Bosnian-(Yugoslavian)-Austrian soprano, b. 1921
Biographical notes: She was born Srebrenka Jurinac in Travnik, Bosnia, that at the time was part of Yugoslavia. Her
father was a Croatian army doctor, her mother Viennese. She showed early signs of a musical talent and studied at the Zagreb conservatory with Milka Kostrencic (the teacher of Zinka
Milanov), making her debut as Mimì at Zagreb in 1942. In the following two years she sang the Countess, Freia, Isabella in Werner Egk’s premiere Columbus as well as in Yugoslavian operas. In
1944 (she was by then only 23 years old) she was contracted to the Vienna State Opera by Karl Böhm. Because of the War she was not able to sing until 1946 there (her first role was
Cherubino). In the first year at the Staatsoper she had to sing more than 150 performances a year (far too much for a young singer). In the autumn of that year she came to London with the
Vienna ensemble, singing Dorabella, the part she took with the Glyndebourne Opera at the Edinburgh Festival, where Fritz Busch became her mentor, and where she sang regularly for many
years. She quickly established as one of the most admired members of the “Wiener Ensemble” (which included Irmgard Seefried, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig,
Lisa della Casa, Anton Dermota
, Erich Kunz and others). In 1950 she appeared as Fiordiligi at Glyndebourne, to be followed by Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Ilia, the Countess and Cherubino (one of her greatest
creations). At the Salzburg Festival she sang Dorabella, Cherubino and Amor, Eurydike, Marzelline, Elisabetta and Octavian (another highlight role). She performed the Countess in 1962
and the Composer in 1964. Regular appearances included performances at Covent Garden. In 1960 she sang an ardent and impassioned Octavian at the re-opened Festspielhaus at Salzburg
opposite Lisa della Casa. Under the guidance of Herbert von Karajan she began to sing heavier roles: Desdemona, Leonora in La Forza del Destino, Elisabetta, Marina, Tosca, Butterfly, Jenufa,
Iphigenia and even Leonore. Sena Jurinac bade farewell to the operatic stage as Marschallin at the Vienna State Opera in 1983 but continued to give recitals. She has been a sought-after
singing coach for many years in Europe and the United States.
As Cio-Cio-San
As the Composer in “Ariadne auf Naxos”a
As Elisabetta in “Don Carlos”
As Donna Elvira (left) and Donna Anna (right)
As Fiordiligi
Hilde Güden (Sophie) and Sena Jurinac (Octavian) “The lad himself is played by Sena Jurinac, who has one of the most beautiful voices at the Vienna State Opera. She is charmingly natural both as the youthfully bewildered lover and as a rogue. The Cherubino-like nature of the character finds particularly delightful expression when playful amorousness turns to the tongue-tied awkwardness of the first real feeling of love.” Karl Heinz Ruppel describing her Octavian, Süddeutsche Zeitung 1960
Josephine Veasey (Octavian) and Sena Jurinac (Marschallin) Comment:
Sena Jurinac was one of the best loved sopranos of the postwar era. She possessed a voice of an individual beauty and transluscent color with a generous and warm personality to complement the
natural sincerity and spontaneity of her singing. To me, her voice shines at once silver and gold. Much of her Mozart and Strauss is a model both of style and of voice production. The characters
of Cherubino, Manon and Octavian, to name but a few, are superbly illuminated by her individual phrasing. I would like to present the artist in a repertoire excluding Mozart and Strauss (for which she
was particularly admired). Marenka’s aria is one of the greatest versions on records, despite the German language. The same could be said about her Manon. Richard Strauss’ “Beim
Schlafengehen” shows her in superb form, this was a live performance at Stockholm conducted by Fritz Busch, shortly before his death.
As Manon
Marzelline at the Salzburg Festival in 1950
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