The Top Artists of Opera Music

Discover the top artists who have made a lasting impact on the opera music scene. These are the performers who have thrilled audiences with their powerful vocal abilities and interpretations of some of the most popular operas.

Maria Callas

Maria Callas, an American-born Greek soprano, was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Known for her tragedienne roles, her voice was versatile, powerful and wide-ranging, with a vibrato that could be both rapier-like and gentle. She was a true diva both on and off the stage.

Biography

Maria Callas, original name Maria Ceccata, (born December 2, 1923, New York City, New York, U.S.—died September 16, 1977, Paris, France), American-born Greek soprano noted for her supreme vocal technique and dramatic talents.

Callas’s family moved to Athens in 1937. The following year she began serious study with the noted contralto Elvira de Hidalgo and made her operatic debut as Tosca in 1940. Shortly thereafter she appeared in Verdi’s La traviata at the Royal Theatre in Athens; she later said that this was the most important performance of her career. She returned to America in 1941 and sang small roles with the Opera Company of Boston and at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. After further study in Greece and Italy (1946–47), she joined the Glyndebourne Festival Opera Company in England (1947) and sang several roles there over a period of two seasons.

Callas appeared for the first time at La Scala, Milan, as Tosca in 1947; she returned there frequently during the next decade. In 1949 she made her debut at London’s Covent Garden as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème; that same year she gave a celebrated performance as Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival in Florence—a role she later recorded under Tullio Serafin’s direction for EMI Records. After performances throughout Europe and Russia during 1949–50 as Norma (in Bellini’s opera of that name) and Violetta (La traviata), Callas toured South America (1951) before making her triumphant U.S. debut on October 29, 1951—again as Norma—at the San Francisco Opera House; after appearing several times with that company during the early 1950s, including a highly acclaimed performance as Tosca on January 1, 1953, she sang frequently with New York City Opera beginning later that year until 1955—most notably as Norma (1954), Mimì (1955), Tosca again (1955), Carmen (1955), and Medea (1950 and 1955). She also became increasingly active in recording studios during this period; indeed, much of Callas’s popularity rests on her numerous recordings of operatic roles from a wide range of composers—especially those by Puccini and Verdi—and songs by such masters as Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

In 1954 Callas married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis; their much-publicized affair continued until his marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy two years later. In 1957 Callas toured Australia before appearing again at Covent Garden: during 1957–58 she gave 12 performances there as Tosca; other appearances included those in productions of La Bohème (1959) and Carmen (1959). From 1959 to 1964 she appeared yearly at Milan’s La Scala operahouse: notable performances included those as Norma once again(1959); Lucia di Lammermoor(1960); Maria Stuarda(1960); I vespri siciliani(1960); Il pirata(1961); Don Carlo(1962); Macbeth(1964). During these years Callas also toured extensively throughout Europe giving many celebrated lieder recitals with such accompanists as Giuseppe Di Stefanoand Dino Ciani; both tours were recorded live by EMI Records—the former resulting in one of Callas’ greatest successes: Recital Aranjuez/Madrid 11/4/59 issued posthumously many years later but played continuously ever since its release.. Other notable live recordings from this period include those from a series of recitals given at London’s Royal Festival Hall between February 1962 and March 1964: two were released commercially soon after they were made while others only became available decades later due largely to legal wrangles surrounding their release.. All these live recordings attest to Callassuperb communicative powers especially when performing music outside the opera house where against all expectation she excelled just as much if not more than within it..

Although many critics had proclaimed her “the new Jenny Lind ” early on in her career due to both her beauty and vocal prowess it was only after hearing her sensational interpretation of Verdi ‘ s macbeth staged by Luchino Visconti at la Scala on 26 march 1963 where playing Lady macbeth opposite Gabriele Ferzetti ‘ s macbeth under Antonino Votto ‘ s baton ,that they realized that hers truly was greatness incarnate : physical beauty allied to an extraordinary vocal technique placed wholly at the service an inspired artistism which brought alive any role no matter how complex or demanding it might be .. A few months later ,on 6 september 1963 ,callas created perhaps her most celebrated role : that of veronica franco oppositeNotorious tenor Mario Del monaco ‘ s Francesco dEste staged by luciano Pavarotti . This was followed closely by another mad scene :that from lucia di lammermoor staged by helga Dernesch conducted nello santi opposite peter glossop staged by Franco Zeffirelli . Noted Italian film director Luchino Visconti who had already directed two very successful stagings for callas — an unforgettable trovatore alongside Matteo Manuguerra under Georg Solti back on 13 march 1958 followed closely afterwards by verdi ‘ s il corsaro captivatingly staged together with heroic baritone Leonard warren under Victor de Sabata 4 days later – now chose callus once more : this time however he decided not only would he direct but he would also conduct………

Major works

Maria Callas was an American-born Greek soprano. She is considered one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classicalopera seria to the bel canto works of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and, further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini.Her extraordinary vocal range and dramatic vocal agility allowed her to perform a wide variety of roles at a time when opera singers were usually typecast.

Callas made her professional debut in1943 as Tosca in Rome. After appearing in several Italian productions, she debuted as Violetta in La traviata at the Teatro Colonin Buenos Aires in 1947. Returning to Italy, she won international acclaim for her performance as Amina in La sonnambula at La Scala in Milan. In 1950, she made her first appearance atNew York’s Metropolitan Opera as Mimì in La Bohème, which was wildly successful. She returned to the Met numerous times until 1958 and appeared at London’s Covent Garden (now Royal Opera House) four times between 1952 and 1957. She also appeared frequently on television during this period.

Luciano Pavarotti

Opera music has some of the most talented and well-known artists in the world. Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian operatic tenor who also crossed over into popular music. He is considered to be one of the greatest tenors of all time. Pavarotti was known for his powerful voice and his wide range.

