Ewa Podleล has died.
โEwa Podleล (1952-2024)
The Polish contralto Ewa Podleล, whose powerful yet supremely agile voice was a force of nature, has died in Warsaw aged 71.
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Endowed with a three-octave range and a cavernous chest-register which could cut effortlessly across a full orchestra, Podleล excelled in dramatic Rossini assignments such as Tancredi, Arsace in Semiramide, and the title-role in Ciro in Babilonia, and as Handel's Orlando, Bertarido (Rodelinda), Polinesso (Ariodante) and Rinaldo.
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On the concert-platform, Podleล was renowned for her interpretations of Russian and Polish song repertoire, frequently championing music by her compatriots Lutosลawski, Szymanowski and Penderecki. She often performed and recorded with her husband, the Polish pianist Jerzy Marchwiลski, whom she survived by just two months.
Podleล died of lung cancer on 19th January, and is survived by her daughter Mari Madej and step-daughter Ania Marchwinska, who announced her death earlier this week.โ
โ https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/articles/5732--obituary-ewa-podle-1952-2024
71 - way too young. And she only retired from performing six years ago! She was still teaching โฆ
I am not overstating things by saying she was one of the greatest contraltos who ever lived. May angels sing her to the eternal concert hall.
