Éva Marton
2015. november 3.
"I never wanted to be like anyone else, and never wanted to be different from what I am" – the diva professes. Éva Marton had her Opera House debut in 1968, singing the role of the Queen of Shemakha in the Golden Cockerel, when she was in her final year at the Music Academy, studying with Jenő Sípos. Thanks to her beautiful voice, she very soon became the leading jugendlich-dramatisch soprano of the theatre (Tosca, Tatyana, Manon Lescaut, Amelia Grimaldi, Figaro-Countess). From 1972, she became a member of the Frankfurt Opera House, having first been invited there by Cristoph von Dohnányi to sing the Countess in Figaro. At that time the Frankfurt Opera launched the careers of many outstanding artists, including Ileana Cotrubas, Agnes Baltsa and Júlia Várady. At the same time, many experienced singers, who had by then performed all over the world, went there as guest artists, and working with them counted as real master classes. The productions were prepared with great care, there was enough rehearsal time, and the work of young artists was followed with close attention. At that time for a foreign singer at the beginning of her career the coach was the most important person there, since the coach not only taught but also analysed the works to be put on. There was real team work in Frankfurt, which for a lifetime shaped Éva Marton's idea of the harmonious relationship between director and singer: the director must direct the work of the author, even when he takes a new approach to it.
During the five years Éva Marton spent in Frankfurt, she visited Florence, where, at the invitation of Ricardo Muti, she sang as guest artist the role of Matilde in Rossini's William Tell on the occasion of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
She had her Vienna debut in 1973, singing Tosca in the Staatsoper to huge acclaim. Not much later she sang the role of Tatyana in the new Onegin, which brought her a whole series of appearances in the leading opera house of the world. She had her New York Metropolitan debut as Eva in the Master Singers of Nuremberg in 1976. Between 1981 and 1986 The New York Times chose her three times as the artist of the year in roles such as the Kaiserin in Richard Strauss's The Woman Without a Shadow, Elisabeth in Tannhauser and as Tosca.
From the mid-seventies, she switched to dramatic roles. In the summers of 1972 and 1973 she sang Odabella in Verdi's Attila at the Budapest Margaret Island open air stage. Her Frankfurt contract came to an end in 1977, which meant for her the end of the ensemble way of life. She became a travelling singer and entered the caste of international stars. She had her Hamburg debut in The Woman Without a Shadow; during the same year the San Francisco audience became acquainted with her in the title role of Aida. In La Scala she sang Leonora in Troubadour, in the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1979 Maddalena in Giordano's André Chenier. In 1977/78 she also sang in Bayreuth, as Elisabeth and Venus in Tannhauser. In 1981 she sang Richard Strauss's Die agyptische Helena, conducted by Wolfgang Sawalisch, at the Münnich Opera Festival, and at the 1982 and 1983 Salzburg Festival Leonora in Fidelio, under the baton of Lorin Maazel. The series of successes in Salzburg continued with the title role of Richard Strauss's Elektra, conducted by Claudio Abbado, and in 1992 with The Woman Without a Shadow; this time Éva Marton sang Farberin, and the conductor was Georg Solti.
Following her Turandot in the Vienna Staatsoper she was spoken of as "the Turandot of our day" and received invitations from the Metropolitan, La Scala, the Verona Arena, San Francisco, Chicago, Barcelona, Houston and Washington, for six different television and video productions, including invitations from Harold Prince of the Vienna Staatsoper, Franco Zeffirelli of the Metropolitan and David Hockney of San Francisco. She recorded the work twice, once for CBS with Lorin Maazel, and once for RCA with Claudio Abbado conducting.
She retired in 2008.Many of her opera recordings, solo concerts on CD, aria albums and oratoria recordings are available all over the world. She is widely regarded as one of the best ever Wagner heroins and Judits in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle.
T. A.
Born: Budapest, 18 June 1943
University position: professor emeritus
Subjects: solo singing, opera singing
Studies:
1962-1968: Franz Liszt Academy of Music – diploma in opera singing and in teaching
Teaching experiences:
Prof. Marton has been heading the Department of Vocal and Opera Studies of the Liszt Academy since 2005
Invited lecturer, master classes:
Aside from many international and Hungarian master classes, she has been giving a master class at the Szeged International Music Festival every year in July since 2005.
