Exhibition in Milan pays tribute to Turkish diva Leyla Gencer

MILAN

An exhibition dedicated to the “Turkish diva” Leyla Gencer opened on May 12 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

It has been organized by the Turkish Embassy in order to mark the 10th anniversary of Gencer’s death. 

Curated by Pier Luigi Pizzi and Franca Cella, the exhibition has photos on display from Teatro alla Scala’s photographic archives, Gencer’s archives in Istanbul, as well as footage from RAI and RAI Teche. 

The Turkish Ambassador in Italy, Murat Salim Esenli, attended the inauguration of the event along with Teatro alla Scala director Maria Di Freda and many other art lovers. 

“Gencer secured her position in the world of opera not only with the variety of her repertoire but also with the dramatic nuances she added to the characters she played. Thanks to her investigative personality, she revealed many forgotten works of the romantic era. Gencer also contributed to the establishment of Accademia Teatro Alla Scala, where she worked as an educator until she died in 2008,” said Esenli. 

The event was also followed by a meeting and a concert. 

Gencer who lived between October 1928 and May 2008, was a Turkish soprano who spent most of her career in Italy, from the early 1950s through the mid-1980s. She was known for having one of the most passionate voices in the history of opera. 

She has sung in theaters around the world and under some of the greatest Italian maestros, including Vittorio Gui, Tullio Serafin and Gianandrea Gavazzeni. 

She has also sung at Teatro alla Scala for over 50 years, and became an artistic director of the academy in 1982, where she taught opera artists until her death in 2008. 

The exhibition will be open until Sept. 16.