Šubrtová Milada, Czech soprano, b. 1924

Biographical notes: (text without Czech accents)

She was born in Lotha. While working as a secretary in the civil service she studied voice with Zdenek Knittl. She was engaged early in 1946 by the “Grand Opera of 5 May” debuting as Giulietta. In 1948 she joined the Prague National Theatre, where she became an admired member of the company. Thanks to her all-round abilities she was the leading soprano there for more than 20 years. In 1954 Subrtova was awarded the Emmy Destinn and Karel Burian prize at the singing competition of the International Prague Spring Festival at which she performed arias including “Depuis le jour” from Charpentier’s Louise.  Her secure technique enabled her to interpret both light coloratura roles as well as dramatic parts. Her vast repertory included more than 80 roles such as Donna Anna, Fiordiligi, Pamina, Konstanze, Ännchen, Agathe, Elsa, Sieglinde, Gilda, Violetta, Trovatore-Leonora, Elisabetta, Abigail, Lady Macbeth, Santuzza, Cio-Cio-San, Musetta, Mimì, Tosca, Turandot, Micaëla, Marguerite, Louise, Tatyana, Lisa, and Glinka’s Lyudmila. She was an ideal interpreter of the leading soprano roles in the operas by Dvorak, Smetana and Janacek. The artist appeared in opera film and television productions (Dalibor and Rusalka), also making excellent radio recordings of roles from various operas in which she did not have the opportunity to perform in the theatre, among them in Orfeo ed Euridice, Iphigénie en Aulide, I Vespri Siciliani, Falstaff, I Pagliacci, Dvorak’s Armida and The Jacobin, Fibich’s The Bride of Messina and Foerster’s Eva. In Les Contes d’Hoffmann she appeared as Olympia as well as Giulietta and Antonia. She gave also performances in a number of operettas by Strauss, Lehár, Zeller, and in particular, Offenbach. Her concert repertoire included works from Bach to Britten and Honegger to Orff. Although Milada Subrotova gave a large number of performances abroad, she sang most frequently in Czechoslovakia, where she enjoyed exceptional popularity and the affection of her audiences.

Three of her magnificent roles in Czech operas

Comment:

Milada Subrtova was one of the most important figures in Czech singing. From Czechoslovakia emerged a number of lirico spintos such as Drahomira Tikalova, Libuse Domaninska, Lucia Popp, Gabriela Benachkova and Eva Urbanova. In my opinion,  Subrtova has only been equalled by Tikalova and Popp. Because of the former Iron Curtain she never became widely acknoledged in the Western countries.

Subrtova’s voice is of an individual color and she sings with a marvellous flexibility and richness (she had, by the way, a range of three octaves). It is the feminine or at once girlish delicacy of sound, that has such a strong dramatic quality. Her interpretations are always deeply felt and moving.

The following three excerpts are a small selection of her superb recordings. She sings Amelia in Czech, but listen to the recitative! The integral recording of Rusalka sets a standard because of the glorious conducting by Zdenek Chalabala. Subrtova’s singing in Rusalka is unequalled.

 O moon high up in the deep sky in Czech (Title role in Rusalka / Dvorak / Supraphon 1962 / Z. Chalabala)

Milada Subrtova and Vaclav Jiracek with whom she recorded Dvorak’s “Armida” in 1956