#Zapomniane primadonny

[opera-ghosts]

Ludwika Leśniewska The Nightingale of Warsaw

Ludwika Leśniewska, a student of Jan Quattrini, a valued soprano, soloist of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, called the "Polish Nightingale" by "Kurier Warszawski". She made her debut on the stage of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw on January 19, 1847.

After three years of performing in Warsaw, she left for further studies in Italy and at the same time began performing in Treviso and Turin. Already in January 1851, Leśniewska sang the part of Violetta in Mercadante's Il bravo, at La Scala in Milan, a few years later, in August 1859, she performed as the title character Lucia in Donizetti's opera. "Music lovers will probably be pleased to hear the news published in the Milanese newspapers that in the La Scala Theatre there, among the first singers engaged for the period of carnival and Lent is Miss Ludwika Leśniewska, a singer of our Opera in Warsaw (where she debuted on January 19, 1847 in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti), and who, as we reported, went abroad in order to develop her beautiful voice," wrote "Kurier Warszawski" in January 1851.

It was this singer who began the rich history of Polish performances on the stage of La Scala in Milan. The success she achieved in the Milanese theatre made her a much sought-after singer, invited to Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, Brussels, Venice and Rome. She was particularly valued for her outstanding performance as the title character in Donizetti's opera. Moreover, heroines from operas by this composer constituted the vast majority of the parts she had in her repertoire. It must also be admitted that Leśniewska was the first Polish singer to perform successfully on foreign opera stages. Her older sister Magdalena was also a singer. She performed most often in Vilnius and Kaunas. Exactly ten years after her debut in Milan, when the Warsaw Opera was having serious problems with singers, Maurycy Krasowski wrote in the same "Kurier": "Our periodicals have often mentioned the extraordinary successes in Vienna, Hungary and Italy of Miss Leśniewska; without a doubt this artist has already passed the zenith of her brilliant and shining profession, but if she is still at the end of it, she can still render great services to our stage." After ending her career, the artist did not return to Poland, she remained in Italy, where she died in 1882. Her sister, Magdalena, was also a singer. She performed most often in Vilnius and Kaunas.