#mezzosoprano

HB Cecilia Bartoli 🎂

Yukiko Seto photo by Ayane Shindo

📷 Grace poses with Joan and Richard in the occasion of Bing's Met Farewell, 1972.

Early this afternoon, the sad news of the passing of Mezzo Soprano Grace Bumbry (86) was received with a lot of surprise, despite her health situation - she had a stroke back in October 2022, we always hope for improvement. Grace was an extremely admirable person and artist, worked with Joan on Händel's Messiah (1961), with Birgit in Aida (1967). The opera world will mourn this huge loss... Rest in peace. 💔

Hungarian-Jewish Opera Singer. A leading mezzosoprano of mid-20th Century Europe, she was one of the youngest ladies ever to be designated "kammersangerin", a German honorific title for distinguished singers. Raised in Budapest, she studied both violin and voice at that city's conservatory. Rosette received her break when she was heard by the Vienna State Opera's director and was signed for her September 23, 1921, debut as the title 'heroine' of George Bizet's "Carmen". After bowing in a major role she had the good sense to refine her craft in smaller ones such as Cherubino in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" but was soon singing most of the mezzo soprano repertory including Amneris in Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida", Azucena from the same composer's "Il Trovatore", several Wagnerian parts including Fricka, Erda, and Waltraute from "The Ring" and Brangane in "Tristan und Isolde", Laura in Ponchielli's "La Gioconda", Klytemnestra from Richard Strauss' "Elektra", and the seductress Dalila in Camille Saint-Saens' "Samson et Dalila". Calling upon her early training Rosette was even able to play the violin solo in Pietro Mascagni's "L'amico Fritz" herself. A busy oratorio and recital singer, she was on one occasion accompanied by Richard Strauss at the piano and was an early champion of Gustav Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" performing the work throughout Europe with such noted conductors as Bruno Walter and Oskar Fried. Though the Vienna State Opera was to be her main base she toured extensively on both sides of the Atlantic and retired following a 1961 Vienna performance as Klytemnestra. Rosette lived out her days on a Pressbaum street named for, teaching voice; it remains uncertain whether she died in that city or in Vienna.

Celebrating the 86th anniversary of the mezzo soprano Grace Bumbry (4 January 1937)! Congratulations! Here, Grace during the intermission of Die Fledermaus at Covent Garden, yes the Joan's farewell (1990), she left a lovely words about that magical night! • *Joan and Grace recorded Händel's Messiah under Sir Adrian Boult conducting, back in 1961.

Another interesting evening, invited by the Fondazione Isabella Scelsi, to listen to Mezzo-soprano Rosie Middleton which specialises in new music. In 2019 Rosie was artist-in-residence at Snape Maltings and The Banff Centre, where she collaborated with composers on voice(less) a series for voice and electronics with works by Mira Calix, Laura Bowler, Esin Gunduz and Michael Betteridge exploring voice loss and communication. A beautiful musical evening in the Heart of Bella Roma. #rosiemiddleton #mezzosoprano #fondazioneisabellascelsi #musicaitaliana #laurapalmieri #irmelaheimbächer #carpediem #marcusberesford #livemusic #lovemusic #liveuniquemoments (presso Fondazione Isabella Scelsi) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkRw872q3G-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=