EWA PODLES CONTRALTO ASSOLUTO by Brigitte Cormier


Podles-bookcover


ISBN 978-2-914373-56-2
356 pages, 30 Euro
Publisher : Symétrie

Click here to order the book in French

Click here to order the book in Polish

 

I heard Ewa Podles sing only once when in 1989 she sang Isaura in Rossini’s Tancredi at the Royal Flemish Opera in Antwerp. I will never forget the ovation she got after her first aria which was sort of embarassing to ànd overshadowed the nevertheless well-sung Tancredi of Mariana Cioromilla.  It was the only time she sang Isaura and this concert performance was perhaps a turning point in her career as from then on many international engagements followed.

Click here to for excerpts of that performance and click here for more

Intrigued and fascinated by the artist, the author wanted to investigate her artistic career. The testimony of relatives and that of the singer herself  illuminate the circumstances of her childhood and her musical training. The many memories entrusted are not devoid of humor and the author's conversations with friends and colleagues of  the artist, extracts of articles and interviews show different leidmotifs, ephemeral or lasting, which create  a network of passionate fans and a special aura around the contralto.

After her early years and initial career in Poland, this book traces the career of Ewa Podleś in Europe and North America with her encounters, anecdotes, her struggles, her opportunities and bad luck. The author succeeds in painting more  a kaleidoscopic than linear portrait of the artist – a singer and extraordinary woman in search of authenticity and the joy of singing. The book is well written and well researched and Podles’s life is so intertwined with Polish history that it often makes fascinating reading from this viewpoint as well.
The book is illustrated with well chosen (black and white) photographs and a chronology (according to composer) of roles and concert repertoire is included. There’s a complete discography and videography and an index is included.


Strongly recommended.


Rudi van den Bulck