to Milan to study opera, first with Vincenzo Pintorno and later with Ettore Pozzoli.^[2]

Roles sung

Annina, Der Rosenkavalier
Laura, La Gioconda (opera)
La Cieca, La Gioconda (opera)
Nefte, Il figliuol prodigo (List of operas by Ponchielli)
Principessa di Bouillon, Adriana Lecouvreur
Rubria, Nerone (Boito)
Ortrud, Lohengrin (opera)
Dalila, Samson and Delilah (opera)
Brunnhilde, Die Walkure
Amneris, Aida
Eboli, Don Carlo
Azucena, Il Trovatore
Adalgisa, Norma
Leonora, La Favorita
Carmen, Carmen
Brangaene, Tristan und Isolde
Santuzza, Cavalleria Rusticana
Fedora, Fedora
Klytaemnestra, Elektra

Recordings

Monteverdi - L'Orfeo (Silvia, 1939) conducted by Ferrucio Calusio, Italian HMV
Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur (Principessa di Bouillon, 1949) conducted by Federico Del Cupolo, Colosseum
Mascagni - Cavalleria rusticana (Santuzza, 1953) conducted by Franco Ghione, Decca
Verdi - Don Carlo (Principessa d'Eboli, 1954) conducted by Gabriele Santini, HMV/EMI
Verdi - La forza del destino (Preziosilla, 1954) conducted by Tullio Serafin, Columbia/EMI

Films

Il boom, directed by Vittorio De Sica (1963)
La mia signora (episode "I miei cari," directed by Mauro Bolognini) (1964)
Sedotti e bidonati, directed by Giorgio Bianchi (1964)
Gli amanti latini (episode "L'irreparabile," directed by Mario Costa) (1965)
I nostri mariti (episode "Il marito di Roberta," directed by Luigi Filippo D'Amico) (1966)
Quando dico che ti amo, directed by Giorgio Bianchi (1967)
Il medico della mutua, directed by Luigi Zampa (1968)

Honours

Nicolai Peak in Antarctica is named after Elena Nicolai.

Bibliography

Nicolai, Elena (1993). La mia vita fra i grandi del melodramma. Parma: Azzali. p. 200.

References

^ "Elena Nicolai - Library of Congress". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
^ Rasponi, Lanfranco (1982). The Last Prima Donnas. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 44. ISBN 0-394-52153-6.

External links

Her page on the Stars of Bulgarian Opera site with mp3 audio clips of selected arias Archived 2021-01-21 at the Wayback Machine
Elena Nicolai at IMDb
Elena Nicolai discography at Discogs

This article about a Bulgarian opera singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Elena Nicolai - Library of Congress". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 29 April 2022.

[2] Rasponi, Lanfranco (1982). The Last Prima Donnas. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 44. ISBN 0-394-52153-6.

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