100 Greatest Singers: VIRGINIA ZEANI

THIS PROJECT IS RESERVED ONLY FOR THE GREATEST! Romania born soprano Virginia Zeani in this collection? Please let us know your sentiments!

Virginia Zeani, Soprano (born 1925)

Giuseppe Verdi - La Traviata
Ah, fors´ è lui che l´anima... Sempre libera
(Recorded 1956)


My personal opinion: There are always different points of views, one is career in public, another is appreciation from critic´s and connoisseurs. The wonderful romanian born soprano Virginia Zeani never received the world wide attention she deserved. Her native successors Ileana Cotrubas and Angela Gheorghiu were more in international spotlights, in most encyclopedia you even won´t find Zeani´s name. What are the reasons?
Miss Zeani studied literature at Bucharest university, beside she worked with voice teachers Lucia Anghel and Lydia Lipkowska. She finished her education with former famous tenor Aureliano Pertile. In 1948 she stepped in for an indisposed soprano as Violetta in Bologna. Her debut was spectacular, Traviata remained her brilliant role for more than 600 times. In 1955, Miss Zeani came to Rome, one year later to Scala (Cleopatra). 1957 she was part in the first performance of Poulenc´s "Dialoques des Carmélites". The same year she sang Lucia at Stoll Theatre London (Author Maurus Pacher: "The board of directors determined, it can´t always be Callas!") Another highlight came with "Tales of Hoffmann", she sang all four heroines. She fixed herself at the famous european stages, mainly in italy. Her fame was overshadowed by the controverse Callas-Tebaldi feud, Zeani never came in focus of the great public, but she´d made her own thing. 1966 she came to Metropolitan (also in Bing´s memoires you can´t find her). Still in 1977 she sang Fedora in Barcelona. She was married to bass Nicola Rossi-Lemeni who died 1991.
Here on YouTube we have nice comments about her: "Since I have discovered her, I can´t stop listen to her!" or "Finer than any other soprano today!" And this isn´t overstated at all! Her rendition of Violettas great aria from Act 1 belongs to the Top 3. She uses every "fioritura" to express joy and sorrow, doubts and inner conflicts. She´s fragile and strong at once. Her "legato" and "passagio" is perfect, she sings wonderful "on the breath". It´s a shame, this great soprano was not in the rank she deserved.

THE COMPLETE OVERVIEW: PLEASE GO TO ALL SINGERS IN THIS LIST

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Virginia
• Zeani
• Giuseppe
• Verdi
• La
• Traviata
• Sempre
• libera
• Maria
• Callas
• Ileana
• Cotrubas
• Angela
• Gheorgiu

[GermanOperaSinger]

Excellent, excellent, excellent choice. One of the greatest. It is outrageously unfair that she never recieved the acclaim she deserved, but last time I checked, humanity is the epitome of unfair.

[quakercub]

How sad that this wonderful artist is so overlooked. Sometimes it just comes down to being born at the wrong time. (between Callas and Sutherland)

[Tsunade3Sannin]

@Ellevius how bout just Sick Nasty Awesome!? haha not as classy as the others, but its to the point.

[Ellevius]

Her voice is like an unstoppable tsunami, she should be called Virginia Seani ;)

How about L' Aphrodite, born of the sea, to keep company with

La Divina, La Regina, La Stupenda.

[Ellevius]

It is time to place her where she belongs: to the very, very top.

[Ellevius]

She is certainly best.

The more I hear, the more I know.

[marcocito]

Les voix roumaines ont du soleil dans la voix!

[pereziana]

I love this colection, the possibility of hearing those singers I've just read in books!!!

[redo58]

Excellent choice, thank you so much...

[agnesnicolescu]

bravissima!



[mizofan]

I've been listening to a lot of the "100 Greatest Singers" now, and this is magnificent!

[baltoman24]

A superb artist, VIoletta was certainly one of her finest achievements. Surely places among the top 100 for me! Thank you for this gorgeous posting!