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Maria Cebotari
Maria Cebotari
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Maria Cebotari (original name: Ciubotaru,[2] 10 February 1910 – 9 June 1949[3]) was a Bessarabian-born Romanian lyric soprano who made her career in Germany. She was widely known as a soprano by the mid 1930s and noted in particular for her wide range of repertoire.[4][5][6][7][8]

Key Information

Beniamino Gigli stated that Cebotari was one of the greatest female voices he had ever heard.[9] Maria Callas was compared to her,[6] and Angela Gheorghiu named Maria Cebotari among the artists she admires the most.[10]

With thousands of people in attendance, her funeral was "one of the most imposing demonstrations of love and honor any deceased artist has ever received" in the history of Vienna.[9][11][12]

Biography

[edit]

Cebotari was born in Chişinău, Bessarabia, and studied singing at the Chişinău Conservatory in 1910.[13] In 1929, she joined the Moscow Art Theater Company as an actress. Shortly after, she married the company's leader, Alexander Virubov.[14]

She soon moved to Berlin with the company and studied singing with Oskar Daniel for three months.[15] She made her debut as an operatic singer as Mimi in La Bohème at Dresden Semperoper on 15 March 1931. Bruno Walter invited her to the Salzburg Festival, where she sang Euridice in Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice.[16]

In 1935, she sang the part of Aminta in the world premiere of Richard Strauss' opera Die Schweigsame Frau under Karl Böhm at Dresden Semper Opera House. Strauss advised her to move to Berlin, and in 1936 she joined the Berlin State Opera, where she was a prima donna until 1946. That year, she sang Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier for the Dresden Semper Opera Company's performances at Covent Garden Royal Opera House of London. Cebotari appeared at many opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera and La Scala Opera House of Milan.

In 1938, she divorced Virubov and married the Austrian actor Gustav Diessl, with whom she had two sons.[15] In 1946, she left Berlin and joined the Vienna State Opera House. The next year, she revisited Covent Garden with the Vienna State Opera Company and sang Salome, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. On September 27 of that year, she was Donna Anna to the Ottavio of Richard Tauber, in his final stage appearance less than a week before his cancerous left lung was removed.

In early 1949, she suffered severe pain during the performance of Le Nozze di Figaro at La Scala Opera House. At first, doctors did not consider it serious. However, on 31 March 1949, she collapsed during the performance of Karl Millöcker's operetta Der Bettelstudent in Vienna. During surgery on 4 April, doctors found cancer in her liver and pancreas. She died from cancer on 9 June 1949 in Vienna.[3] British pianist Clifford Curzon and his wife Lucille Wallace adopted her two sons.

Cebotari had a versatile voice; her repertoire covered coloratura, soubrette, lyric, and dramatic roles, as is illustrated in her performance history. She concentrated on four composers: Mozart, Richard Strauss, Verdi, and Puccini. Richard Strauss described her as "the best all-rounder on the European stage, and she is never late, and she never cancels". During a BBC interview decades after her death, Herbert von Karajan said she was the greatest "Madame Butterfly" he had ever conducted.

Films

[edit]

Along with her successful career at the opera houses, Cebotari appeared in several operatic films, such as Verdi's Three Women, Maria Malibran, and The Dream of Madame Butterfly.[3]

Cebotari also was cast in the film Odessa in fiamme (Odessa in Flames) in 1942, directed by Italian director Carmine Gallone with the script by Nicolae Kiriţescu. The movie is a fascist propaganda film about the Battle of Odessa, which was won by Romanian and Nazi troops. The Romanian-Italian co-production won at the Festival of Venice in 1942.[17] In the film, Cebotari plays the role of Maria Teodorescu, an opera singer from Bessarabia, in Chisinau with her eight-year-old son at the time of the invasion. Her husband fights as a captain in the Romanian army in Bucharest, and her son is taken. Teodorescu is informed that her son will be kept in a camp and trained to be a Soviet man. Teodorescu consents to perform Russian music in theatres and taverns in exchange for her son's return. By chance, her spouse discovers her photo, and the family gets back together.

