Milica Korjus is an opera singer and actress. She is best known for playing the role of Carla Donner in the musical film The Big Waltz. For this work she was nominated for an Oscar.
Milica Elisabeth Korjus, an actress of Lithuanian-Estonian descent, had a magnificent coloratura soprano.
Finding a destination
The future famous singer was born in 1909, on August 17 in Warsaw, in the family of officer Arthur Korjus. In addition to Milica, the parents raised three more daughters and a son. The people of Koryusa were educated. My father played the violin masterly. Often his friends gathered at their home.
Mila, as the girl was called at home, always dreamed of becoming an actress. She possessed excellent hearing, excellent vocal abilities. Lieutenant Colonel Korjus received a transfer to Moscow. Militsa entered the gymnasium there. After a short time, the parents broke up. Together with her daughters, the mother moved to Kiev. There, the youngest daughter entered the music school. All worries about the family fell on the shoulders of the elder sister of the future famous singer.
Mila was offered to sing in the church choir. In 1927-1928 the singer took part in numerous concerts, toured Ukraine and Russia. In the spring of 1928 she performed at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Then the young singer became a member of the Ukrainian choral group of the Dumka Capella. A decade of life has passed in Kiev.
The father of the future celebrity returned to Estonia, home. He found out about his daughter's vocal success and offered to move in with him. The girl agreed. The seventeen-year-old aspiring soloist really wanted to live without serious troubles, which she had already seen enough. Arthur Korjus sent his daughter to a music studio under the guidance of a graduate of the Conservatory Varvara Malam.
The former opera singer, the teacher immediately realized that she had received a talented student. A year later, Milica performed opera arias. She performed with Karl Ots. The girl's voice caused a real stir in the press, but the local musical elite refused to accept the aspiring singer.
Family and career
The girl fell in love with the engineer from Magdeburg Gounod Felz. After the wedding, the husband and wife went to Europe. Milica has performed with great success on European opera stages. The family has a child, daughter Melissa. The singer received an offer to perform in Vienna. Records are released with her songs.
Almost all of his daughter's concerts were attended by her father. The star of the stage called him her first teacher. By chance her singing in Vienna was heard by Louis Mayer, the tycoon of the world of the cinematographic business. He has already discovered the great actors and singers Mario Lanza, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman. Fortune smiled at him again. For the role of Karla Donner, Korjus-Felz was cast without auditions.
The telegram received from Hollywood puzzled the singer. There was only one question in her, whether she agreed to play a role in just one film. The soloist performing in Berlin did not think about it and answered with consent. Milica adored secrets and loved to play in front of new acquaintances the mysterious Hungarian princess, the daughter of a Swedish general, a German or a Polish woman.
The film debut of the celebrity took place in 1935. She recorded the vocal part of Julia "Why?" For the film "The Prague Student". In 1938 the film "The Big Waltz" was released. Julien Duvillier, a filmmaker from France, agreed to work on the film in Hollywood. The script was created as a moment in the life of composer Strauss Jr. A year later, the film won an Oscar for the best cameraman, editing and supporting actress.
Summarizing
The audience was captivated by the on-screen love story of actress Cara Donner and musician Johann Strauss performed by Fernand Grave. The main character of the tape was not the genius maestro, but his works. In the story, the cab is slowly driving through the Vienna Woods. Two lovers are sitting in it. The sound of a horn is heard from afar. Thoughtfully hums the melody he heard Strauss.
Very soon this waltz will sound throughout Europe and America. The "Big Waltz" came to the Soviet Union after the war. From 1938 to 1940, Korjus was the leading soloist of the Metropolitan Opera, and she toured extensively and successfully. The star left the opera stage for the filming of the film "Sandor Rose" (Cannons and Violins) ". Half a month before the start of work, Korjus got into a car accident.
For a long time she walked, leaning on a stick. I had to say goodbye to her stage career after her. After the cinema triumph, the singer played three more subtle roles. They could not repeat the success. During the war years, the singer and actress lived in Mexico. She was treated, starred in the film "Knight of the Empire" in 1942. However, the role of Karla Donner remained the pinnacle of her career forever.
In 1944 Milica returned to the United States. She performed at Carnegie Hall. In 1949 Militsa and her husband moved to Montreal. She gives recitals in Canada, USA. There it was decided to leave. In 1952, the star married Walter Schector, a physician. They settled in Los Angeles. The singer retired from stage activities, she recorded only albums and records.
All her time was devoted to her daughter. Melissa spoke several languages, danced and sang well. However, she was not interested in her singing career. The girl decided to become a diplomat. Melissa Folsch became Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, was the United States Ambassador to Estonia from 1998 to 2001, and traveled in this capacity to other countries.
In addition to her daughter, the singer had two more children, sons Richard and Ernst. Their whole life was spent in Los Angeles. The great vocalist passed away in 1980.
