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Elena Vasilyevna Obraztsova (ɪ̯ɪˈlʲenə vɐˈsʲilʲɪ̯ɪvnə ɐbrɐˈstsovə; 7 July 1939 – 12 January 2015) was a Soviet and Russian mezzo-soprano. She was awarded the People's Artist of the USSR in 1976 and Hero of Socialist Labour in 1990.
From 1954 to 1957, she studied in the Tchaikovsky musical college in Taganrog and frequently participated in concerts onstage of Taganrog Theatre. From 1957 to 1958, Obraztsova studied in Rostov-on-Don's music school. In August 1958, Obraztsova passed the examinations and became a student at the Leningrad Conservatory. In 1963 she was invited to perform in a Bolshoi Theatre production of Boris Godunov in Moscow. Her introduction to the opera houses of Europe and the world was a recital in the Salle Pleyel in Paris.
In 1978, she played the title role of Carmen opposite Plácido Domingo in Franco Zeffirelli's television production of the opera. She also appeared as Santuzza in Zeffirelli's film version of Cavalleria rusticana in 1982. In her career she performed in operas with many other well-known opera singers of her generation: Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Ingvar Wixell, and appeared in Don Carlos with Domingo and Margaret Price.
On 27 December 1990, she was awarded the title of the Hero of Socialist Labour (mark of distinction - "Hammer and Sickle" gold medal ), Order of Lenin by the President of USSR for her contribution to the development of Soviet Music.
In June 2007, Obraztsova was appointed artistic director of opera at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. She also trained young soloists in her own cultural center in St. Petersburg. Obraztsova regularly appeared on stage at the Mikhailovsky in the role of the Countess in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. In 2008, Obraztsova ended her artistic director contract with the Mikhailovsky to concentrate on the competition of her name and the recently announced project of International Academy of Music in St Petersburg. Obraztsova remained in collaboration with the Mikhailovsky at the General Director's Artistic Advisor.
On 7 July 2009, Obraztsova's 70th birthday was marked with a special program at the Mikhailovsky Theater that included ballet performances, opera arias, excerpts from films, and jazz and piano recitals.Larisa Doctorow, "Home-grown diva", The St. Petersburg Times, 10 July 2009.
Obraztsova expressed her support for the International Delphic Games. Greetings with her signature came to the III Delphic Games 2009 in Jeju/South Korea, under the motto "In Tune with Nature", and to the IV Junior Delphic Games 2011 in Johannesburg/South Africa with their motto "Provoke, Innovate, Inspire". Greeting from Elena Obraztsova, 2011
She was married twice, first to Vyacheslav Makarov, a physicist, and later Algis Ziuraitis,family who was a conductor at the Bolshoi. She had a daughter, Elena, with Makarov.
Personal life
She strongly supported the Soviet Union, and signed a letter in 1974 denouncing Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya for their support for Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Death
Obraztsova died on 12 January 2015 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, while undergoing medical treatment. She was 75 years old. Умерла знаменитая оперная певица Елена Образцова
Honours and awards
Repertory
Adalgisa Bellini Norma Amneris Verdi Aida Azucena Verdi Il trovatore Carmen Bizet Carmen Charlotte Massenet Werther Countess Tchaikovsky The Queen of Spades Dalila Saint-Saëns Samson et Dalila Eboli Verdi Don Carlos Federica Verdi Luisa Miller Frosya Prokofiev Semyon Kotko Giovanna Seymour Donizetti Anna Bolena Governess Tchaikovsky The Queen of Spades Grandma Prokofiev The Gambler Hélène Bezukhova Prokofiev War and Peace Hérodiade Massenet Hérodiade Jocasta Stravinsky Oedipus rex Judith Béla Bartók Bluebeard's Castle Konchakovna Borodin Prince Igor Léonor de Guzman (Leonora di Gusmann) Donizetti La favorite Lyubasha Rimsky-Korsakov The Tsar's Bride Lyubava Buslayevna Rimsky-Korsakov Sadko Marfa Mussorgsky Khovanshchina Maria Akhrosimova Prokofiev War and Peace Marina Mniszech Mussorgsky Boris Godunov Marya Bolkonskaya Prokofiev War and Peace Néris Cherubini Médée Oberon Britten A Midsummer Night's Dream Orfeo Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice Santuzza1 Mascagni Cavalleria rusticana1 Silvana Respighi La fiamma The Marquise of Birkenfeld Donizetti The Daughter of the Regiment The Princess Puccini Suor Angelica Polina; Milovzor (Daphnis) Tchaikovsky The Queen of Spades Princess de Bouillon Cilea Adriana Lecouvreur Prince Orlofsky J. Strauss II Die Fledermaus Ulrica Verdi Un ballo in maschera Zhenya Komelkova Molchanov The Dawns Here Are Quiet
External links
Categories: 1939 Births, 2015 Deaths, 20th-century Russian Women Opera Singers, 21st-century Russian Women Opera Singers, Singers From Saint Petersburg, Academic Staff Of Moscow Conservatory, Saint Petersburg Conservatory Alumni, Heroes Of Socialist Labour, Honored Artists Of The Rsfsr, People's Artists Of The Rsfsr, People's Artists Of The Ussr, Glinka State Prize Of The Rsfsr Winners, Prize-winners Of The International Tchaikovsky Competition, Recipients Of The Lenin Prize, Recipients Of The Order "for Merit To The Fatherland", 2nd Class, Recipients Of The Order Of Holy Prince Daniel Of Moscow, Recipients Of The Order Of Lenin, Recipients Of The Order Of The Red Banner Of Labour, Russian Operatic Mezzo-sopranos, Russian Film Actresses, Russian Music Educators, Russian Opera Directors, Russian Stage Actresses, Soviet Film Actresses, Soviet Music Educators, Soviet Opera Directors, Soviet Stage Actresses, Soviet Women Opera Singers, Deaths From Leukemia In Germany, Burials At Novodevichy Cemetery
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