Danka Firfova
Danka Firfova | |
|---|---|
Данка Фирфова | |
| Born | February 2, 1918 |
| Died | June 2, 2003 (aged 85) Skopje, North Macedonia |
| Occupations |
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Danka Firfova (Macedonian: Данка Фирфова; 2 February 1918 – 2 June 2003) was a Macedonian soprano and music educator. Grove Music Online described her as a "dramatic soprano" and "one of the first fully trained opera singers in Macedonia" who was a "founder of the Macedonian Opera" in 1947.[1]
Biography
[edit]Danka Firfova was born in Veles on 2 February 1918.[2] She studied singing in Belgrade with Natalija Ilić from 1934 to 1939, and later with Cirila Š. Medvedova in the early 1940s.[1] She pursued further studies with baritone Hristo Brmbarov (also known as Christo Brambarov) in Sofia;[2] studying with him in 1942.[1] She later studied with soprano Adelaide Saraceni in Milan in 1952;[1] perfecting her training at that time.[2] She won the International Contest of Opera Artists in Belgium in 1957.[1]
Prior to 1947 Fifova was primarily active as a music teacher.[1] She began her teaching career in Sofia, and in 1941 and 1942 she studied music pedagogy with Bulgarian teacher Dimitra Lilova. In 1942 she was appointed a teacher at the Veles High School and later taught music at the All-Girls High School in Skopje.[3] In May 1947 she performed in the first staging of Cavalleria rusticana given in the Macedonian language;[2] portraying the role of Santuzza in what was the first production of the Macedonian Opera.[1] She remained a resident principal soprano of the Macedonian Opera until 1975.[2] She was also a member of the Serbian National Theatre from 1956 to 1958.[1]
Firfova's opera repertoire included Amelia in Un ballo in maschera,[1] Charlotte in Werther,[2] Desdemona in Otello,[1] Elisabetta in Don Carlo,[2] Leonora in Fidelio,[1] Leonora in Il trovatore,[2] Mařenka in The Bartered Bride,[2] Micaela in Carmen,[1] and the title roles in Aida,[1] Norma, Tosca,[2] and Turandot.[1] Music criticism praised the roundness and heat of her dramatic soprano voice.[2] She was the recipient of "11th October" prize in 1962, the highest honor given by the Socialist Republic of Macedonia.[1] She was later recognized with a lifetime achievement honor in 1976 just following her retirement.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Islam, Aida (2014). "Firfova, Danka". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.2270788.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Ristovski, Blaže, ed. (2009). "Firfova, Danka". Macedonian Encyclopedia. Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
- ↑ Bužarovski, Dimitrije; Jordanoska, Trena (2015). "Revisiting Macedonian musical culture during World War Two". Facta Universitatis, Series: Visual Arts and Music. 1 (1): 25.