ISTANBUL - Ashes of prominent Turkish diva Leyla Gencer were scattered over the Istanbul Strait on Friday in line with her wishes.
Gencer died of respiratory and cardiac failure in Italy on May 10th.
The orchestra and the chorus of Istanbul State Opera and Ballet performed compositions of Mozart and Ahmed Adnan Saygun as ashes of Turkish soprano Gencer were spread to the sea by her close friends from the boat "Sureyya".
-LEYLA GENCER-
Born in Istanbul in 1928, Gencer started studying vocal arts in Istanbul conservatory and she later studied with Italian soprano Giannina Arangi-Lombardi and Apollo Granforte.
Leyla Gencer made her operatic debut as "Santuzza" in Mascagni`s "Cavalleria Rusticana" at the Ankara State Opera in 1950.
Gencer`s international career began with "Madama Butterfly" opera at the Santa Carla Theater in Naples in 1954. In 1957, she made her debut at Teatro alla Scala in Milan as "Lidoine" in the world premiere of Poulenc`s "Les Dialogues des Carmelites."
Applauded as "La Diva Turca" in many opera halls all around the world, Gencer took stage until 1980s.
Gencer received many awards including "state artist" title in Turkey and "Caruso" award in Italy.
Known as the "last diva of the 20th century," Leyla Gencer spent the last years of her life as a didactic art director of an academy in Milan.
(AY-MS)