The Spanish mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza has captivated opera homes and live performance halls around the globe. One of many towering figures within the realm of classical music, Berganza’s profession spans over half a century, incomes her approval for her beautiful vocal approach, dramatic depth, and an unparalleled skill to breathe life into the works of nice composers.

Mixing class and keenness, she redefined the mezzo-soprano repertoire, and in her signature roles she showcases not solely her vocal agility but additionally her present for embodying advanced characters with authenticity and style. Berganza’s legacy endures by means of her recordings, her instructing, and the inspiration she supplied to era of singers. To have a good time her birthday on 16 March, allow us to pattern a few of her most iconic recordings and performances.

Teresa Berganza Sings “Farewell Attractive Spanish Rose”

Rossini “Una voce poco fa”

Teresa Berganza’s performances as “Rosina” in Rossini’s Barber of Seville stand among the many most celebrated interpretations of the position. Her renditions, each stay and recorded, mix her technical mastery, vocal agility, and charismatic stage presence.

Universally praised for her technical prowess, her pinpoint coloratura and silken legato had the flexibility to make Rossini’s music sound easy. A critic writes, Berganza’s Rosina is the proper marriage of voice and drama, “she sings Rossini as if she invented him.”

Berganza’s voice was mild but substantial, with a pure ease that made essentially the most demanding passages sound easy. And Excessive Constancy journal writes, “That is the Rosina to finish all Rosinas, vivid, vocally flawless, and totally participating.”

Teresa Berganza Sings Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, “Una voce poco fa”

Mozart “Voi che sapete”

Teresa Berganza’s performances as “Cherubino” in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro are amongst her most iconic contributions to the operatic canon. Her portrayal of the lovestruck, impetuous pageboy showcased her crystalline mezzo-soprano voice, impeccable Mozartian fashion, and a pure aptitude for embodying youthful exuberance.

As a critic wrote, “Teresa Berganza’s Cherubino is a triumph. Her voice is beautiful, her diction flawless, and her appearing totally convincing. She owns the stage.” To make sure, her phrasing was impeccable, and each observe formed with care. By no means compelled, it aligned with Mozart’s demand for precision and style, and by avoiding over-ornamentation, Berganza let the purity of her voice shine.

Critics persistently praised Berganza’s Cherubino for its vocal magnificence and dramatic authenticity, describing her efficiency as “a breathless rush of sound and emotion.” To make sure, Berganza averted turning the position right into a caricature, presenting a plausible, heartfelt Cherubino quite than a comic book stereotype.

Teresa Berganza Sings Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, “Voi che sapete”

Rossini La Cenerentola

Teresa Berganza’s performances as “Angelina” in Rossini’s La Cenerentola are broadly thought to be distinctive, showcasing her extraordinary vocal items, interpretive depth, and pivotal position within the Rossini renaissance. Her renditions stand out for his or her technical brilliance, emotional resonance, and a novel skill to raise the character past the fairy-tale archetype.

One of the vital vocally difficult operas, significantly for the mezzo-soprano lead, requires rapid-fire coloratura, seamless legato, and a variety, all delivered by Berganza with astonishing ease. Her voice was described as “silken but agile,” as she dealt with the intricate runs and trills with out pressure, sustaining readability and heat all through.

Berganza sang it in its unique mezzo key, thus preserving Rossini’s meant timbre. This selection highlighted her wealthy center register and gave the position a grounded and earthy high quality that contrasted with the opera’s lighter comedic components. Berganza’s Angelina was greater than only a passive heroine. She infused the character with dignity, resilience, and delicate wit, reworking this happy-go-lucky story right into a journey of internal power.

Gioachino Rossini: La Cenerentola (Laura Zannini, soprano; Teresa Berganza, mezzo-soprano; Ugo Trama, bass; Margarita Guglielmi, soprano; Paolo Montarsolo, bass; Luigi Alva, tenor; Renato Capecchi, baritone; Scottish Opera Refrain; London Symphony Orchestra; Claudio Abbado, cond.)

Bizet Carmen

Teresa Berganza’s interpretation of the title position in Bizet’s Carmen stands as one in every of her most distinctive and celebrated achievements, providing a nuanced, bel canto-infused tackle the enduring gypsy that diverged from the heavier, extra dramatic portrayals of her predecessors. Her performances and recordings, marked by vocal finesse, seductive allure, and a lighter, extra restrained strategy, earned each acclaim and debate, cementing her as a novel Carmen within the operatic pantheon.

In contrast to the dramatic mezzos who dominated the position with powerhouse voices, Berganza leaned on her bel canto roots. Her Carmen was agile, exact and lyrically targeted, emphasising Bizet’s melodic traces over theatrical bombast. And as a Spaniard, she introduced an innate really feel for Carmen’s cultural milieu together with her diction and rhythmic aptitude within the Spanish-inflected passages gaining a way of authenticity.

Berganza portrayed Carmen as a proud, unbiased girl, not a manipulative siren. Her refusal to overplay the seductress, choosing dignity over vulgarity, gave the character a contemporary, feminist edge that also resonates with listeners. It’s broadly thought to be one in every of her signature achievements.

Teresa Berganza’s mastery resides in her skill to fuse technical brilliance with profound emotional depth, reworking roles like Rosina, Cherubino, Angelina, and Carmen into timeless expressions of artistry. Her legacy endures as a testomony to a voice that danced by means of essentially the most demanding scores with class, leaving an indelible mark on opera’s golden repertoire.

For extra of one of the best in classical music, for our E-E-newsletter

Teresa Berganza Sings Bizet’s Carmen, “Habanera”