Search

The Online Encyclopedia and Dictionary

 
     
 

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Quotes

   
 

Renata Tebaldi

Renata Tebaldi (born Renata Ersilia Clotilde Tebaldi February 1, 1922 in Pesaro, Italy - December 19, 2004 in San Marino) was a famous opera soprano. Considered one of the great post-war divas, she was greatly admired for the beauty and purity of her voice, and her elegant stage presence.


Stricken with polio at the age of three, Renata was unable to partake in strenuous activities and instead became interested in music. In her early teens, Renata began studying music at the Conservatory of Parma . At age 22, Tebaldi made her debut as Elena in Boito's Mefistofele in Rovigo.

Her major breakthrough came in 1946 when she auditioned in Milan for Arturo Toscanini. Toscanini was favorably impressed, calling her "voce d'angelo" (angel voice). Tebaldi made her La Scala debut that year at the concert which marked the reopening of the theater after World War II. She sang the "Prayer" ("Dal tuo stellato soglio") from Rossini's biblical opera, Mosè in Egitto , as well as the soprano part in Verdi's Te Deum.

Tebaldi made her American debut as Aïda at the San Francisco Opera, followed soon after by her Metropolitan Opera debut on January 31, 1955, as Desdemona opposite Mario del Monaco's Otello. She then began appearing regularly at the Met as Mimi in La Bohème, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Desdemona, Manon, and Violetta in a production of La Traviata created specially for her.

For the 1962/1963 season, Tebaldi convinced the director of the Met, Rudolf Bing , to stage a revival of Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. The opera had not been staged since the turn of the century, but Bing was convinced that it would be a great success for Tebaldi, and for Franco Corelli, who sang the role of Maurizio. Unfortunately, Tebaldi was not in top vocal form. Alarmed, she took a thirteen month hiatus from the stage. She later returned as Mimi to great acclaim.

Tebaldi retired from the stage in 1973 and from the concert hall in 1976. She spent the majority of her last days in Milan but it was at her home, in San Marino, where she died at age 82.

There is said to have been a rivalry between Tebaldi and Maria Callas, but it appears to have been no more than a rivalry between the highly partisan fans of the two divas. Callas somehow fed that impression, probably seeking media attention, with untimely remarks to the press ("Comparing Tebaldi with me is just like comparing coke with champagne", she said once). While both were active in Italy in the 1950s, they had very different voices, repertoires and temperaments. In fact, both sopranos could hardly have had more opposite voice qualities. While Callas excelled in dramatic roles, and was probably the greatest soprano-actress of the past century, her voice never really came close to Tebaldi's supreme vocal beauty, second to none in the history of recorded opera. In any case, on September 16, 1968, Callas went backstage after a performance of Adriana Lecouvreur to warmly congratulate Tebaldi, thereby dispelling any bad blood once and for all.

External link

  • A Tribute to Renata Tebaldi http://www.geocities.com/renatatebaldi/index.html (including discography)





Last updated: 02-07-2005 13:24:57
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55