Major concerts, performances:
Having studied at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungarian soprano Eva Marton made her professional debut as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Margareten Island summer festival. At the Hungarian State Opera, she made her debut as Queen of Shemaka in Rimsky-Korsakov's Le Coq d'Or in 1968. In 1972, she was invited by Christoph von Dohnanyi to make her debut as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Frankfurt Opera, and sang Matilde in Rossini's Guglielmo Tell at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence under the baton of Riccardo Muti, and returned to Budapest to sing Odabella in Verdis Attila Empress.
In 1973, Prof. Marton made her debut at the Vienna State Opera, to great acclaim as Tosca, and soon after she sang Tatiana there in a new production of Eugene Onegin, which led to a series of debuts with many leading international opera houses. At the Metropolitan Opera New York she made her debut in 1976 singing Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. From 1981 to 1986 she was selected three times among the best artists of the year by the New York Times for such roles as the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser and Tosca. In 1977 s he joined the Hamburg State Opera, singing the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten, and also made her San Francisco Opera debut in the title role of Aida; she made her debut at La Scala as Leonora in Il Trovatore, and at the Lyric Opera of Chicago she appeared for the first time in 1979 as Maddalena in Giordanos Andrea Chenier.
At the Bayreuth Festival, she sang both Elisabeth and Venus in Tannhäuser (1977/78), at the Munich Opera Festival she appeared for the first time in the title role of Die Ägyptische Helena with Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting (1981), at the Salzburg Festival as Leonore in Fidelio in 1982 and 1983 under the baton of Lorin Maazel, in the title role of Elektra with Claudio Abbado in 1989 and as the Dyer`s Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten in 1992 with Sir Georg Solti conducting.
Prof. Marton has become one of the leading interpreters of Brünnhilde in Wagner's Ring, however, Brünnhilde is just another heroine in the extensive gallery of her definitive interpretations that also include the title roles of Salome, La Gioconda, Leonora in La Forza del Destino and, most of all, the title role of Puccini's last opera, Turandot, which she first sang at the Vienna State Opera in 1983. Since then she has been hailed simply as "the Turandot of today", and has sung this role nearly 200 times and with every major opera including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Arena di Verona, San Francisco, Chicago, Barcelona, Houston, Washington, in six different TV and video productions, including one from the Vienna State Opera directed by Harold Prince, one from the Metropolitan Opera in a spectacular Franco Zeffirelli production and in a production designed by David Hockney and filmed at the San Francisco Opera. She recorded the opera twice, for CBS conducted by Lorin Maazel and for RCA, with Roberto Abbado.
On television she has also been seen as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Elsa in Lohengrin, Leonora in Il Trovatore, all from the Met stage. She has appeared in two different versions of Tosca (from the Arena of Verona and the Sydney Opera House) in La Gioconda and Elektra from the Vienna State Opera, Andrea Chenier from La Scala and Die Frau ohne Schatten from the Salzburg Festival. All of these TV films are now available on home video or DVD. Prof. Marton has also become one of the most recorded artists. She has more than 20 complete operas to her credit, as well as solo recital programmes, aria albums, and symphonic works. Her many recordings include a full-length La Gioconda, Andrea Chenier, Fedora, Turandot, Tosca, La Fanciulla del West, Bluebeards's Castle, Violanta, Tiefland, Salome, Elektra, La Wally, Semirama (Respighi) Lohengrin and the entire Ring cycle under the baton of Bernard Haitink.
Her engagements included the complete new Zubin Mehta - led Ring cycle at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (1996), as well as Elektra in Washington and Lyon under the baton of Kent Nagano (1997),Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera and the Vienna State Opera (1997), a spectacular new production at the Hamburg State Opera in 1998 of Lohengrin (Ortrud), as well as a New Production of Jenufa in Hamburg with her sensationally acclaimed debut in the extremely moving role of the Kostelnicka, followed by another series of Tosca performance at the Metropolitan Opera (1999).
In her native country Hungary she joined the Popstar Miklós Varga to record the song "Europa", the hymn for the 1998 European Athletics Championships, taking place in Budapest in August 1998.
