Lipovšek, Marjana
Lipovšek, Marjana
Lipovšek, Marjana, distinguished Yugoslav mezzo-soprano; b. Ljubljana, Dec. 3, 1946. She received her training in Ljubljana, Graz, and Vienna. In 1979 she became a member of the Vienna State Opera, where she developed a notably successful career. In 1981 she made her first appearance at the Salzburg Festival. In 1982 she sang for the first time at the Hamburg State Opera and at Milan’s La Scala. In 1983 she joined the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. She made her London debut as a soloist in Das Lied von der Erde with the London Sym. Orch. in 1988, returning to London in 1990 to make her Covent Garden debut as Clytemnestra. On Nov. 25, 1993, she made her North American debut as Fricka in Die Walküre at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 1995 she made her first appearance at the San Francisco Opera as Brünnhilde, and then sang Clytemnestra in Florence in 1996. She made a major recital tour of the U.S. in 1998. In 1999 she returned to the San Francisco Opera to sing both Waltraute and Fricka. In addition to her operatic career, Lipovšek has pursued an extensive following as a concert and lieder artist. She has appeared as a soloist with the leading orchs. of Europe and North America, and at many festivals. Among her many roles of note are Gluck’s Orfeo, Mistress Quickly, Amneris, Azucena, Brangäne, Orlofsky, Strauss’s Composer and Octavian, and Berg’s Marie.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire