Magda Ianculescu
Encyclopedia
Magda Ianculescu was a Romanian operatic soprano
and voice teacher. A leading singer in the Romanian National Opera
for many years, she was known for her musicality and vocal technique. Her voice had a wide range
and a timbre which critics compared to that of Maria Callas
, a city in the Moldavia
region of Romania, and was educated at the Oltea Doamna secondary school there before entering the Bucharest Conservatory of Dramatic Art
in 1947. While in the final years of her studies at the conservatory she became a member of the Romanian National Opera
company in Bucharest. She made her stage debut as Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville
, which became one of her signature roles. Between 1953 and 1955 she won singing competitions in Bucharest, Prague (Prague International Singing Competition 1954), and Warsaw and went on to perform not only in her native Romania but also in Belgium, Italy, France, Poland, the USSR, Czechoslovakia
, Yugoslavia
, and other Eastern European countries.
Her repertoire included more than 35 principal roles, ranging from Viennese operetta
to contemporary Romanian opera and included Yaroslavna in Borodin's Prince Igor
, Norina in Don Pasquale
, Violetta in La traviata
, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
, Blondchen in The Abduction from the Seraglio, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro
. She also made many recordings for Romanian National Radio and the Electrecord
record company. Ianculescu retired from the stage in 1970 and from 1969 to 1977 was a professor at the Bucharest Conservatory of Dramatic Art where she trained many Romanian singers, including Elena Gaja
. She died in Bucharest shortly before her 66th birthday.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and voice teacher. A leading singer in the Romanian National Opera
Romanian National Opera
The Romanian National Opera is one of the national opera companies of Romania, situated in a historical building in Bucharest, near the Cotroceni neighbourhood....
for many years, she was known for her musicality and vocal technique. Her voice had a wide range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
and a timbre which critics compared to that of Maria Callas
Maria Callas
Maria Callas was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century. She combined an impressive bel canto technique, a wide-ranging voice and great dramatic gifts...
Biography
Magda Ianculescu was born in IaşiIasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
, a city in the Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
region of Romania, and was educated at the Oltea Doamna secondary school there before entering the Bucharest Conservatory of Dramatic Art
National University of Music Bucharest
The National University of Music Bucharest is a university-level school of music located in Bucharest, Romania. Established as a school of music in 1863 and reorganized as an academy in 1931, it has functioned as a public university since 2001...
in 1947. While in the final years of her studies at the conservatory she became a member of the Romanian National Opera
Romanian National Opera
The Romanian National Opera is one of the national opera companies of Romania, situated in a historical building in Bucharest, near the Cotroceni neighbourhood....
company in Bucharest. She made her stage debut as Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
, which became one of her signature roles. Between 1953 and 1955 she won singing competitions in Bucharest, Prague (Prague International Singing Competition 1954), and Warsaw and went on to perform not only in her native Romania but also in Belgium, Italy, France, Poland, the USSR, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, and other Eastern European countries.
Her repertoire included more than 35 principal roles, ranging from Viennese operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
to contemporary Romanian opera and included Yaroslavna in Borodin's Prince Igor
Prince Igor
Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
, Norina in Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
, Violetta in La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
, Blondchen in The Abduction from the Seraglio, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
. She also made many recordings for Romanian National Radio and the Electrecord
Electrecord
Electrecord is a Romanian record label founded in 1932. It served as the only record label in Communist Romania. It was then transformed into the national recording company, following the centralization-oriented socialist doctrine...
record company. Ianculescu retired from the stage in 1970 and from 1969 to 1977 was a professor at the Bucharest Conservatory of Dramatic Art where she trained many Romanian singers, including Elena Gaja
Elena Gaja
Elena Gaja is a Romanian mezzo-soprano opera singer.She graduated from the Ciprian Porumbescu Music Academy in Bucharest where she studied under Magda Ianculescu. A stage actress, Gaja had an affinity for the French opera repertoire and also for Verdi and verismo...
. She died in Bucharest shortly before her 66th birthday.
Sources
- Biblioteca Nationala a Republicii Moldova. Calendar Național March 2004 pp. 112–113
- Hope-Wallace, Philip (1958)."Review: Operatic Arias" (SupraphonSupraphonSupraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
LPV 243). Gramophone Magazine, June 1958, p. 68 - Maftei, Ionel (2004). "O voce de neuitat – Soprana Magda Ianculescu" ("An unforgettable voice - soprano Magda Ianculescu"). Evenimentul, March 31, 2004