Ilona Durigo (Contralto)

Born: May 13, 1881 - Budapest, Hungary
Died: December 25, 1943 - Budapest, Hungary

The Hungarian contralto, Ilona Durigo, began to study the piano when she was only five-year-old, and continued at the Budapest Academy, where she got the diploma. Her singing training begun also in Budapest with Malezcky, and she continued in 1902 at the Vienna Conservatory with Philipp Forstén and afterwards in Frankfurt with Julius Stockhausen.

After her debut as a concert singer in the year 1906, Ilona Durigo resumed her study in 1908 in Berlin with Bellwidt and Etelka Gerster. In the following years Ilona Durigo developed to an artist very much in demand in Europe. Apart from her only presentation as Gluck’s Orpheus in October 1912 in Frankfurt, she was to be heard exclusively as a concert singer. Her appearances led her in particular to Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. Since 1911 she arose as Lieder and oratorio singer also in Switzerland, where she coined/shaped the music life of Switzerland and especially Zürich over many years. The singer gave numerous recitals, in particular of Othmar Schöck’s Lieder and became the most important interpreter of his Lieder.

From 1921 to 1937 Ilona Durigo worked as a teacher for solo singing at the Zürich Conservatory, where the soprano Maria Stader ranked among her pupils. In 1937 she married with Osman Kasics and followed him back to Budapest, where she taught singing at the local conservatory.

Source: Züruck zum Seitenanfang Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (May 2003)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (May 2003); Manfred Krugmann (Photos 01-03, May 2011)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Willem Mengelberg

Alto

BWV 244

Links to other Sites

Nachlass Ilona Durigo (1881-1943) [German]