100 Greatest Singers: TERESA BERGANZA

THIS PROJECT IS RESERVED ONLY FOR THE GREATEST! Spanish mezzosoprano Teresa Berganza in this? Please comment!

Teresa Berganza, Mezzosoprano (born 1935)

Giaocchino Rossini - L´Italiana in Algeri
O, che muso, che figura!
with Fernando Corena, bass (1916-1984)
(Recorded 1962)

My personal opinion: Teresa Berganza, her name means masterly virtuosity, musical intelligence and winning stage presence. When she recorded in 1962 Rossinis "L´Italiana" alongside Luigi Alva and Rolando Panerai under Silvio Varviso, she was always wellknown as specialist for baroque and early belcanto music - with age 27.
Her instrument was far away from that of Callas, with whom she performed together in the Dallas "Medea" in 1958. Berganza was not an artist for fans with admiration for furious effects. She more was for connoisseurs who like vocal cleverness and aesthetic singing. She prefered composers like Monteverdi, Scarlatti, Händel, Gluck and of course Rossini. As a spanish mezzosoprano and primadonna, Bizets Carmen was an unavoidable concession she performed not before she was over fourty and sure of it. She showed us a proud and noble Carmen without sounding despiceable.
I believe, Teresa Berganza was a legitimate successor of Conchita Supervia, who perhaps had more temperament, but the same verve.
Berganza always was a very intelligent person and knew the limits of her sensible voice, a fine and velvet-like instrument. For me she is at her best by presenting women with pride, finesse and pretended indignation.
From "L´Italiana" we have here on YouTube many Berganza versions of "Cruda sorte", so I choose the comedy duet Isabella and Mustafà with the wonderful Fernando Corena, who also was a central singer in the last century.
Sorry for some scratches. I took the scene from an old cleaned vinyl.

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

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Teresa
• Berganza
• Isabella
• L´Italiana
• in
• Algeri
• Rossini
• Mozart
• Spain

[Homoclassicus]

She deserves her place. Together with Horne, Berganza was the epitome of coloratura mezzo, with her distinctively warm and lush voice, whose way with the coloratura and phrasing always make me smile positively, for it always sounds genuine and deep from the heart.

I think naming 100 greatest singers is an impossible task, since the 20th century had so many great singers that were, in their fachs, of equal valour! Btw, where's Sayão, Sutherland, Verrett...?

[SiEtIn1]

a coloratura bass? that's a first! La Señora Berganza is as spectacular as she has spoiled us to expect of her

[The33eat]

@olympicfreak678 be careful with that comparison, someone can misquote it and we all know what happens when they do that

[tilsonthomas]

@CatalinaDM56 You should see a doctor for that condition.

[olympicfreak678]

@swanningaround that's like the classic case of comparing champagne with cognac! Two COMPLETELY different repetoires!

[osinging]

O dear.

[cantanteporsiempre]

@CharlotteinWeimar Yes, she has a small voice

[bramoditrionfar]

@CharlotteinWeimar

Nonetheless, i would not have paid to hear aunt Veasey as Rosina

[CatalinaDM56]

She is a great singer, but she puts me to sleep.

[CharlotteinWeimar]

She sounds very good on records. But as Rosina, very early in her career, she was inaudible from Covent Garden Gallery. Josephine Veasey, in the small role of the maid sang her off the stage.