Elena Nicolai facts for kids
Stoyanka Savova Nikolova (Bulgarian: Стоянка Савова Николова), known by her stage name Elena Nicolai (Bulgarian: Елена Николай), was a famous opera singer from Bulgaria. She was a mezzo-soprano, which means she had a beautiful, deep female singing voice. Elena Nicolai was born on January 24, 1905, and passed away on October 23, 1993.
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Her Early Life and Training
Elena Nicolai was born in a village called Tzerovo, in the Pazardzhik region of Bulgaria. She spent her childhood in another Bulgarian town, Panagurishte. When she was 19, she moved to Milan, Italy. Milan is a very important city for opera. There, she studied how to sing opera with two teachers, Vincenzo Pintorno and Ettore Pozzoli.
A Star on the Opera Stage
Elena Nicolai started her opera career in 1932. Her very first role was Maddalena in Verdi's opera Rigoletto. She became a leading mezzo-soprano at Milan's famous Teatro alla Scala opera house. She sang there for 20 seasons, which is a very long time!
After she stopped singing opera, Elena Nicolai became an actress. She had a short career in movies, appearing in seven films between 1963 and 1968.
She also recorded many operas. Some of her most famous recordings include singing as Eboli in Don Carlos and Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana. She even sang some very challenging roles by the composer Wagner, like Brünnhilde in Die Walküre.
Famous Roles She Sang
Elena Nicolai sang many different roles during her opera career. Here are some of them:
- Annina, Der Rosenkavalier
- Laura, La Gioconda (opera)
- Nefte, Il figliuol prodigo
- Principessa di Bouillon, Adriana (opera)
- 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
Her Recordings
Elena Nicolai made several important recordings of operas. These recordings let us still hear her amazing voice today.
- Monteverdi - L'Orfeo (as Silvia, recorded in 1939)
- Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur (as Principessa di Bouillon, recorded in 1949)
- Mascagni - Cavalleria rusticana (as Santuzza, recorded in 1953)
- Verdi - Don Carlo (as Principessa d'Eboli, recorded in 1954)
- Verdi - La forza del destino (as Preziosilla, recorded in 1954)
Elena Nicolai in Movies
After her opera career, Elena Nicolai acted in these films:
- Il boom (1963)
- La mia signora (1964)
- Sedotti e bidonati (1964)
- Gli amanti latini (1965)
- I nostri mariti (1966)
- Quando dico che ti amo (1967)
- Il medico della mutua (1968)
Special Recognition
A special place in Antarctica is named after Elena Nicolai. It is called Nicolai Peak. This shows how important and recognized she was.
