Simona Saturová as Lucia Popp and Edita Gruberova coming from Bratislava is nothing short of a small miracle of Mozart. She sings Konstanze with such seismic coloratura, such piano-sensitivity and style perfection that take your breath away.
[Der neue Merker, Christoph Zimmermann, 11.6.2012]
Simona Šaturová was born in Bratislava (Slovakia). She studied singing at the Bratislava Conservatory and attended various master classes, most notably with the soprano Ileana Cortrubas and Magreet Honig in Amsterdam.
To the highlights of last seasons belong work with Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Herbertem Blomstedtem, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker with Krzysztofem Urbanski, debut in the role of Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro in a Mozart – Da Ponte Trilogia production in La Monnaie, beside the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Missa solemnis with Manfred Honeck in Pittburgh.
To the highlights of the 2017-18 season belong debut in a new production of the Semper Oper (Konstanze), concert version of Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) in the Elbphilharmonie, “Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln” by F. Schmidt under Fabio Luisi in Kopenhagen, Verdi’s Requiem with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under conduting of Manfred Honeck and a New year’s Beethoven 9th with Krzysztof Urbański in Philharmonie im Gasteig.
Simona is a frequent guest at the Théatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Beside Violetta (Andrea Breth, cond. Ádám Fischer) and Gilda (Robert Carsen, cond. Carlo Rizzi) she also performed as Ilia (Idomeneo), Sandrina (La finta giardiniera), Servilia (Titus) Ismene (Mitridate) and most recently as Celia (Lucio Silla).
Since her highly acclaimed success as Konstanze (The Abduction from the Seraglio) she is also closely connected to the Aalto-Theatre in Essen and in this season performs as Elettra (Idomeneo), and Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail). Besides of numerous performances at the Prague National Theatre the soprano so far could also be heard on the stages of Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, Théâtre du Châtelet Paris, Opéra de Monte Carlo, Oper Frankfurt and in Athen`s Megaron Concert Hall. Her repertoire also includes the roles of Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Gilda (Rigoletto), Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) or Adele (Die Fledermaus).
Simona Šaturová has also earned an international reputation as a concert and oratorio singer. She has appeared as a guest performer in New York, Dallas, Oslo, Detroit, Toronto, Granada, Istanbul, Japan, Israel and Venezuela, at the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene, the Festival Internazionale di Musica e Arte Sacra Roma, the Vienna Spring Festival or the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
Conductors with whom the soprano singer has worked include Christoph Eschenbach (The Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, NDR Sinfonieorchester), Manfred Honeck (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic), Adam Fischer (London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment), Jiří Bělohlávek (Česká Filharmonie), Helmuth Rilling (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra), Iván Fischer, Christopher Hogwood (Münchner Symphoniker), Tomáš Netopil (Orchestra Accademia Nazionaledi Santa Cecilia) a Philippe Herreweghe (Orchestre des Champs-Elysés) and Sir Neville Marriner, Leopold Hager, Sylvain Cambreling, Gennadij Rožděstvenskij, John Fiore, Kent Nagano, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Rolf Beck, Martin Haselböck and others.
Simona Šaturová has an exceptional relationship to Mozart’s music: “His music has always been with me. His Mass in C minor has been an especially important work for me. I have already sung it more than 50 times all over the world.” In January 2009 she performed her favourite piece of music in the Sistine Chapel as a guest of Pope Benedict. She sung it in Baltimore under the baton of Masaaki Suzuki and in Berlin under the baton of Jörg-Peter Weigle in the past season. Further engagements lead her to Pittsburgh with Manfred Honeck (Beethoven: 9. Symphony) and Prag (Braunfels: Te Deum). Also in Prag she sung Mahler: 2nd Symphony with Jiří Bělohlávek and Bernarda Fink.
She has also featured on CD recordings for the Supraphon: Dvořák’s Moravian Duets (2018) Martinů’s Ariane (2016), hänssler classic and Classico labels and for Carus Verlag and Sony/BMG. In June 2009 the Orfeo label released her first solo recording with the NDR Radiophilharmonie under the title Haydn Arias. This CD was labelled “Editor’s Choice” by Gramophone Magazine. Her recording „Gloria” includes Advent and Christmas music including outstanding Tarquinio Merula’s Virgin’s Lullaby framed by Zbyněk Matějů composition Ad Te Domine. Mahlerovy symphony No2 with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach was labelled Supersonic Award and Preis der deutschen Schallplatten Kritik. Her CD Decade includes arias of W. A. Mozart and J. Mysliveček with several world premiere recordings.
Simona was awarded the “Förderpreis der Walter und Charlotte Hamel-Stiftung” (Walter and Charlotte Hamel Foundation prize) at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in 2007 and “Thalia Prize” for the best vocal performance of the year 2001.