Her most recent new roles were Kundry in Parsifal in Barcelona and Lisbon (2001) as well as ToscaIsolde in the modern staging of Ruth Berghaus at Hamburg State Opera in 2000. Having recovered from a severe injury suffered in an accident on stage at the end of a Tristan performance, she acted and sung in the movie version of the Hungarian National Opera Bank Ban by Hungarian composer Ferenc Erkel (2001/2002) which will be prepared for DVD. Concert appearances and recitals showed also Eva Marton`s suggestive interpretations of songs and compositions by Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner and especially Arnold Schönberg and Gustav Mahler.
Since her debut as the Dyer's Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss in 1992 under the baton of Sir Georg Solti and in a production that presented this opera without any cuts for the first time since its world premiere in 1919, Prof. Marton has been highly acclaimed for being one of still only a few sopranos to sing this Dyer´s Wifeuncut version. Different modern stagings showed her appearing in Berlin (Philippe Arlaud) under the baton of Christian Thielemann 1998, Barcelona (Andreas Homoki) 2000 and Frankfurt (Christof Nel, Sebastian Weigle conducting) 2003 . During the Cultural Olympics of Greece, Michael Hampe´s spectacular production at the Megaron in Athens in October 2002 was a worldwide broadcast and also taped for TV and DVD.
CD recordings:
- Béla Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle
Judit + Samuel Ramey / Fischer Ádám, Hungarian National Symphonic Orchestra. CBS - Beethoven: „Ah, Perfido!"
+/Michael Tilson Thomas, English Chamber Orchestra. CBS - Boito: Mefistofele
Margherita/Elena + Samuel Ramey, Plácido Domingo/ Giuseppe Patané, Hungarian National
Philharmonic Orchestra. Sony - Bottesini: Works for Double Bass, Vol 3
+ Gergely Járdányi, István Lantos. Hungaroton
Catalani: La Wally
Wally + Francisco Araiza, Alan Titus, Julie Kaufmann/ Pinchas Steinberg, Münchner Rundfunkorchester. BMG/Eurodisc - D'Albert: Tiefland
Marta + Rene Kollo, Bernd Weikl, Kurt Moll, Carmen Anhorn/ Marek Janowski, Münchner Rundfunkorchester. Acanta - Ferenc Erkel: Bánk bán
Gertrud + András Molnár, János Gurbán, Tamás Daróczy, István Gáti, Ingrid Kertesi / Géza Oberfrank, Budapest Symphonic Orchestra. Alpha Line Records - Ferenc Erkel: Bánk bán
Gertrud + Attila B. Kiss, Andrea Rost, Kolos Kováts, Dénes Gulyás, Lajos Miller, Sándor Sólyom-Nagy / Pál Tamás, Orchestra of the Hungarian Millennium. Warner Music - Giordano: Andréa Chénier
Maddalena + José Carreras, Giorgio Zancanaro/ Giuseppe Patané, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. CBS - Giordano: Andréa Chénier
Maddalena + Plácido Domingo, Renato Bruson/ Bruno Bartoletti, Lyric Opera of Chicago. Gala - Giordano: Fedora
Fedora + José Carreras, János Martin, József Gregor, Veronika Kincses/ Giuseppe Patané, Symphonic Orchestra of the Hungarian Radio and Television. CBS - Haydn: Church Music: Missa Sancti Aloisii. Hungaroton
- Imre Kálmán: Operetta
+/M. Jurowski, WDR Radio Orchestra. Capriccio - Korngold: Violanta
Violanta + Siegfried Jerusalem, Walter Berry, Horst R. Laubenthal, Ruth Hesse/ Marek Janowski, Münchner Rundfunkorchester. CBS - Franz Liszt: The Legend of Saint Elizabeth
Erzsébet + Kolos Kováts, Sándor Sólyom-Nagy, József Gregor, István Gáti, Éva Farkas / Árpád Joó, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Hungaroton - Franz Liszt: Via Crucis. Hungaroton
- Mahler: Symphony No. 2
+ Jessye Norman/ Lorin Maazel, Wiener Philharmoniker. Sony - Éva Marton: Collection 1971-77. Hungaroton
- Eva Marton in Concert
+/J. Rudel, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Hungaroton - Éva Marton and the New York Harp Ensemble
