Triumphing for more than 35 years on the world’s opera stages, Gena Dimitrova has won many prestigious awards.
May 6, 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of the great Bulgarian opera singer Gena Dimitrova. On this occasion, her niece Milena Stoykova donated to the National Historical Museum /NIM/ personal belongings of her famous relative. The press conference was attended by Plamen Rusev – nephew and Prof. Svoboda Gyurova – a personal friend of the world-famous prima.
The donation includes 20 items. The collection of NIM’s stage costumes was completed with four more belonging to the opera prima. These are a formal two-piece outfit, a formal dress and two stage costumes made of satin, silk and veil, richly decorated with gold embroidery, sequins, beads, pearls and artificial stones. The costumes are the work of Bulgarian designers.
Triumphing for more than 35 years on the world’s opera stages, Gena Dimitrova has won many prestigious awards. Two of them are included in the donation – International Prize for High Contribution to the Arts “The Golden Archer” with diploma from the city of Foggia, Teatro delle Fonti, 1981, and “Giovanni Zenatello” for lyrics, Arena di Verona in 1981. This award is silver-plated bronze sculpture, exclusive model, one of a kind. The statuette was made by the sculptor Alberto Zuccetti from Verona.
The career of the famous soprano began in 1967 with the opera “Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi in the Sofia National Opera. Gena Dimitrova has sung on the big stages of all continents – “La Scala”, Milan; Arena di Verona, Verona; Parma Opera; Staatsoper, Vienna; Salzburg Festival; Metropolitan Opera, New York; Coven Garden, London, etc. She worked with the greatest conductors and singers of the last century. Music experts claim that her roles as Abigail from Nabucco, Lady Macbeth from Verdi’s opera of the same name, Norma from Bellini’s opera and Princess Turandot from Puccini’s opera have become benchmarks of singing prowess.
From these iconic roles of Gena Dimitrova are also the original photos included in the donation, two of which are autographed by the singer. The opera prima kept in her personal archive posters from the productions of the operas “Aida”, “Tosca” – “La Scala”, 1989; “Turandot” – tour of the “Arena di Verona” in Tokyo, 1991; “Turandot” ” – “La Scala”, 1983; “Nabucco” – “La Scala”, 1986, catalogs of the operas “Aida” at “La Scala” and “Turandot” at the “Arena di Verona” 1983 with detailed information about the composers, the authors of the librettos, musical scores of the main parts, sketches of the sets and costumes of the artists, etc. These printed editions were also donated to NIM.
We express our great gratitude to the relatives and Assoc. Svoboda Gyurova, who pleasantly surprised us and donated to HIM more extraordinary and expensive relics – a family photo and portrait, photos of Gena Dimitrova in various roles, a first-day envelope with a jubilee stamp with the singer’s face, 2006 ., catalogs, invitations and programs for performances and concerts, etc., the museum announced.
Part of the exhibits will be shown in the permanent exposition of the NIM in hall 5.
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