Odessa in Flames was banned after Soviet troops reached Bucharest. [citation needed] The film was later rediscovered in the Cinecittà archives in Rome,[citation needed] where it was screened for the first time in years in Romania in December 2006.[18]

Director Vlad Druc's documentary "Aria" (2005) about the life of Maria Cebotari faced difficulties when screening in Moldova during the Communist administration (which ended in 2009). This was due to a part in the movie where the soprano self-identifies as Romanian, contrary to the official policy of the Communist government that called the ethnic majority Moldovan.[19]

Recordings

[edit]

Many of her surviving recordings are from live performances, either in opera houses or radio broadcasts. Almost all have now been digitally remastered.

The Austrian CD label Preiser Records has issued several of her CDs, among which is The Art of Maria Cebotari and Maria Cebotari singt Richard Strauss.[20][21]

  • Mozart – Le nozze di Figaro (Böhm 1938, in German/Ahlersmeyer, Teschemacher, Schöffler, Wessely, Böhme) Preiser
  • Puccini – Turandot (Keilberth 1938, in German/Hauss, Buchta, Hann, Eipperle, Harlan, Schupp, Kiefer), Koch-Schwann
  • Schoeck – Das Schloss Dürande (Heger live 1943, excerpts/Anders, Berglund, Fuchs, Domgraf-Fassbaender, Greindl, Hüsch), Jecklin
  • R. Strauss – Salome (Krauss 1947 live/Rothmüller, Höngen), Gebhardt
  • R. Strauss – Taillefer (Rother 1944/ Walter Ludwig, Hans Hotter), Preiser
  • Verdi – Luisa Miller (Elmendorff 1944, in German/Böhme, Hopf, Hann, Herrmann, Eipperle), Preiser
  • Verdi – La traviata (Steinkopf 1943, in German/Rosvaenge, Schlusnus), Iron Needle
  • von Einem – Dantons Tod (Fricsay live 1947/Schöffler, Patzak, Klein, Weber, Alsen, Hann), Stradivarius
  • Recital (Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Leoncavallo, J. Strauss, Arditi, Rachmaninov, Beckmann, Mackeben, Tchaikovsky), Preiser – LV
  • Recital – Maria Cebotari singt Arien (Mozart, J. Strauss, Gounod, Puccini and R. Strauss), Preiser – LV
  • Maria Cebotari – Arien, Duette, Szenen (Mozart, Bizet, Verdi, Puccini), Preiser
  • Recital – Maria Cebotari singt Richard Strauss (Salome, Feuersnot, Der Rosenkavalier, Daphne, Taillefer), Preiser (Berliner Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester, Artur Rother, 1–4 recorded 1943, 5 in 1944).
  • Maria Cebotari: Arias, Songs and in Film, Weltbild
  • Recital – Maria Cebotari singt Giuseppe Verdi (La traviata, Rigoletto), Preiser
  • Four Famous Sopranos of the Past (Gitta Alpar, Jarmila Novotná and Esther Réthy), Preiser – LV
  • Bruno Walter Vol. 1, Symphony No 2 and No 4 (1948/50), LYS
  • Helge Rosvaenge in Szenen aus André Chénier und Rigoletto – Duets, Preiser
  • Helge Rosvaenge – Duets, Preiser – LV
  • Grosse Mozartsänger Vol. 1 1922 – 1942, Orfeo
  • Von der Königlichen Hofoper zur Staatsoper ‘Unter den Linden’, Preiser – LV

Filmography

[edit]

Sources

[edit]
  1. ^ PUNKT, de (July 22, 2013). "Aria care a suparat-o pe Maria Biesu".
  2. ^ Iosif Constantin Drăgan, Prin Europa, Vol. 3 Editura Eminescu, 1980, p.89
  3. ^ a b c Polt, Rudi. "Maria Cebotari". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  4. ^ "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. ^ "La Patrie - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b "The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  7. ^ "El Tiempo - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Maria Cebotari". Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Klaus Ulrich Spiegel - Cebotari". Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Lumea romaneasca - Lumea romaneasca - Numarul 400 - Anul 2000 - Arhiva". www.formula-as.ro. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  11. ^ "MARIA CEBOTARI". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Welt im Film 214/1949 – Films at the German Federal Archive". Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  13. ^ "SHORT STORY: Maria Cebotari, an artist caught in an ideological battle – WEMov, Women on the move" (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  14. ^ "Maria Cebotari Street | Chisinau". Visit Chișinău. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  15. ^ a b "Maria Cebotari". Cantabile Subito. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  16. ^ Hinz, Thorsten. "Maria Cebotari". Kulturstiftung. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  17. ^ Burcea, Carmen (2016). "Odessa in fiamme: reflejos cinematográficos de la guerra en el Frente Oriental". Academia.edu (in Spanish). Revista de Filología Románica. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  18. ^ "Odessa in Flames (1942): Italo-Romanian Co-production". Cultura Romena (in Italian). 2010-09-08. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  19. ^ "Cântăreaţa zburătoare – Ziarul de Gardă". www.zdg.md.
  20. ^ "Maria Cebotari Singt Richard Strauss". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  21. ^ "The Art of Maria Cebotari". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  • Pâris, Alain (14 October 2004). Le dictionnaire des interprètes. Robert Laffont. ISBN 978-2-221-10214-5.
[edit]
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Maria Cebotari

