Top Songs By Monica Groop
![Listen to Barnlige Sange (Children's Songs), Op. 61: V. Kveld-sang for Blakken [Goodnight Song for Dobbin] by Monica Groop & Love Derwinger, see lyrics, music video & more!](/mkimage/image/thumb/Music116/v4/dd/85/1f/dd851f12-5837-082b-ae5e-745c5d14d4f3/7318590006375.png/375x375bb.webp "Listen to Barnlige Sange (Children's Songs), Op. 61: V. Kveld-sang for Blakken [Goodnight Song for Dobbin] by Monica Groop & Love Derwinger, see lyrics, music video & more!")
More albums from Monica Groop
![Listen to Mozart, W.A.: Nozze Di Figaro (Le) (The Marriage of Figaro) [Opera] by Werner van Mechelen, Monica Groop, Christiane Oelze, Harry van der Kamp, Sigiswald Kuijken, Patrizia Biccire, Yves Saelens, La Petite Bande, Huub Claessens, Béatrice Cramoix, Philip Defrancq, Jean-Guy Devienne, Marie Kuijken & Chceur de Chambre de Namur](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music/76/7c/58/mzi.lsowslyl.jpg/1380x1380bb.webp "Listen to Mozart, W.A.: Nozze Di Figaro (Le) (The Marriage of Figaro) [Opera] by Werner van Mechelen, Monica Groop, Christiane Oelze, Harry van der Kamp, Sigiswald Kuijken, Patrizia Biccire, Yves Saelens, La Petite Bande, Huub Claessens, Béatrice Cramoix, Philip Defrancq, Jean-Guy Devienne, Marie Kuijken & Chceur de Chambre de Namur")
About Monica Groop
Hometown
Helsinki, Finland
Born
1958
Genre
Classical
One of several international singing stars in her time from the musically rich nation of Finland, mezzo-soprano Monica Groop emerged as a leading operatic figure in the 1990s. With an orientation toward Germanic repertory rather than Italian, she is also highly active on the recital and concert stages.
Groop's musical education culminated at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. In the 1986 summer season she participated in the Savonlinna Opera, then joined the Finnish National Opera. Her professional operatic debut was with that company in 1987 as Charlotte, the leading female character in Massenet's Werther. During her time on the Finnish National Opera's roster she sang the parts of Olga in Tchaikovsky's Evgeny Onegin, Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Sesto in his La clemenza di Tito, and Octavian in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier.
In 1989, Groop entered the famous Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in Wales and attracted attention as a finalist.
Her stardom is not the result of one dramatic star-making appearance, but she considers 1994 her breakout year. It was on the recital stage that she gained major international recognition with her debuts at Carnegie Hall in New York and Wigmore Hall in London, the most important recital venues of their respective countries. Following the success of Cecilia Bartoli, there has been a reawakening of interest in the lower female voice range, manifested in such things as the tendency to return to the original mezzo-soprano parts for many leading Rossini heroines, and resumption of the use of female mezzos in heroic roles in many Baroque operas.
Groop's statements suggest that she sees the presence of other mezzos of similar international stature in a positive way, giving her an opportunity to specialize in the repertory most congenial to her. "The bel canto tradition is not close to me," she has said (referring to the style of operatic singing most associated with Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti), "and Bartoli and [Jennifer] Larmore are brilliant practitioners of that side of things. I have sung a great deal of Mozart, and now I am ready for Strauss."
Accordingly, in 1995 she added the Straussian role of the Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos) to her repertory in performances in Frankfurt. In the same year she made worldwide news by her portrayal of Debussy's Mélisande in a controversial production staged by Peter Sellars in Los Angeles.
Since then she has been in such demand that she spends nearly 300 days a year away from her home. She has made over 40 recordings with major labels such as Decca, Sony Classics, Harmonia Mundi, CPO, Accent, Chandos, BIS, and Finlandia. Her recorded repertory includes music of composers as diverse as Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Haydn, Grieg, Sibelius, Vivaldi, Sarasate, Kálmán, Madetoja, and Pettersson. They include the first recordings of Vivaldi's Ottone and Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix. She has appeared in the world's major opera houses, and in concert with the greatest conductors and orchestras, including both standard ensembles and original instruments groups.
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