Ewa Maria Podleś (Polish:[ˈɛvaˈpɔdlɛɕ]; 26 April 1952 – 19 January 2024) was a Polish coloratura contralto singer who had an active international career both on the opera stage and in recital. She was known for the agility of her voice and a vocal range which spanned more than three octaves. She excelled in Rossini roles such as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, the title role of La Cenerentola, Isabella in L'italiana in Algeri and the title role of Tancredi. She was able to perform roles that Handel had written for castratos, such as Rinaldo and Giulio Cesare. Podleś appeared on leading stages of the world and made many recordings.
In 1984 she became a member of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, where she succeeded especially in the coloratura roles by Rossini, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia and the title role of La Cenerentola, but also as Bizet's Carmen.[3] In 1984 she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York City in the title role of Handel's Rinaldo,[3][5] repeated at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. She performed the same year at the Aix-en-Provence Festival as Rosina, and as Adalgisa in Bellini's Norma in Vancouver.[3] She rarely performed in Poland until the mid 1990s.[1]
Though known mainly for her interpretation of Baroque works, Podleś's repertoire ranged from Handel's Giulio Cesare to songs by Shostakovich. The coloratura contralto roles (some of them trouser roles) in Rossini's operas remained central to her repertoire. Critics noted the expressive power of her voice and her ability to cope with the florid singing demanded of Rossini's heroes and heroines.[6] Her voice had a wide range, spanning more than three octaves, and was called rare in type and beauty.[7]
It appears that her lowest note sung on stage is a B♭2 ("Pour une femme de mon nom" at La Scala) and her highest is a D6 ("Sudò il guerriero" from Il Ritorno di Tobia by Haydn). She also performed and gave a lot of recital, notably with her husband, later with the pianist Garrick Ohlsson and Anna Marchwiński.
Podleś's final performance was in La fille du régiment at Barcelona's Liceu in May 2017.[10] On 1 June, she announced that she was pausing her singing career ahead of an upcoming orthopaedic operation, while continuing to teach and with an intention to return to performing. However, her website listed no further appearances during the remainder of her life.[11]
Personal life
Podleś and her husband, the pianist Jerzy Marchwiński [pl], lived in Warsaw.[1][4] Marchwiński died on 7 November 2023.[1]
Podleś died from lung cancer at a hospice facility in Warsaw on 19 January 2024, at the age of 71.[1][2]
Recordings
Podleś made many recordings, CDs and DVDs of complete operas as well as symphonic works, arias and songs.[12] She took part in the first recording of Krzysztof Penderecki's Te Deum, conducted by the composer.[13] Several recordings earned international awards, such as Airs Célébres a Grand Prix du Disque, Mélodies Russes (Russian songs) a Grand prix de l'Académie française); a recording of Rossini's Tancredi earned the CD Classic's "The Best Buy 1995" award and a nomination for the 1996 Grammy Award. Arias by Rossini won her both the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the "Record of the Year" 1996 award of Studio magazine. Mahler's Symphony No. 2 earned her the "Palmarés Nouvelle Académie du Disque".[13]