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''Maria Cebotari'' is a Romanian soprano known for her extraordinary versatility across lyric, dramatic, and coloratura repertoires, with acclaimed interpretations of roles in operas by Richard Strauss, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, and Giacomo Puccini, establishing her as one of the leading European opera singers of the 1930s and 1940s. Born Maria Cebotaru on February 10, 1910, in Chișinău, Bessarabia (then part of the Russian Empire, later Romania, now Moldova), she initially pursued acting with a Russian émigré theater troupe before shifting to vocal studies in Berlin under Oskar Daniel. She made her operatic debut in 1931 as Mimì in Puccini's La bohème at the Dresden Staatsoper, where she rapidly gained recognition and secured engagements that led to her appointment as Kammersängerin at age 24 in 1934. Cebotari's career flourished with long-term positions at the Berlin State Opera from 1936 to 1944 and the Vienna State Opera from 1946 until her death, complemented by frequent appearances at the Salzburg Festival, Covent Garden, and other major venues across Europe. She was particularly admired for her Mozart roles including Susanna, Countess Almaviva, and Donna Anna, her Strauss portrayals such as Salome, Arabella, and the created role of Aminta in Die schweigsame Frau, and her Puccini heroines like Cio-Cio-San and Turandot. Her performances were noted for their musical intelligence, intensity, and technical reliability, often drawing comparisons to later singers for her wide-ranging capabilities and stage commitment. In addition to her operatic work, she appeared in several German and Italian films between 1933 and 1942, including propaganda-related productions that later affected her legacy in certain political contexts. Her promising international career ended prematurely when she succumbed to liver cancer on June 9, 1949, in Vienna at the age of 39, following her final performance in Millöcker's Der Bettelstudent. Cebotari's recordings, particularly in live Strauss and Mozart excerpts, remain valued references for her era's vocal artistry.

Early life and education

Birth and childhood in Bessarabia

Maria Cebotari was born Maria Ciubotaru on February 10, 1910, in Chișinău, the capital of the Bessarabia Governorate in the Russian Empire (present-day Moldova). She was the fifth of twelve children born to Ion Cibotaru, a local schoolteacher, and his wife Maria, in a modest family environment typical of provincial educators in the region. The family maintained Romanian cultural heritage and spoke Romanian, while the multilingual Bessarabian setting under Russian imperial rule also involved widespread use of Russian amid Russification policies. From an early age, Cebotari displayed vocal talent and sang in the church choir of the Nativity Cathedral in Chișinău, where she participated in religious services and developed her natural singing ability in a community context. She also sang in churches more broadly as a child, gaining local recognition for her beautiful voice.

Early musical experiences and education in Chișinău

Maria Cebotari's early musical experiences took place in her hometown of Chișinău (then Kishinev), where she sang in a church choir as a child. She participated in the Metropolitan Chapel choir, directed by Mihail Berezovschi, and demonstrated precocious talent by performing operatic arias from Giacomo Puccini's Tosca and Giuseppe Verdi's Aida at a very early age. Her formal training began at the normal school for girls Florica Niță in Chișinău, followed by instruction at the Metropolitan Chapel. She then enrolled in the Unirea Conservatory in Chișinău from 1924 to 1929, studying voice with distinguished pedagogues Maria Zlatov, Gavriil Afanasiu, and Anastasia Dicescu. Her exceptional vocal gifts earned her the nickname "Nightingale of Bessarabia" during her youth in Chișinău. After completing her studies there, she pursued acting and joined the Moscow Art Theater.

