The Polish soprano Elzbieta Szmytka was born in Silesia in 1956, and—after making a brilliant early career in major Polish opera houses—became a lively and luminous presence on western European stages after the fall of the Soviet Bloc. Initially, she made her name in Mozart, appearing across Europe in Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, and (in a classic 1990 recording) Così fan tutte—roles perfectly suited to her sweet-toned, brilliant voice. Szmytka went on to sing Verdi, Donizetti, and Strauss, recording with conductors as varied as Bruno Weil, Franz Welser-Möst, and Simon Rattle (with whom she made award-winning discs of works by Szymanowski). More recently, she’s reaffirmed her Polish heritage, and a complete recording of Chopin’s songs (as well as a 2018 performance of Henryk Górecki’s Third Symphony to mark the centenary of Polish independence) has confirmed her status as one of Poland’s most beloved living artists.