| Biography | The Polish mezzo-soprano, Eugenia Zareska, studied with Adam Didur in Lwów, then in Vienna, where she won in 1938 a singing competition. She was also a pupil of Anna Bahr Mildenburg.
Zareska began her stage career in 1939. From 1940 she lived in Italy, where she finished her training in Milan, later she appeared at the prominent opera theatres and particularly since 1941 at Milans La Scala she had important successes (start role: Dorabella in Così fan tutte). In 1942 she sang at the Opera of Rome, and after World War II often made guest appearances in Paris, such as Marina in Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky. In 1952 she shifted her domicile to London. She appeared there first at the Cambridge Theatre as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, then in 1948-1949, 1952-1953 and 1957-1958 at the Covent Garden Opera London, at which she had her first role as Carmen. At the same time she appeared as a guest at the big opera stages in Italy, France, Belgium and Holland.
Zareska was also an internationally recognised concert singer, whereby she was characterised in particular in the Lieder singing. She participated in the festivals of Edinburgh and Sienna and sang Dorabella at the Glyndebourne Festival of 1948. At the Festival of Venice she could be heard in 1949 as Countess Geschwitz in Alban Bergs opera Lulu. She appeared as a guest also at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. |