Acting beginnings at the Moscow Art Theater

Maria Cebotari began her professional stage career as an actress with the Moscow Art Theater Company in 1929. https://filmstarpostcards.blogspot.com/2017/07/maria-cebotari.html https://forgottenoperagreats.com/maria-cebotari/ The company visited her hometown of Chișinău during a tour, where she auditioned successfully and was recruited into the ensemble following her recent studies at the local conservatory. https://filmstarpostcards.blogspot.com/2017/07/maria-cebotari.html Her brief tenure with the Moscow Art Theater provided foundational experience in spoken theater, developing her dramatic abilities within the renowned company's ensemble. https://forgottenoperagreats.com/maria-cebotari/ No specific productions or roles from this period are widely documented, reflecting the short duration of her involvement in the spoken drama repertoire. https://www.moldpres.md/eng/other/maria-cebotari-golden-voice-of-bessarabia Later in 1929, Cebotari decided to leave the Moscow Art Theater to relocate to Berlin and pursue formal singing studies, marking the end of her initial phase in acting. https://www.cyranos.ch/smcebo-e.htm https://filmstarpostcards.blogspot.com/2017/07/maria-cebotari.html

Transition to opera and early career

Singing studies in Berlin

In 1929, after a brief stay in Paris where she sought singing opportunities, Maria Cebotari relocated to Berlin with her husband, Alexander Virubov. In Berlin, the couple met Max von Schillings, who recommended that she pursue formal vocal training with Oskar Daniel, a professor at the Berlin Music High School (Hochschule für Musik). She began intensive studies with Daniel, focusing on the development of her singing technique. This period of training lasted approximately three months and was described as intensive, building on her natural vocal abilities to prepare her for the demands of professional opera. Her prior experience in acting with a Russian theater troupe facilitated a transition to singing, and she quickly adapted to the German language environment during this time. The studies with Daniel equipped her with the technical foundation necessary for operatic performance, marking her shift from acting to vocal artistry.

Opera debut and Dresden years

Maria Cebotari received a three-year contract from Fritz Busch for the Dresden State Opera, where she made her operatic debut in April 1931 as Mimì in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème at the Semperoper. She was active at the Dresden State Opera from 1931 to 1936, building a diverse repertoire that included lyric soprano roles in operas by Mozart, Puccini, and others, as well as creating roles in contemporary works. She earned favorable critical notices for her warm voice, musicality, and stage presence. Her performances in Dresden helped establish her as a promising talent in the German opera landscape, paving the way for further engagements in major houses. She had arrived at the Dresden engagement after her vocal training in Berlin, where she transitioned from acting to singing.

Peak opera career

Performances in Berlin and other German houses

Maria Cebotari moved to the Berlin State Opera in 1936 after her tenure in Dresden, joining the company as a leading lyric-dramatic soprano. She made her house debut as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata, a role that showcased her expressive phrasing and vocal agility to great acclaim. In Berlin, she rapidly established herself with a broad repertoire that included Puccini's heroines Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Manon Lescaut, as well as Mozart's Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. Her interpretations were noted for their blend of lyrical warmth and dramatic conviction, earning her consistent praise from critics and audiences alike. Cebotari collaborated with leading conductors at the Berlin State Opera, notably Herbert von Karajan, who conducted her in several performances during the late 1930s, including Mozart and Puccini works. She also worked with other prominent figures such as Erich Kleiber and Leo Blech in various productions. Throughout the pre-war years, Cebotari's popularity grew steadily in Berlin and beyond, with guest engagements at other major German houses including the Hamburg State Opera and occasional appearances in Munich and Frankfurt. These performances solidified her status as one of the most prominent sopranos active in Germany during the 1930s.

