Opera Singer. A premiere dramatic soprano of the mid 20th Century, she is remembered for interpreting the heavier works of Giuseppe Verdi. Born Zinka Kunc, she was raised in what was then Yugoslavia, took to music early, and was trained by legendary Wagnerian soprano Milka Ternina. Zinka made her professional debut at Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1927 as Leonora from Verdi's "Il Trovatore"; a few weeks later she sang in Zagreb as Marguerite from Gounod's "Faust" but after Milka was not pleased with her 1928 performances at Dresden she spent the next several years refining her art in the smaller theatres of Zagreb and Ljubljana. Eventually working her way to more significant cities such as Prague and Berlin, she was heard at the 1937 Salzburg Festival in the Verdi "Requiem" under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. Zinka was signed by Metropolitan Opera general manager Edward Johnson who badly needed a successor to the recently retired Rosa Ponselle but who stipulated that she learn her roles in Italian (she had previously sung in German and Croatian) and that she lose 25 pounds; as she prepared to come to America Zinka on her own changed her name to Milanov, the stage name of the second of her multiple husbands. She made her bow at the Metropolitan on December 17, 1937, as Leonora from "Il Trovatore" to mixed reviews, but within a short time had established herself as the star she was to be for the next almost 30 years. During her time at the Metropolitan Zinka was praised as the title leads of Vincenzo Bellini's "Norma", Ponchielli's "La Gioconda", and Puccini's "Tosca" but was best known for her Verdi roles which included both Leonoras ("Il Trovatore" and "La Forza del Destino"), the title heroine of "Aida", both Amelias ("Un Ballo in Maschera" and "Simon Boccanegra") and the tragic Desdemona from "Otello". A 'prima donna' in the full sense of the term, Zinka had some problems with the critics who praised her singing but who said she was a poor actress, an assessment with which she did not disagree and about which she really did not care. Further, the same critics complained about her weight then said that she could not sing as well after her frequent diets. Zinka left New York for Eastern Europe in 1947, made her La Scala Milano bow in 1950 as Tosca, then returned to the Metropolitan in 1951 with her voice in better shape than ever. The next five years saw her vocal prime but she was to gradually slow down after the mid 1950s; retiring after singing on the last night of the old Metropolitan Opera House in 1966 she remained in New York City and was a distinguished voice teacher. She died of a stroke complicated by excessive weight. Much of her recorded legacy, mostly preserved during her best years in the early 1950s, is available on CD.
Zinka Milanov (Croatian pronunciation: [zîːŋka milǎnoʋ]; May 17, 1906 – May 30, 1989) was a Croatian operatic dramatic soprano who had a major career centered on the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. After finishing her education in Zagreb, Milanov made her debut in 1927 in Ljubljana as Leonora in Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore. From 1928 to 1936, she was the leading soprano of the Croatian National Theatre. In 1937, Milanov performed at the Metropolitan Opera for the first time, where she continued to sing until 1966. She also performed as a concert singer and was a noted vocal coach and teacher. Milanov is the sister of the composer and pianist Božidar Kunc.
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R.I.P Zinka
Biography Born in Zagreb, Croatia as Zinka Kunc (pronounced [zîːŋka kûnt͡s]), she studied with the Wagnerian soprano Milka Ternina and her assistant Marija Kostrenčić. She also studied in Milan with Fernando Carpi and in Berlin with Jacques Stückgold. On October 29, 1927, she made her operatic debut as Leonora in Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore in Ljubljana, Slovenia, at age 21. Her debut in her native Croatia, at the National Theatre in Zagreb, took place five weeks later as Marguerite in Charles Gounod's Faust. After an early debut in Dresden (November 5, 1928, also as Leonora), her teacher, Ternina, was not pleased and much work commenced to perfect her technique. She performed in Zagreb and Ljubljana almost exclusively for the next six years. Later she became a member of the New German Theatre in Prague, where all performances were sung in German. She was discovered there by Bruno Walter, who recommended her to Arturo Toscanini for a performance of Verdi's Requiem in Salzburg. In 1937, the soprano made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, once again as Leonora. At that time she adopted the name Milanov, the stage name of her second husband, an actor. According to Milanov herself, "Kunc" wasn't…
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Discography Verdi: Il trovatore - Zinka Milanov, Jussi Björling, Fedora Barbieri, Leonard Warren, Nicola Moscona; Robert Shaw Chorale, RCA Victor Orchestra, Renato Cellini, RCA Victor, 1952. Verdi: Aida - Zinka Milanov, Jussi Björling, Fedora Barbieri, Leonard Warren, Boris Christoff; Rome Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Jonel Perlea, RCA Victor, 1955. Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana - Zinka Milanov, Jussi Björling, Robert Merrill; Robert Shaw Chorale, RCA Victor Orchestra, Renato Cellini, RCA Victor, 1953. Puccini: Tosca - Zinka Milanov, Jussi Björling, Leonard Warren; Rome Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Erich Leinsdorf, RCA Victor, 1957. Rossini: Stabat Mater - Zinka Milanov, Risë Stevens, Nicolai Gedda, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni; Westminster Choir (choir master: John Finley Williamson); NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini, RCA Victor, 1952. Verdi: La forza del destino - Zinka Milanov, Giuseppe di Stefano, Leonard Warren, Rosalind Elias, Giorgio Tozzi; Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome, Fernando Previtali, RCA Victor/DECCA, 1958. Ponchielli: La Gioconda - Zinka Milanov, Giuseppe di Stefano, Leonard Warren, Rosalind Elias, Plinio Clabassi; Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome, Fernando Previtali, RCA Victor/DECCA, 1957. Verdi: La forza del destino (live broadcast, March 17, 1956). Milanov, Rosalind Elias, Richard Tucker, Leonard Warren, Cesare Siepi; Fritz Stiedry, Metropolitan Opera, New York Verdi:…
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Bibliography
The Last Prima Donnas, by Lanfranco Rasponi, Alfred A Knopf, 1982. ISBN 0-394-52153-6
