| Biography | Edita Gruberová (23 December 1946-18 October 2021) was a Slovak coloratura soprano. She made her stage debut in Bratislava in 1968 as Rosina in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, but successfully auditioned at the Vienna State Opera the following year, which became her base. She enjoyed huge success internationally in roles such as Mozart's Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss. In her later career, she explored heavier roles in the Italian bel canto repertoire, such as the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Elvira in Bellini's I puritani, and Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux. In 2019, she portrayed Elizabeth I who leaves her throne, concluding a stage career performing leading roles over 51 years. She is remembered as the "Slowakische Nachtigal" (Slovak Nightingale), and as the last prima donna assoluta. |