tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653372109951089251.post4745432999590028824..comments2023-05-15T12:16:12.829+02:00Comments on Il Corriere della Grisi: Il soprano prima della Callas, terza puntata: Mafalda Favero e Licia Albanese. RipensamentiGiulia Grisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15060494139419281147noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653372109951089251.post-16514200216302295222008-11-07T21:28:00.000+01:002008-11-07T21:28:00.000+01:00Caro Domenico, beato te che l'hai sentita...Comunq...Caro Domenico, beato te che l'hai sentita...<BR/>Comunque ho fatto una breve ricerca sul web, facendo qualche interessante scoperta. Basta digitare "Emma Renzi" e al primo colpo si viene indirizzati a una ricca pagina dedicata alla nostra, che si apprende essere "all'originale" una sudafricana dal nome semimpronunciabile (Emma Renzi era un nome d'arte, italianizzante come allora usava). Si leggono ampie note biografiche (che ricopio qui sotto) da cui si evince una carriera tutt'altro che di secondo piano. Vi sono poi poche ma belle foto, con tra l'altro una Renzi-Turandot in compagnia di Cecchele, e una Renzi-Abigaille con Gianadrea Gavazzeni.<BR/>Mi riprometto di cercare qualche altro live con questa interessante artista.<BR/><BR/>The following is extracted from Volume IV of the 1986 edition of South African Music Encyclopedia (J.P. Malan, ISBN 0 19 570311 1) - [the parts in square brackets are inserts from other sources, mainly CD liner notes]<BR/><BR/>SCHEEPERS EMMERENTIA (EMMA RENZI), soprano, born 8 April 1926 in Heidelberg, South Africa.<BR/>Emma Renzi's musical talents became evident whilst she was still a school girl in Heidelberg. She had lessons in piano playing, supplemented by the violin and the harp, and made satisfactory progress in all three. When Esther Mentz discovered her vocal potential, singing was added to her studies. In 1943, after a brilliant matriculation, she studied for a B.Mus. at the College of Music in Cape Town and sang her first operatic role. Her South African studies were completed in 1947 and the next year she left for London where she studied under Joan Cross for three years at the National Opera School. This was followed by a period with the itinerant Carl Rosa Opera Company, which gave her invaluable experience of stage craft.<BR/><BR/>Her first important part was Giulietta in Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach). Roy Henderson took charge of her voice training in 1954 and for the next four years she sang for the English Opera Group, with which Benjamin Britten was associated; she was a principal [the Governess] in a London performance of his The Turn of the Screw. During the same period she did part-time work for the BBC, gave concerts in Britain and recorded for Parlophone. In 1956 she became the first South African to sing at the Edinburgh Festival, when she was privileged to perform some works by Mozart with the Karl Haas Baroque Ensemble. During the same year she won an international medal at the Concours in Geneva and joined Professor Erik Chrisholm's College of Music Company on their memorable tour of England and Scotland.<BR/><BR/>[During those years she also sang with Charles Farncombe's pioneering Handel Opera Society, appearing as Morgana in its 1957 concert version of Alcina, opposite a rising young Joan Sutherland in the title role.]<BR/><BR/>In 1958, after a concert tour of South Africa, she moved to Catania in Sicily for lessons with the famous [Maestro Santo] Santonocito. He developed the dramatic qualities of her voice, and appropriate roles in Sicilian theatres confirmed her decision that the Italian singing style was best suited to her particular gifts. From 1961 until 1966 she was variously employed to sing dramatic roles in Karlsruhe, Johannesburg (Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, at the opening of the Civic Theatre in 1962) and, from 1963, in various Italian theatres. She finally settled in Milan, though there were further visits to South Africa (1964, 1965, and 1966). On the latter occasion she had the role of Abigail in PACT's production of Verdi's Nabucco - the part which gave her entrance to La Scala in Milan. When Elena Suliotis, a Greek Abigail, failed to turn up in December 1966, Emma Renzi was engaged to sing the role and scored a great success. This was followed by engagements in Portugal (1967), Turkey (1967), Yugoslavia and America (1968), France (1969), South America (1969), Spain (1970), South Africa (1971) and again America (1976).<BR/><BR/>In 1971 she scored a triumph in the title role of Aida, which had been chosen for the [controversial] opening of the Nico Malan Theatre in Cape Town. Other Italian cities eager to make use of her gifts were Parma, Venice, Naples, Bologna, Palermo, Rome and Verona. She was not only the first South African to sing at La Scala [she sang the title role in Puccini's Turandot in the 50th anniversary performance of the opera, replacing Monteserrat Caballe at the last moment], she was also the first South African to succeed as an opera singer in Italy as a whole. After another visit to South Africa in 1978, she terminated her Italian career in Verona, singing the female lead in Boito's opera Mefistofele (1979). In that year she was appointed by the Witwatersrand University to direct the Opera Centre of the newly-created Music School. The next year she accepted an appointment as director of the Opera Centre attached to the Music School of the Pretoria Technikon.Lele B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04640662451636751696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653372109951089251.post-57180332043840067322008-11-07T17:08:00.000+01:002008-11-07T17:08:00.000+01:00concordo con te leleascoltai, bambino, la renzi in...concordo con te lele<BR/>ascoltai, bambino, la renzi in turandot la sera dopo la nilsson e il pubblico scaligero quello del 1970 che non regalava nulla quasi a nessuno la applaudì a più non possoDomenico Donzellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07500920627040381257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653372109951089251.post-32584378795634599432008-11-07T16:49:00.000+01:002008-11-07T16:49:00.000+01:00Come al solito, articolo esemplare e stimolante.Pe...Come al solito, articolo esemplare e stimolante.<BR/><BR/>Permettetemi ora un commento un po' fuori tempo massimo, da annettere non a questa, ma alle trascorse puntate dedicate alle cantatrici di presunta "serie B".<BR/>Beh, semmai ci sarà una puntata ulteriore, consiglio di prendere in seria considerazione la per me finora misconosciuta Emma Renzi, che sto ascoltando nel ruolo di Abigaille in un Nabucco di Barcellona (1970) con McNeil e con un Carreras debuttante o giù di lì. Ebbene, si tratta certamente di una autentica "serie B": qualche strilletto, un po' di verismo, ma... che piglio! Che solidità! Che "ferocia"! Giudicate voi se non ci vorrebbero quattro Theodossiou per fare metà di questa onesta professionista, che oggi tirerebbe giù i teatri! <BR/>Mah, che tempi grami stiamo vivendo! Se non ci fossero i dischi...<BR/><BR/>Con amicizia,<BR/>Gabriele BruniniLele B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04640662451636751696noreply@blogger.com