Vienna State Opera and wartime career

Maria Cebotari maintained a prominent position in German opera during World War II, primarily as a leading soprano at the Berlin State Opera from 1936 to 1946. During these years, she performed across stages in Axis-aligned countries including Germany, Italy, and their allies, as well as in other European venues, continuing her international presence despite wartime restrictions. As an artist in wartime Europe, she faced the complexities of operating under totalitarian regimes, exemplified by the later censorship of her film roles by both Nazi and communist authorities, though her operatic engagements persisted without documented major interruptions from the conflict. In 1946, Cebotari left Berlin and joined the Vienna State Opera as a primadonna, marking her transition to Austria in the immediate postwar period. She remained a member of the company until her death in 1949, contributing to its repertory during the challenging reconstruction years after the war. Her appearances included a 1947 tour to Covent Garden with the Vienna State Opera ensemble, where she performed the title role in Salome. Cebotari's final performance at the Vienna State Opera was as Laura in Carl Millöcker's operetta Der Bettelstudent. Her tenure in Vienna represented the concluding phase of her stage career before illness forced her withdrawal.

Signature roles and repertoire

Maria Cebotari's repertoire demonstrated remarkable versatility, encompassing coloratura, soubrette, lyric, and more dramatic soprano roles, which she approached with total involvement, vibrant singing, and impassioned delivery. Her voice was characterized by flexibility, florid virtuosity, a bell-like tone, and the ability to produce buoyant lines with expressive portamenti, making her particularly effective in lyric repertoire while allowing convincing forays into heavier parts. She excelled in Mozart roles, where her interpretations were regarded as jewels of her lyric voice. Her Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro featured strongly limned and individual accounts of "Dove sono," marked by vibrant expression and conviction, while her Donna Anna in Don Giovanni delivered thrilling renditions of "Or sai chi l’onore" and admirable phrasing in "Non mi dir." In the operas of Richard Strauss, Cebotari achieved notable distinction. She created the role of Aminta in Die schweigsame Frau at the composer's personal request and received high acclaim for her Salome. Her performance of Ariadne's monologue from Ariadne auf Naxos was praised as finely moulded, expressive, and soaring, representing one of her finest late recordings. Cebotari also left a strong impression in Puccini repertoire, particularly as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, where her sensitive and moving interpretation of "Un bel dì vedremo" conveyed profound sadness and desperation, and as Mimì in La bohème, which showcased the fresh charm of her voice in early performances. Her overall approach combined wholehearted conviction with glamorous, lively singing, earning praise for its expressive depth across her signature roles.

Salzburg Festival appearances

Maria Cebotari made her Salzburg Festival debut in 1931 as Amor in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, engaged by conductor Bruno Walter shortly after her operatic debut in Dresden. She returned in 1932 as Amor in the same opera and as a Meermädchen in Weber's Oberon, before advancing to the title role of Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice in 1933. In 1938, she took on prominent Mozart roles, portraying the Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (for one performance). These engagements marked her emergence in major lyric soprano parts at the festival. After World War II, Cebotari resumed appearances in 1945 as Konstanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, conducted by Felix Prohaska with Herbert Waniek as stage director, and performed a lieder recital accompanied by Ernst Reichert. In 1947, she repeated the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro and created Lucile in the world premiere of Gottfried von Einem's Dantons Tod, conducted by Ferenc Fricsay and staged by Oscar Fritz Schuh. Her 1948 performances included a Bruckner cathedral concert and the creation of Isot in the German premiere of Frank Martin's Le vin herbé. Cebotari appeared regularly at the Salzburg Festival, particularly excelling in Mozart operas, which showcased her lyrical voice and contributed significantly to her international reputation.

Film career

Entry into German cinema

Maria Cebotari entered German cinema in the early 1930s, around the time her opera career was beginning to take shape. Her screen debut occurred in 1930 with a minor role as a singer in Troika, predating her professional opera debut in 1931. As she rose to prominence as a leading soprano in Dresden and other German opera houses, opportunities in film followed, with appearances in several German and Italian productions during the 1930s and early 1940s. Her growing popularity on stage and vocal abilities contributed to her appeal for cinematic roles, allowing her to combine singing and acting.

