Portrait of the singer Leyla Gencer

Leyla Gencer (born Istanbul 10th October 1928 – died Milan 10th May 2008) was a Turkish soprano who had the misfortune to emerge at a historic time when singing phenomena like Renata Tebaldi and Maria Callas were rising stars. But,
despite being relegated to second billing or even understudy status (ready to replace whomever was in the title role only in case of incapacity, like for example at La Scala in 1958, the year in which Gencer was ready to take the
place of Maria Callas in Anne Boleyn but did not even sing a note), she still had an extraordinary career. Before Montserrat Caballé, Sutherland or Sills, she was a promoter of the “Donizetti Renaissance” which rediscovered operas
from a forgotten period and which have since re-entered the repertoire of many theatres. The interesting thing is that she became famous without the support of any record label or publicity, but simply due to incredible word-of-mouth and the
adoration that her fans harboured for her. It was actually for this reason that she was nick-named “the pirate’s fiancée”, as there were no official recordings of her, only live “pirated” ones, which were enough to pass on the delicacy of
her famous pianissimo and the force and passion of her performances. Even when she had given up singing, she continued to attend performances at La Scala, and way up there in the gallery her faithful fans would wait to see her enter the
theatre, happy to have their “Queen” back in the place where she had so often played the lead role. It was not uncommon to see furious discussions break out during the interval where fans would try again and again to convince people of
the supremacy of their beloved star. When Riccardo Muti decided to found La Scala Academy in 1997, he offered Leyla Gencer the prestigious role of Artistic Director of the new institution, a position she held until 2008.
A few months before her death, she decided to donate this portrait to the Museum along with some of her splendid costume jewellery.