Mirella Freni
|
---|
Freni in 1970
|
Born
| Mirella Fregni
(
1935-02-27
)
27 February 1935
|
---|
Died
| 9 February 2020
(2020-02-09)
(aged 84)
Modena, Italy
|
---|
Occupation
| Operatic
soprano
|
---|
Awards
| |
---|
Mirella Freni
(27 February 1935 – 9 February 2020) was an
Italian
soprano
, one of the leading lyric sopranos of her era. She had a beautiful and well-schooled voice and a charming stage presence.
Born Mirella Fregni, in
Modena
, Italy, she studied at the
Bologna
Music Conservatory with Ettore Campogalliani. She made her debut in her hometown in 1955, as Micaela in
Carmen
. That same year, she married
pianist
Leone Magiera, with whom she had a daughter, whom she called Micaela.
After winning the Viotto vocal competition in 1957, she sang with the
Netherlands
Opera, then was invited at the
Glyndebourne
Festival, and the
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
in 1961. She made her debut at
La Scala
in Milan in 1962. Her New York
Metropolitan Opera
debut came in 1965, as Mimi in
La boheme
, a role she will remain closely associated with throughout her career. She then sang at most of the great operatic centers ot the world, such as
Paris
,
Chicago
,
Salzburg
, etc.
She began her career by singing
soubrette
roles, such as
Susanna
,
Zerlina
,
Adina
,
Nanetta
, etc., and then moved to more lyric roles such as Mimi,
Marguerite
,
Juliet
, etc., and eventually more dramatic roles such as
Violetta
,
Amelia
,
Desdemona
,
Cio-Cio-San
,
Tosca
,
Medea
,
Wally
,
Maddalena
,
Giulia
etc., with equal success.
After her divorce from Magiera, she married
Bulgarian
bass
Nicolai Ghiaurov
in 1981.
Freni died on 9 February 2020 in Modena after suffering multiple
strokes
and a
degenerative disease
, aged 84.
[1]
- Le Guide de l'Opera
, Roland Mancini & Jean-Jacques Rouverox, Fayard, 1986.
- The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia
, edited by David Hamilton, Simon & Schuster, 1987.
- Le Guide de l'Opera
, Roland Mancini & Jean-Jacques Rouverox, Fayard, 1986.
- The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia
, edited by David Hamilton, Simon & Schuster, 1987.