Notable film roles and contributions

Maria Cebotari appeared in ten films between 1930 and 1943, primarily in German and Italian productions that drew upon her soprano voice and operatic presence. These roles often portrayed singers or incorporated musical performances, allowing her to extend her vocal artistry to cinema audiences during the height of her stage career. Among her most recognized screen performances was the role of Teresina Stolz in Giuseppe Verdi (1938), directed by Carmine Gallone, where she depicted the soprano who premiered several Verdi operas. In The Dream of Butterfly (1939), also under Gallone's direction, she starred as Madame Butterfly and performed excerpts from Puccini's work. Her portrayal of the historical mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran in The Genius and the Nightingale (Maria Malibran, 1943), directed by Guido Brignone, marked her final film appearance. Other notable contributions include her role as Fiamma Vanni in Mother Song (Mutterlied, 1937), opposite Beniamino Gigli, and as Maria Dalgeri in Amami, Alfredo! (1940). In Odessa in Flames (Odessa in fiamme, 1942), she played Maria Teodorescu, a Bessarabian opera singer, in a Romanian-Italian co-production directed by Carmine Gallone. This film contained fascist propaganda elements promoting Axis wartime narratives and was later banned in some contexts after the war. Many of her films collaborated with director Carmine Gallone and featured operatic elements, effectively bringing her signature vocal qualities to the screen and complementing her primary identity as an opera singer. Some productions from this era were associated with propaganda efforts in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, contributing to post-war discussions of her legacy in certain political contexts.

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Maria Cebotari's first marriage was to Count Alexander Virubov, an actor and manager of a Russian émigré theater company who discovered her, fell in love with her, and married her. The couple later separated and divorced in 1938. In the same year, she married Austrian film actor Gustav Diessl (1899–1948), with whom she had two sons. The marriage lasted until Diessl's sudden death from a heart attack on March 20, 1948. Her personal life during this period was shaped by her union with Diessl, who was established in German cinema, though the wartime context in Berlin brought additional challenges to their family life.

Life during World War II

During World War II, Maria Cebotari was based in Berlin, where she was a contracted member of the Berlin State Opera and continued her professional career as a soprano. She performed regularly at the house throughout the war years, even as Allied bombings intensified and conditions deteriorated. Her home in Berlin was destroyed by bombing in 1943, after which she moved to Vienna and became associated with the Vienna State Opera (sources vary on the exact joining date, between 1943 and 1946). As an artist working in Nazi Germany and later in Nazi-annexed Austria, Cebotari operated within the controlled cultural system of the Third Reich. She was not a member of the Nazi Party. Her prominence as a leading singer afforded her a degree of professional continuity and protection, allowing her to maintain a full performance schedule despite the broader wartime restrictions on cultural life and travel. Her personal life during this period was marked by her ongoing marriage to Austrian actor Gustav Diessl. She continued to appear on stage amid the destruction and chaos of the conflict, relocating to Vienna in its later stages.

Death and legacy

Illness and death

Maria Cebotari's health began to decline in the late 1940s, particularly after the death of her husband Gustav Diessl in March 1948, with her condition worsening significantly in early 1949. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had metastasized to the liver during this period, which progressively affected her ability to perform. In early 1949, her illness became acute, with reports of severe pain during performances and a fall on stage during Der Bettelstudent on March 31, 1949, leading to abdominal surgery on April 4, 1949, that confirmed the advanced nature of the disease. Contemporary accounts describe her final weeks as marked by severe suffering in her Vienna villa, where she remained until the end despite her rapidly failing health. She died on June 9, 1949, in Vienna at the age of 39.

Posthumous recognition and recordings

Maria Cebotari's recorded legacy, consisting primarily of studio sessions and radio broadcasts from the 1930s and 1940s, has been preserved and reissued posthumously on various labels, sustaining appreciation for her interpretations of arias by composers such as Mozart, Richard Strauss, Verdi, Puccini, and Gounod. Soon after her death in 1949, memorial compilations emerged, including a 1952 Urania release featuring excerpts from operas by Richard Strauss, Mozart, and Puccini. In 1960, Deutsche Grammophon issued the tribute album Zur Erinnerung An Maria Cebotari ("In Memory of Maria Cebotari"). Subsequent reissues have continued to emphasize her discography, with many recordings digitally remastered for modern audiences. A prominent example is the 2004 Hänssler Classic CD Maria Cebotari Sings Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Strauß and Gounod, which presents brilliantly remastered performances showcasing her vocal flexibility, florid virtuosity, bell-like tone, and powerful dramatic range across these composers' works. This release highlights her historical importance as a soprano who collaborated directly with Richard Strauss and whose approach has drawn comparisons to later artists such as Maria Callas. These compilations and reissues, drawn from her surviving recordings, affirm the enduring value of her artistry among opera specialists and listeners.

