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The Finnish mezzo-soprano, Heljä Angervo, studied singing at the Sibelius-Akademie in Helsinki.
Heljä Angervo made her debut in 1964 at the Opera of Helsinki as Dorabella in Così fan tutte. She was prize-winner at singing competitions in s'Hertogenbosch (1967) and Rio de Janeiro (1969) as well as at the Tchaikovsky Competition of 1970 in Moscow. She became member of the Staatsoper of Hamburg and appeared in addition at the Festivals of Bayreuth (1974 as Schwertleite in Walküre') and Salzburg, however remained connected with the Opera of Helsinki. At the Salzburg Festival she participated in 1973 in the premiere of Carl Orffs De Temporum fine comoedia; in 1977 she performed in Salzburg the roles of Salomeby R. Strauss and Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher by Arthur Honegger; in 1975 she appeared there in a concert of modern music. In 1987 she made guest appearance at the Festival of Edinburgh in the role of Maddalena in Rigoletto.
Heljä Angervo's stage repertoire spreads from Gluck's Orpheus to Judith in Blue-Beard Castle by Béla Bartók and more contemporary works, above all of Finnish composers. Thus she participated in 1992 at the National Opera of Helsinki in the premiere of the opera Elina by Jukka Liukola. She enjoyed international reputation also as concert and oratorio singer.
Recordings: Electrola-HMV (complete Salome under Herbert von Karajan), DGG (De Temporum fine comoedia), Finlandia (Silkkirumpni by Paavo Heinninen, The Damask Drum by the same composer), Ondine (Vincent by E.
Rautavaara). |
