Word: mezzos
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Died. Gladys Swarthout, 64, glamorous diva of the Metropolitan Opera from 1930 to 1945, whose rich mezzo-soprano was matched by a striking, auburn-haired beauty; of a heart attack; in Florence, Italy. Born in Deepwater, Mo., Miss Swarthout started her singing career in her home-town church choir, then joined the Chicago Civic Opera in 1924 and learned more than 20 complete roles in her first year. By 1929 she was with the Met, winning acclaim for her roles in Norma, Faust, Lakme, Romeo and Juliet and particularly Carmen. Between performances, she popularized opera on radio, starred in movies...
...large part, the new Siege bore a made-in-U.S.A. stamp. American Conductor Thomas Schippers was on the podium, and his three principal singers were also American. Soprano Beverly Sills of the New York City Opera made a stunning La Scala debut as the Greek heroine Pamira. Mezzo-Soprano Marilyn Home displayed her rich vocal resources as the young Greek army officer Neocle (in the 19th century,female singers were often cast as young men). Puerto Rican-born Justino Diaz of the Met filled the basso role of the Turkish sultan with majesty and brilliance...
...overture was followed by the maligned Cléopâtre composition, sung by Mezzo Beverly Wolff, and several excerpts from the dramatic symphony Romeo and Juliet. The first is charged with imaginative pictorial touches-for example, the snakish slide of the violas and cellos as Cleopatra clasps the asp to her bosom. In Romeo and Juliet, Berlioz shows that he can be as tender with Shakespeare's young lovers as he is terrifying with Cleopatra. Berlioz did not, however, always have to rely on emotional pressure. The overture to the comic opera Beatrice and Benedict, which Davis played...
...music in almost equal parts. Regina Resnik's vocal stagecraft is nearly unexcelled. This disk offers a variety of songs, each a sharp, clear miniature of a thought, a mood or a conflict. Bronx-born Resnik employs her practical intelligence, her personal flair and her firmly controlled mezzo throughout the recording. But she is most effective when her Russian ancestry boils to the surface in a gloomy Prokofiev work. The Pillars, which she renders with wrenching despair...
...three years running-1962, 1963, 1964-the tall, shapely mezzo sang powerful Carmens in Spoleto, Moscow and at the New York City Opera. But it was the Met that Verrett was aiming for. She declined Rudolf Bing's offer to sing several minor Wagner and Verdi roles. At length, Bing came through with the role she craved...