norman lebrecht
August 20, 2026
The death has been reported of the tremendous Romanian soprano Ileana Cotrubas. She was 87.
In the 1970s and 1980s Cotrubas was triumphant in Verdi roles, primarily at the Vienna State Opera where she had a long contract. Her Violetta was unassailable.
She made her Covent Garden debut as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin and her Met appearance as Mimi. Directors who thought they knew her roles well were given very short shrift. She sang fluently in six languages.
Cotrubas was hugely recorded. Her prime pupil was Angela Gheorghiu.
She married the German conductor Manfred Ramin in 1972 and bought a villa on the Cote d’Azur.