+/von Würtzler, New York Harp Ensemble. Hungaroton - Éva Marton's Christmas Record. Hungaroton
- Éva Marton : „Europa" – European Athletics Championships
+ Miklós Varga. Szabad Tér Produkció - Ponchielli: La Gioconda
Gioconda + Giorgio Lamberti, Sherrill Milnes, Samuel Ramey, Budai Lívia, Anne Gjevang/ Giuseppe Patané, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. CBS - Puccini: Romances and Arias
+/ László Kovács, Miskolc Symphonic Orchestra. Hungaroton - Puccini: Arias
+/ G. Patané, Münchener Rundfunkorchester. CBS - Puccini: Tosca
Tosca + José Carreras, Juan Pons/ Michael Tilson Thomas, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Sony - Puccini: Tosca
Tosca + Giacomo Aragall, Kostas Paskalis/ Alberto Erede, Wiener Staatsoper. MYTO - Puccini: La Fanciulla del West
Minnie + Dennis O'Neill, Alain Fondary/ Leonard Slatkin, Münchner Rundfunkorchester. RCA - Puccini: Turandot
Turandot + José Carreras, Katia Ricciarelli/ Lorin Maazel, Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper. CBS - Puccini: Turandot
Turandot + Ben Heppner, Margaret Price/ Roberto Abbado, Münchner Rundfunkorchester. RCA - Respighi: Semirama
Semirama + Lando Bartolini, Lajos Miller, László Polgár, Veronika Kincses/ Lamberto Gardelli, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Hungaroton - Rossini: Guglielmo Tell
Matilde + Nicolai Gedda, Norman Mittelmann/ Riccardo Muti, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Bongiovanni - Schönberg: Erwartung/Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder/Tristan und Isolde:Liebestod
+ /John Carewe, Kovács János, Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Hungaroton - Schönberg: Gurre-Lieder
+ Gary Lakes/ Zubin Mehta, New York Philharmonic. Sony - Strauss: Salome
Salome + Bernd Weikl, Heinz Zednik, Brigitte Fassbaender/ Zubin Mehta, Berliner Philharmoniker. Sony - Strauss: Salome finale, Four last songs + Malven
Salome + A Davis, Toronto Syphony, CBS - Strauss: Elektra
Elektra + Marjana Lipovsek, Cheryl Studer, Bernd Weikl, Hermann Winkler/ Wolfgang Sawallisch, Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. EMI - Wagner: Die Walküre
Brünnhilde + James Morris, Reiner Goldberg, Matti Salminen, Cheryl Studer, Waltraud Meier/ Bernard Haitink, Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. EMI - Wagner: Siegfried
Brünnhilde + Siegfried Jerusalem, James Morris, Peter Haage, Theo Adam, Kurt Rydl, Jadwiga Rappe, Kiri Te Kanawa/ Bernard Haitink, Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. EMI - Wagner: Götterdämmerung
Brünnhilde + Siegfried Jerusalem, John Tomlinson, Thomas Hampson, Theo Adam, Marjana Lipovsek, Bundschuh/ Bernard Haitink, Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. EMI - Wagner: Lohengrin
Ortrud + Ben Heppner, Sergei Leiferkus, Bryn Terfel, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, Sharon Sweet/ Sir Colin Davis, Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. RCA - Wagner: Die Walküre, Act I (Sieglinde)
+/Mehta, New York Philharmonic. CBS - Zemlinsky/Schönberg/Schreker/Korngold: Gesange,
+/ John Carewe, Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Hungaroton
DVD felvételek:
- Albéniz: Merlin
Morgan le Fay + David Wilson-Johnson, Stuart Skelton, Caroö Vaness/ José d' Eusebio, Orchestra of the Teatro Real, Madrid. - Giordano: Andréa Chénier
Maddalena + José Carreras, Piero Capucilli/ Richard Chailly, Milánoi Scala. Warner - Ferenc Erkel: Bánk bán
Gertrud + Attila B. Kiss, Andrea Rost, Kolos Kováts, Dénes Gulyás, Lajos Miller, Sándor Sólyom-Nagy / Tamás Pál, Orchestra of the Hungarian Millennium. Budapest Film - Janacek: Jenufa
Tempolomosasszony + Nina Stemme, Sebastian Weigel, Barcelona Teatro Liceo. BBC - Ponchielli: La Gioconda
