Dear customer, we are sorry but your browser doesn't support all necessary features for good site view. Please switch to one of the modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox).

Ildiko Komlosi

Biography

Guest of the National Theatre Opera. Hungarian mezzosoprano Ildiko Komlosi studied music at the Franz Liszt Academy of Budapest and took part in the specialising courses of the Teatro alla Scala and Guildhall School of Music in London. She was the absolute winner of the Pavarotti International Competition in 1986 and debuted in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem opposite Luciano Pavarotti and under the baton of Lorin Maazel.She has subsequently started a successful career on the world’s great stages, with a repertoire spanning from Mozart (Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte) to Donizetti (Giovanna di Seymour in Anna Bolena, Sara in Roberto Devereux, Leonora in La Favorita, Maffio Orsini in Lucrezia Borgia), Ponchielli (Laura in La Gioconda) and Bizet (Carmen), from Massenet (Charlotte in Werther), R. Strauss (Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier and Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos), Tchaikosvky (Jeanne d’Arc), Bartók (Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle) to Verdi (Fenena, Amneris, Eboli) and the “verismo” with such operas as Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana (Santuzza) and Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur (Principessa di Bouillon).In 1989 she debuted at the Frankfurt Staatsoper and at the Wiener Staatsoper, and in 1990 she sang in her first Teatro alla Scala production (Corghi’s Blimunda). During the following years she has been invited by the theatres of Houston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Bregenz, San Francisco, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Naples. In 1993 she made her debuts at the Bellas Artes of Mexico City in Werther, and in Santiago (Chile) with Lucrezia Borgia and Anna Bolena. Then she has returned to Naples for Salambo. In Sarajevo, she performed in Mozart’s Requiem under the baton of Zubin Mehta. Her 1995 season was marked by a new production of Der Rosenkavalier in Charleston and by a tour with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Iván Fischer. During this successful tour, they stopped at Carnegie Hall of New York, among others, where Ildiko Komlosi sang as Judith in a concert version of Bluebeard’s Castle. The return to Hamburg have followed Cosi fan tutte, as well as the new production of Der Rosenkavalier, staged by Pierluigi Pizzi, for the season opening of the Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova (video recorded by BMG). In 1996 she performed in Ravel’s Shéhérezade at the Ravenna Festival with Valery Gergiev on the podium, while the following year was marked by the prestigious debut on the stage of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Ariadne auf Naxos, led by Zubin Mehta and directed by Jonathan Miller. The 1998 season brought her to debut the role of Jeanne d’Arc at the Opéra du Rhin de Strasbourg, and to Naples for Roberto Devereux (also recorded by BMG). Engagements of her 1999 season include the successful debut at the Metropolitan Opera, in Werther, the return to Catania for Carmen, and the appearance at the Royal Festival Hall of London in Bluebeard’s Castle, with the BBC Orchestra. She ended the season singing in Vienna in a special performance of Ariadne aux Naxos with Edita Gruberova in the 50° anniversary of Richard Strauss’s death.Ildiko Komlosi opened her 2000 season at the Teatro alla Scala, with Adriana Lecouvreur, followed by the return to Naples for singing in Ariadne auf Naxos, where he also debuted the role of Eboli in Don Carlos (2001).In 2002 she obtained a great success performing in Aida (Amneris) in Brussels with the conducting of Antonio Pappano and the direction of Bob Wilson; this same production was revisited in 2003 at the Covent Garden in London, in Brussels (2004) and on a Japan tour (2005). In May 2002 she sang at the New National Theatre in Tokyo in Carmen, and inaugurated the Lucerne Festival with Bluebeard’s Castle (recorded for Decca) with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Ivan Fischer. She took part in the world premiere of Ballata by Luca Francesconi in Brussels and returned to Hamburg for Carmen and Cavalleria rusticana. In 2003 Ildiko Komlosi performed as Eboli for the season opening of the Dresden Semperoper, and sang in the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana in Livorno, Pisa and Lucca, in Bluebeard’s Castle (Judith) at the Minnesota Opera in Minneapolis, at the Wiener Staatsoper and at Covent Garden, in Tannhäuser (Venus) in Paris, and in the role of Nicklausse in Les Contes d’ Hoffmann at the Arena Sferisterio di Macerata. These were followed by Aida (staged by Bob Wilson) at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, at the Wiener Staatsoper and at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. Her 2004/2005 season was also marked by Stravinsky’s Oedipus rex (Jocaste), staged by Graham Vick at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, La Gioconda (Laura) at the Arena di Verona, and Verdi’s Requiem with Colin Davis with London Symphony. In 2005-2006 she debuted the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at the Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova. This was followed by other performances of Bluebeard’s Castle at the Turku Opera, by Carmen at the Semperoper Dresden, La forza del destino (Preziosilla) at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, and Ariadne auf Naxos at the Teatro alla Scala, Carmen and Cavalleria rusticana at the Arena di Verona, Aida at the Frankfurt Oper and at the Terme di Caracalla with the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. She sang the role of Amneris (Aida) under the baton of Riccardo Chailly for the opening season 2006-2007 at the Teatro alla Scala. In the same season she sang also Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza) and Oedipus Rex (Jocasta) at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Verdi’s Requiem in Cagliari, Cavalleria Rusticana at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and in Naples, Bluebeard’s Castle (Judith) in Bilbao.Her recent engagements include Bluebeard’s Castle in Naples, Don Carlos at the Semperoper Dresden, Verdi’s Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski, Carmen at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.Projects include: Aida (Amneris) at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and at the Gran Teatre de Liceu, Adriana Lecouvreur (Principessa di Bouillon) and Dvorak’s Requiem at the Gran Teatre de Liceu in Barcelona, Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari.Ildiko Komlosi recorded for Decca and BMG. Update: January 2009