Biography

Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian operatic tenor who also crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time. He was nicknamed “The King of the High Cs” because of his ability to sing sustained high notes.

Pavarotti was born in 1935 in Modena, Italy, and began studying voice at age 19. He made his professional opera debut in 1961 as Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, and went on to perform leading roles at some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and Covent Garden. In addition to his work in opera, Pavarotti recorded numerous pop and classical albums, many of which were best-sellers, and he frequently toured the world giving concerts. He also made several forays into film and television, most notably as one of “The Three Tenors” alongside Plácido Domingo and José Carreras.

Pavarotti died in 2007 at the age of 71 from pancreatic cancer. In addition to his many awards and honors (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and an Emmy), he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush.

Major works

Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian opera singer and one of the most popular contemporary vocal performers in the world. He also crossed over into popular music, becoming famous for his performances of “Nessun dorma” from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot and “Con te partirò” (Time to Say Goodbye), an Italian pop song written by Francesco Sartori and Lucio Quarantotto. Pavarotti was known for his humanitarian work as well, and founded the Pavarotti Music Centre in his hometown of Modena, Italy, in 2002.

Placido Domingo

Placido Domingo is a Spanish tenor, conductor and arts administrator. He has performed over 140 different roles in more than 4,700 performances. He has also made over 100 recordings. In addition to his successful opera career, he has also sung many zarzuelas, lieder, operettas, oratorios, cantatas, and roles in musical theatre.

Biography

Plácido Domingo was born on January 21, 1941, in Madrid, Spain. His father, Plácido Domingo Sr., was a member of the Zarzuela Company of Madrid. His mother, Pepita Embil, was a singer of Basque descent. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Mexico City after his father secured a position with the Mexican National Opera. It was there that young Plácido began to study piano and voice.

In 1957, at the age of 16, he made his professional debut as the baritone lead in Samson and Delilah with the Israel National Opera in Tel Aviv. After returning to Mexico City, he appeared in several zarzuelas before being invited to audition for rare tenor roles with the Mexico City Opera. He made his debut as a tenor in 1961 in Mario Filio’s La Ciudad Sin Sueño (The City Without Dreams). From that point on, he became known primarily as a tenor.

In 1965, Domingo made his U.S. debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera as Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur opposite Renata Tebaldi. The following year he appeared as Rodolfo in La Bohème with the same company. In 1968 he caused a sensation by singing nine performances of Verdi’s Don Carlo in a row at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House. Since then, he has sung more than 150 different roles in 4,000 performances throughout his career on nearly every opera stage around the world.

Major works

Some of Placido Domingo’s most notable opera performances include roles in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Don Carlos,” Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” He has also performed in a number of 20th-century works, such as Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” and Richard Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier.”

Joan Sutherland

Biography

Joan Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE (born 7 November 1926, died 10 October 2010) was an Australian operatic soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of bel canto opera during the 1950s and 1960s. She was nicknamed “La Stupenda” by a critic from La Fenice after a performance as Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello in 1951. Her friend Luciano Pavarotti once called Sutherland “The Voice of the Century”.

Sutherland’s voice was light but warm and flexible, yet capable of projecting over an opera house. In her prime she possessed a rare combination of high notes (her top Cs were full-voiced and outstanding) with floating low butterflies. She could execute fast coloratura passages accurately at a pitch where many other sopranos had difficulty even hearing the correct notes. Nevertheless, Sutherland never sacrificed musical line to vocal pyrotechnics. Fluent in both French and Italian, she sang the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini with equal facility.

Although she made her operatic debut in 1946 as Dido in Berlioz’s Les Troyens at the Melbourne Town Hall, it was not until 1950 that she attracted international attention when she sang Amina in La sonnambula at Covent Garden. After a series of highly acclaimed performances throughout Europe and North America during the early 1950s she achieved global fame with her legendary portrayal of Lucia di Lammermoor at La Scala in 1959.

Major works

In her prime, Sutherland sang a wide variety of roles, although she was known in particular for her interpretations of the works of Handel and of early Italian bel canto composers such as Donizetti and Bellini. She appeared in several major operatic roles including Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Lucia in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Amina in Bellini’s La sonnambula, Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust, Ophelia in Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet, the title role in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda and the Duchess of Krakow in Pavel Stransky’s The Secrets of Widowhood.

Sutherland made her debut at Covent Garden as Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas on 15 December 1951. In this production she was partnered by Cheryl Kennedy as Belinda and Tereyev as Aeneas; the production was conducted by Reginald Beales. Reviewing the performance The Times commented that: “Miss Sutherland makes an attractive Dido; her voice is tender and true”.

Renee Fleming

Fleming is an American soprano singer who has had a very successful operatic career. She has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the San Francisco Opera. Fleming has won numerous awards and is considered one of the greatest opera singers of our time.

Biography

Renee Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American operatic soprano. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice. She has performed coloratura, lyric, and dramatic roles on the opera stage and has sung in a wide variety of concert works.

Fleming was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a high school choir director and an aspiring opera singer. Fleming began piano lessons at age six and singing lessons at age eight. At 16 she won an arts scholarship to Indiana University Bloomington, where she studied voice with Virginia Kassem. From 1978 to 1980 she studied at the Juilliard School with Represented by Johana Coinman from Sanford Artists Management Inc., Fleming made her professional solo debut as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni in 1981 at the Juilliard Opera Center .

Major works

Renee Fleming has emerged as one of the most respected and acclaimed sopranos of our time. She has performed a wide variety of roles on the operatic stage, from theheroines of the bel canto repertoire – Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Amina in Bellini’s La sonnambula, and Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata – to the great Wagnerian soprano roles – Senta in Der fliegende Holländer, Elsa in Lohengrin, and the Countess in Capriccio.