Cultural impact in Romania and Moldova

Maria Cebotari continues to be revered in Romania and Moldova as an emblematic figure of Bessarabian-Romanian opera heritage, celebrated for her international success while maintaining strong ties to her native region. Her legacy is particularly evident in Moldova, where she is frequently referred to as the "Nightingale of Bessarabia" in recognition of her lyrical soprano excellence and origins in Chișinău. This affectionate nickname underscores her enduring status as a cultural symbol of the region. Commemorative efforts in Moldova highlight her importance, including public screenings of the documentary Aria (directed by Vlad Druc), which faced earlier restrictions due to her self-identification as Romanian but was openly presented in Chișinău on the centenary of her birth. On that occasion, she was described as the "national nightingale," reflecting official acknowledgment of her cultural significance despite past sensitivities. In Romania, her Bessarabian roots and operatic achievements are presented as part of shared heritage, as seen in the exhibition “The National Heritage of Moldova: The Astronomer Nicolae Donici and the Soprano Maria Cebotari” at the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest. Organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova and partners, the exhibition portrayed her as an emblematic personality of Moldovan culture, with accompanying screenings of Aria to emphasize her status as one of Europe's most appreciated lyrical voices during her era. Such initiatives affirm her lasting influence across both countries. After her death, Cebotari left two young sons, who were subsequently adopted by the British pianist Sir Clifford Curzon and his wife Lucille Wallace.

References

  1. https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7f9cbd6f-8864-4de4-bcf8-b25f98831c49
  2. http://www.cantabile-subito.de/Sopranos/Cebotari__Maria/hauptteil_cebotari__maria.html
  3. https://www.womenonthemove.eu/short-story-maria-cebotari-an-artist-caught-in-an-ideological-battle/
  4. https://romaniancoins.org/50leim2010_maria_cebotari.html
  5. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0147526/bio/
  6. https://www.moldpres.md/eng/other/maria-cebotari-golden-voice-of-bessarabia
  7. https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cebotari-maria-1910-1949
  8. https://www.nationalmuseum.md/en/exhibitions/maria_cebotari_life_and_work/
  9. https://visit.chisinau.md/en/obiective_turistice/maria-cebotari-1910-1949/
  10. https://www.naxos.com/Bio/Person/Cebotari_Maria/11527
  11. https://forgottenoperagreats.com/maria-cebotari/
  12. https://filmstarpostcards.blogspot.com/2017/07/maria-cebotari.html
  13. https://www.gramophone.co.uk/reviews/review?slug=maria-cebotari-1910-49
  14. https://operatoday.com/2005/03/maria_cebotari_sings_mozart_verdi_puccini_strau_and_gounod/
  15. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/orfeo-ed-euridice-1932
  16. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/orfeo-ed-euridice-1933
  17. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/le-nozze-di-figaro-1938
  18. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/don-giovanni-1938
  19. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/der-rosenkavalier-1938
  20. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/die-entfuehrung-aus-dem-serail-1945
  21. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/fifth-lied-recital-maria-cebotari-ernst-reichert-1945
  22. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/le-nozze-di-figaro-1947
  23. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/dantons-tod-1947
  24. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/fourth-cathedral-concert-bruckner-1948
  25. https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/en/p/le-vin-herbe-1948
  26. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0147526/
  27. https://greatsingersofthepast.wordpress.com/2018/02/10/maria-cebotari-soprano/
  28. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0147526/trivia/
  29. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6945492/maria-cebotari
  30. https://androom.home.xs4all.nl/biography/p026145.htm
  31. https://www.discogs.com/artist/446874-Maria-Cebotari
  32. http://www.operatoday.com/content/2005/03/maria_cebotari.php
  33. https://ipn.md/en/astronomer-nicolae-donici-and-soprano-maria-cebotari-honored-in-an-exhibition-in-bucharest/
  34. https://tv8.md/ru/2024/09/07/video-viena-i-a-dat-aripi-povestea-moldovencei-care-straluceste-cu-o-vioara-pe-marile-scene-ale-lumii/265119
  35. https://www.zdg.md/reporter-special/oameni/cantareata-zburatoare/
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