Gioconda + Plácido Domingo, Matteo Manuguerra, Ludmilla Semtschuk, Kurt Rydl/ Fischer Ádám, Wiener Staatsoper. Arthaus - Puccini: Tosca
Tosca + Giacomo Aragall, Ingvar Wixell/ Daniel Oren, Orchester Arena di Verona. Kultur Video - Puccini: Tosca
Tosca + Lamberto Furlan, John Shaw/ Alberto Erede, Australian Opera Sydney. Kultur Video - Puccini: Turandot
Turandot + Carreras, Katia Richarelli/ Lorin Mazel, Wiener Staatsoper. - Puccini: Turandot
Turandot + Placido Domingo, Leona Mitchell/ Jamens Levine, Metropolitan Opera. DG - Puccini: Turandot
Turandot + David Hockney, Michael Sylvester, Lucia Mazzaria/ Donald Runnicles, San Francisco Opera. Arthaus - Strauss: Elektra
Elektra + Brigitte Fassbaender, Cheryl Studer, Franz Grundheber/ Claudio Abbado, Wiener Staatsoper. Arthaus - Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten (Az árnyék nélküli asszony)
Barak felesége (kelmefestőnő) + Cheryl Studer, Marjana Lipovsek, Thomas Moser, Robert Hale/ Sir George Solti, Salzburgi Ünnepi Játékok. DECCA - Verdi: Trubadur
Leonora + Luciano Pavarotti, Sherill Milnes, Dolora Zajick/ James Levine, Metropolitan Opera New York. DG - Wagner: Lohengrin
Elsa + Peter Hofmann, Leif Roar, John Macurdy, Leonie Rysanek/ James Levine, Metroplitan Opera New York. Pioneer - Wagner: Tannhäuser
Elisabeth + Richard Cassilly, Bernd Weikl, John Macurdy, Tatiana Troyanos/ James Levine, Metropolitan Opera New York. Pioneer
Awards:
1979. Best Debut in Teatro Colon. Buenos Aires, Argentina
1980. Silver Rose in the Scala. Milano, Italy
1981. Nomination: Music Prize (Korngold: Violanta, CBS)
1981. Singer of the Year in the New York Times. MET, New York, USA
1982. Singer of the Year in the New York Times. MET, New York, USA
1983. Prize of the American-Hungarian Foundation. New York, USA.
1984. "Große Lob" Prize. Orpheus, Berlin, Germany
1986. Singer of the Year int he New York Times. MET, New York, USA
1987. Kammersängerin at the Vienna State Opera. Vienna, Austria
1989. "Star in Gold" Prize. Budapest, Hungary
1991. Nomination: Music Prize (R. Strauss: Elektra, EMI)
1991. Nomination: Laurence Olivier Prize (R. Strauss: Elektra). London, Great Britain
1991. Bartók-Pásztory Prize. Budapest, Hungary
1991. Honorary Member of the Vienna State Opera. Vienna, Austria
1991. Mario del Monaco Prize. Fano, Italy
1993. John W. Seabury Prize of the Chicago Lyric Opera. Chicago, USA
1994. Middle Cross of the Hungarian Republic. Budapest, Hungary
1996. Honorary Citizen of the 9th District. Budapest, Hungary
1997. Kossuth Prize. Budapest, Hungary
1997. "For the Fame of Hungary Prize". Budapest, Hungary
1998. "Inter-Lyra Prize". Budapest, Hungary
2001. Prize of the Millenium Health Foundation. New York, USA
2003. Middle Cross with Star of the Hungarian Republic. Budapest, Hungary
2005. Muse Prize. Miskolc, Hungary
2006. "Persian Golden Lioness" Prize
2008. Honorary Citizen of Miskolc. Miskolc, Hungary
2009. Pro Cultura Hungarica Prize
2009: Golden Medalion of Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona
2009: Honorary Doctor of Szeged University
2010: ISO d' ORO 2010 Award of Graz Opera House
2012. Corvin Lánc (the most prestigious governmental award on the field of science and culture)
2014: Artist of the Nation
2015: Honorary Citizen of Budapest
2015: Honorary Citizen of Budapest
Family:
Marriage: 4. September 1965
Her husband: Dr. Zoltán Gábor Marton, surgeon, manager
Their children: Zoltán (1966), Diana (1974)
Their grandchildren: Zoltán (1990), Péter-Pál (1993), Blanka (2006), Flóra (2010)
Their children: Zoltán (1966), Diana (1974)
Their grandchildren: Zoltán (1990), Péter-Pál (1993), Blanka (2006), Flóra (2010)
Website:
Contact:
mez[at]floria1974.hu
