Dvorský, Bršlík, Kučerová, Drlička and Valentovič about the departure of Edita Gruberová: The whole world had something to learn from her – PRAVDA.sk

Tenor Peter Dvorský: The whole world had a lot to learn from Edita

It was a shock for me to hear the news that Edita Gruber had left. My phone almost fell out of my hand. Not yet! I wondered why? After all, she was only 74 years old, today people live to be hundreds. If someone had asked me before, how long would Edita live, as I knew her, I would say that she would certainly live to be a hundred. It’s very sad. I sang only three opera titles with her in my life, but beautiful: La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor and Rigoletto. Singing with her has always been a great holiday. She was sending out a strange energy in her voice.

When she sang, it was like a child playing with a toy, it was a joy for her, she was happy to sing. She had such a refined voice! Once my ex-husband and I invited me to dinner with my wife, they entertained us, the whole family was wonderful, Edita cheerful. The next morning we had a rehearsal for Lucia and Edita marked, played with her voice and sang everything in the piano, but perfectly. And as we passed the test, I asked her: how is it possible, Edita, but we sat into the night, drank some wine, how can you? And she: that’s nothing. Watching her closely was an experience, seeing how she formed the tone. I have a lot of experiences with her, although Edita and I didn’t sing as often as I sang with Mirella Freni.

I’m saying that Edita Gruber has the highest singing school in the world, that’s perfection. Books about her have been published about the highest color school in the world. And Edita Gruber really had such a voice that she had something to show the world, everyone had something to learn from her. Our diva has left, our Edita, who has left a huge seal on something perfect that we Slovaks can be proud of. She sang abroad, but Edita was still our Slovak from Rača, who managed to subdue the opera world with her voice. We last met about two years ago, before that I worked in Rome, but I still watched her artistic life and performances. She is already in the singing heaven, she left us the greatest treasure in the art of singing.

Pavol Bršlík, tenor: Such a voice will no longer occur

Photo: Tatra Banka Foundation

Pavol Bršlík Tenor Pavol Bršlík.

I met Edita for the first time in 2010 during the production of Lucrezia Borgia in Munich, and since then I have been lucky and especially honored to stand by her side on stage in several productions. Meetings with her, whether on stage or off, have always been beautiful moments that I remember for the rest of my life. I was very shocked by her early departure. We wrote to each other last month and I couldn’t believe the news of her death. For me, and especially for art, a voice has gone that will no longer occur. A man with a big Č. A great artist who made our world more beautiful until the end. She left us a message here about how beautiful music is and how it pays to live for it. Sing with the angels, dear Edit!

Adriana Kučerová, soprano: She was one of the biggest stars of the opera sky

Photo: Ivan Majerský

Adriana Kučerová Opera singer Adriana Kučerová.

There is no opera singer or classical music lover in the world who would not consider Edita Gruber a complete gem, a star and one of the greatest inspirations and perfection of a coloratura soprano. Every opera singer looked up to Edita Gruber, he will forever remain a great role model, an inspiration in terms of singing and humanity. It’s an incredible loss, we’ve all been in a huge shock, it has hit us all. When I found out she was dead, I was sick: that’s not possible. After all, she was active a few months ago, she was in Slovakia in the summer, when she received the Minister of Culture Award. It’s awful, it’s a huge loss. It will be written in history in the same way as Maria Callas or Montserrat Caballé, another place is Edita Gruberová – one of the biggest stars of the opera sky.

Matej Drlička, head of SND: She was a pleasant professional without manners

Photo: Pravda, Ivan Majerský

Matej Drlicka, Matej Drlicka, General Director of SND Matej Drlička.

Invite Edita Gruberová to the Viva Musica festival! we have been striving continuously for over five years. I felt like she was waiting for us to deserve it and for the festival to grow a little longer for us to be worthy of it. However, this is perfectly fine with the stars of its caliber, when it finally succeeded and agreed in 2016, we were very much looking forward to it. Performance of Edita Gruber at the Viva Musica festival! had more weight than foreign stars.

I remember that the organizational team was very happy at the time. The concert at the Slovak National Theater turned out excellent. Mrs. Gruber was very kind and professional. I remember my own initial shock when I heard her sing. She was old, but her performance was still fantastic. I have very pleasant memories of her, she had no manners. It was a song recital conducted by Peter Valentovič. When a festival is running for big stars, the decisive moments are twofold: the festival’s fee and reputation. Some artists just have to pay well, others choose where they perform. Mrs Gruber fell into the latter category. The fee was not a topic, she considered Viva’s reputation. She was busy for years, but one day the answer came that she would be very happy to perform.

Peter Valentovič, conductor: It’s a big loss for the art world

Photo: Pravda, Ivan Majerský

Peter Valentovič Conductor Peter Valentovič.

He was a very rare and exceptional man of world quality. Her breathtaking talent and how she interpreted the individual operas testified to her uniqueness. For me as a conductor, it was a great honor to work with her. I remember her as one of the most beautiful artistic experiences in life. She was exceptional not only artistically, but also as a person. She left very suddenly, I didn’t expect it. It’s a big loss for the art world. In 2012, she chose me based on one production where I was an assistant. It was a huge surprise for me. Our cooperation lasted until 2019. Due to the pandemic, unfortunately, her planned concerts did not take place at BHS and Košice, where she wanted to say goodbye to her career with her favorite opera Roberto Devereux. It is a great pity, because she longed to sing in Slovakia.