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Tschaikovski und "das mächtige Häuflein"
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Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Sopran aus D
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DVD, Theater Freiburg, 2017
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Lieder von Strauss, Schönberg, Berg
Lieder und
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und Hensel
gesungen von Felicitas und Judith Erb
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam, 2015
Lena Belkina: Classic Vienna
Arien von Mozart, Gluck und Haydn
Die
musikalische Schatztruhe
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Translated from the original German text in the "Klassik begeistert" Blog
When I feature a rising star in the Klassik -begeistert blog, I always associate it with the expectation of being able to come back to it a few years later and to report on important career steps. Usually, development takes this pleasing course, but a week ago I was shocked to learn that it was now my turn to write an obituary. The young Slovakian soprano Patricia Janečková has died of cancer at the age of just 25, less than two years after I introduced her here as a promising talent.
An exceptionally large fan base is now mourning the loss of the beautiful young woman, whose popularity is based primarily on her presence on the Internet. Born in 1998, she soon found attention as a child prodigy. She won the Czech-Slovak “Talentmania” competition in 2010 with enchantingly performed melodies from musicals. Numerous television viewers immediately fell in love with her, subscribed to her Internet channels on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook and shared everything they liked with a growing fan base. Soon she made the switch to classical opera arias, songs and solo pieces from sacred works. The 13-year-old's voice was already convincing with its clear head sound and naturally floating vibrato and the listener could enjoy flawless intonation and articulation.
Patricia Janečková (13 years old) at Viva Musica! 2011 – César Franck, Panis Angelicus
A special magic was that her happiness about the success could be read on her childlike face. And so I was not the only one who was curious about her future development. Whatever appeared on YouTube was showered with utmost praise by fans. For some, no exaggeration was too much and they praised her as the world's best singer, others wondered why she had not yet been hired by major opera houses. However, this would have required long-term maturation, for which she unfortunately had no time left. In February 2022 she announced that she had to cancel all engagements in order to undergo very stressful treatment after a breast cancer diagnosis. Of course, she also expressed the hope that she would soon return to her calling and be able to sing in front of an audience again. Over 200,000 followers of her YouTube channel prayed for her, followed reports of the progress of her treatment and saw the hair growing back after chemotherapy as a sign of hope. The joy was even greater when she got married three months ago. But what seemed like a successful return to life is, in retrospect, a happy episode shortly before saying goodbye, which she herself described as the most beautiful day of her life.
If you look at it soberly, with her initially light soprano she was on the level of members of the junior companies at important opera houses and blessed with the best vocal material and the highest musicality. What you can find of her on YouTube is often recorded in a simple setting, sometimes with only very simple accompaniment from organ or keyboard. That's just the way how students use to present themselves. But precisely in this simplicity an irresistible magic was hidden, with which she picked up many people at their actual position. She also reached the hearts of people who do not want to stand out through elite education, but are simply looking for something that comes from the heart and touches the heart. I suspect that many of her numerous fans had no connection to classical singing before. But with her natural, childlike charm and the angelic purity of her soprano voice, she was able to win everyone and take them along on the journey.
Despite Corona, their development made excellent progress. She regularly appeared at gala evenings and festival concerts and some of the resulting videos were viewed millions of times. She was in no way inferior to well-renowned duet partners and is now also being mourned by many colleagues. Her collaboration with the outstanding Prague baroque ensemble Collegium Marianum under the direction of the energetic flautist Jana Semerádová was also groundbreaking. She is also developing into a soloist in the area of baroque music, which one could listen to with great joy.
Collegium Marianum, Patricia Janečková (2021): Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) “Eja voce sonora laeti cantate” RV Anh 59 29
With this original sound group, she performed her first significant operatic role in 2017 as Galatea in Handel's Acis and Galatea. A fairytale-like production with the enchanting means of a puppet theater formed a very appealing setting for this debut. In my opinion, this is the most precious jewel of their legacy and I am very happy to have found a complete video recording of this magical production, which I would definitely recommend to every music lover:
https://www.operaonvideo.com/acis-and-galatea-valtice-2017-janeckova-kristjansson-kral/
This was followed by engagements at the opera in Ostrava as Esmeralda in The Bartered Bride and in several musical roles, including Maria in West Side Story. Other wonderful tasks were announced, for example Despina in Così fan tutte in Olomouc and the main role in a new chamber musical “Interview” written especially for her. That didn't happen anymore, her work remained unfinished at this point. What stays as her legacy is that she showed hundreds of thousands, if not millions, how beautiful classical singing can be. Many have adopted her in their hearts and now mourn the loss of someone close to them. Her numerous video recordings are being shared more eagerly than ever before, and her fan groups keep on dedicating themselves to her memory. I would like to call out to everyone who mourns her: “Keep on loving the art of singing and continue supporting young talents!” I think this is what we owe her as a refund for her short and yet so delighting work on this earth. Dear Patricia, we shall always think of you!
Live Patricia Janečková, "Think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye", 03 March 2019.
Rising Stars 21: Patricia Janečková, Sopran – das Wundermädchen aus dem Internet
Biographically sorted playlist in YouTube
Patricia Janečková on Wikipedia