Lucia Popp (born Lucia Poppová) (November 12, 1939–November 16, 1993) was a popular operatic soprano from Slovakia (which was a part of Czechoslovakia until the last year of her life). She began her career as a coloratura soprano, and later moved into the lyric repertoire and then the lighter Richard Strauss and Wagner operas. Her career included performances at Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, and La Scala. Popp was also a highly-regarded recitalist and lieder singer. She married twice. Popp died of brain cancer in 1993, at the age of 54.

Operatic career

Popp initially entered the Bratislava Academy to study drama. While she began her vocal lessons during this period as a mezzo-soprano, her voice developed a high upper register to the degree that her professional debut was as Mozart’s Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflote in Bratislava. Popp portrayed this role in a 1963 recording directed by Otto Klemperer. In 1963, Herbert von Karajan invited her to join the Vienna State Opera, where she debuted as Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. She had strong ties to the Vienna State Opera throughout her career, and in 1979 she was named an Austrian "Kammersängerin". Popp made her Covent Garden debut in 1966 as Oscar in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, and her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1967 as the Queen of the Night (production by Marc Chagall).

During the 1970s, she turned from coloratura roles to lyric ones. Then, in the 1980s, Popp began to add heavier roles such as Eva in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Because of this vocal progression in her career, Popp sang various roles in the same opera at different stages, including Zdenka and Arabella in Richard Strauss's Arabella; Susanna and Contessa in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro; Queen of the Night and Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflote; Zerlina, Donna Elvira, and later Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni; Adele and Rosalinde in Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus; Annchen and Agathe in Weber's Der Freischutz; and Sophie and the Marschallin in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier.

Recordings

Popp rarely recorded roles she did not perform on stage (with a few exceptions, including Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhauser and the title role in Richard Strauss's Daphne) The following is a selection of her recordings:

1. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (as Susanna), with Te Kanawa, von Stade, Allen, Ramey, and Solti (Decca)
2. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (as Countess Almaviva), with Jose Van Dam, Hendricks, Raimondi, Baltsa, and Marriner (Philips)
3. Mozart: Don Giovanni (as Zellina), with Weikl, Sass, M. Price, T. Krause, Solti (Decca)
4. Mozart: Die Zauberflote (as Queen of the Night), with Janowitz, Berry, Gedda, Frick, and Klemperer (EMI)
5. Mozart: Die Zauberflote (as Pamina), with Jerusalem, Brendel, Zednik, Gruberova and Haitink (EMI)
6. Mozart: Idomeneo (as Ilia), with Pavarotti, Baltsa, Nucci, Gruberova, and Pritchard (Decca)
7. Orff: Carmina Burana with Unger, Wolansky, Noble, and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (EMI)
8. R. Strauss: Intermezzo (as Christine), with Dallapozza, Fischer-Dieskau, Finke and Sawallisch (EMI)
9. R. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (as Sophie), with Domingo, Ludwig, G. Jones, Berry and Bernstein (Sony) (currently not available)
10. R. Strauss: Daphne (as Daphne), with Goldberg, Schreier, Wenkel, Moll and Haitink (EMI)
11. J. Strauss II: Die Fledermaus (as Adele), with Varady, Weikl, Kollo, Prey and C. Kleiber (DG)
12. J. Strauss II: Die Fledermaus (as Rosalinde), with Lind, Baltsa, Seiffert, Brendel, Rydl and Domingo (EMI)
13. Beethoven: Fidelio (as Marzelline), with Janowitz, Kollo, Sotin, Fischer-Dieskau, Jungwirth and Berstein (DG)
14. Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (as the Vixen), with Randova, Jedlicka, Blachut and Mackerass (Decca)
15. Humperdinck: Hansel und Gretel (as Gretel), with Schlemm, Fassbaender, Gruberová, Hamari, Burrowes, Berry and Solti (Decca)
16. Humperdinck: Hansel und Gretel (as the Dew Fairy), with Moffo, Donath, Ludwig, Fischer-Dieskau, Berthold, Augér and Eichhorn (RCA)
17. Gluck: Orfeo e Euridice (as Euridice), with Lipovsek, Kaufmann and Hager (RCA)
18. Leoncavallo: La Boheme (as Mimi, Orfeo)
19. Verdi: Rigoletto (as Gilda, RCA)
20. Puccini: Suor Angelica (as Angelica, RCA), Il Tabarro (as Giogetta, RCA);
21. Donizetti: L'elisir D'amore (as Adina, RCA)
22. Flotow: Martha (title role, EMI)
23. Mozart: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (as Blonde, EMI)
24. Mozart: Le Clemenza di Tito (as Vitellia for Harnoncourt, Teldec; and Servilia for Kertész, Decca)
25. Janacek: Jenufa (Decca, Karolka)
26. Lehar: Der Graf von Luxemburg (EMI).

She also sang Lieder. Hyperion's Schubert Edition contains an album from her (Volume 17), one of her last recordings. She recorded R. Strauss's "Four Last Songs" twice (with Tennstedt for EMI, and Tilson Thomas for Sony, this was also her last recording), Mahler's "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" twice (with Weikl, Tennstedt for EMI, and Schimidt, Bernstein for DG). EMI also issued two albums in the company's 'Red Line' series (Slavonic Arias, and Operetta Arias). Orfeo also has issued several of Popp’s “live” recordings.

External links

• http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Popp-Lucia.htm

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