Mercedes Capsir
Encyclopedia
Mercedes Capsir (July 20, 1895, Barcelona
, Spain - March 13, 1969, Barcelona
, Spain) was a Catalan
Spanish opera
singer, a high coloratura
soprano
, particularly associated with light Italian roles, such as Lucia and Gilda.
. She studied (piano, composition, voice) at the Music Conservatory in Barcelona, before making her debut in Genora, in 1913, as Gilda in Rigoletto
, a role she will remain closely associated with throughout her career.
In 1916, she made her debut at the Liceo in Barcelona, the Teatro Real
in Madrid, the "Teatro Nacional São Carlos" in Lisbon, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, as well as at the Paris Opéra
in 1917. Gilda was her debut role at all these opera houses.
Her Italian debut took place in Bologna, as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, followed by Elvira in I puritani
, in Venice, opposite Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
, she also appeared in Rome, before
reaching La Scala
in Milan, in 1924, again as Gilda, opposite
baritone Carlo Galeffi
and tenor Miguel Fleta
, and conducted by
Arturo Toscanini
.
Capsir sang mainly in Europe, and in a very limited repertory, other roles included: Amina in La Sonnambula
, Lucia in
Lucia di Lammermoor
, and Violetta in La traviata
. She took part in performances of Giordano
's Il Re
at La Scala in 1929.
Capsir retired from the stage in 1949, her final performance took place at the Liceo in Barcelona, as Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto
,
she then turned to teaching.
Mercedes Capsir recorded in 1928, complete versions of Il barbiere di Siviglia and Rigoletto, opposite Riccardo Stracciari
and Dino Borgioli
. She also recorded the first ever complete Lucia di Lammermoor and La traviata. In Spain and also for the Columbia Record Co. she recorded the Spanish zarzuela "Marina" by Arrieta in a performance which also featured Hipolito Lazaro and Jose Mardones.
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain - March 13, 1969, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain) was a Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
Spanish opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer, a high coloratura
Coloratura
Coloratura has several meanings. The word is originally from Italian, literally meaning "coloring", and derives from the Latin word colorare . When used in English, the term specifically refers to elaborate melody, particularly in vocal music and especially in operatic singing of the 18th and...
soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, particularly associated with light Italian roles, such as Lucia and Gilda.
Life and career
Mercedes Capsir was born in the same house where another Spanish soprano had been born 12 years earlier, Maria BarrientosMaria Barrientos
Maria Barrientos was a Spanish opera singer, a light coloratura soprano, one of the most eminent sopranos of her time.- Life and career :...
. She studied (piano, composition, voice) at the Music Conservatory in Barcelona, before making her debut in Genora, in 1913, as Gilda in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, a role she will remain closely associated with throughout her career.
In 1916, she made her debut at the Liceo in Barcelona, the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
in Madrid, the "Teatro Nacional São Carlos" in Lisbon, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, as well as at the Paris Opéra
Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, , is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It was originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, but soon became known as the Palais Garnier...
in 1917. Gilda was her debut role at all these opera houses.
Her Italian debut took place in Bologna, as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, followed by Elvira in I puritani
I puritani
I puritani is an opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. It was his last opera. Its libretto is by Count Carlo Pepoli, based on Têtes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine, which is in turn based on Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality. It was first produced at...
, in Venice, opposite Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
Giacomo Lauri-Volpi was an Italian tenor with a lyric-dramatic voice of exceptional range and technical facility. He performed throughout Europe and the Americas in a top-class career that spanned 40 years....
, she also appeared in Rome, before
reaching La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan, in 1924, again as Gilda, opposite
baritone Carlo Galeffi
Carlo Galeffi
Carlo Galeffi was a leading Italian baritone, particularly associated with the operatic works of Giuseppe Verdi and the various verismo composers.- Life and career :...
and tenor Miguel Fleta
Miguel Fleta
Miguel Burró Fleta was a Spanish operatic tenor....
, and conducted by
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
.
Capsir sang mainly in Europe, and in a very limited repertory, other roles included: Amina in La Sonnambula
La sonnambula
La sonnambula is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the bel canto tradition by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ballet-pantomime by Eugène Scribe and Jean-Pierre Aumer called La somnambule, ou L'arrivée d'un nouveau seigneur.The first...
, Lucia in
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
, and Violetta in La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
. She took part in performances of Giordano
Umberto Giordano
Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas.He was born in Foggia in Puglia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Serrao at the Conservatoire of Naples...
's Il Re
Il re
Il re is a novella or opera in one act and three scenes by composer Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. The opera premiered at La Scala in Milan on 12 January 1929.-Performance history:...
at La Scala in 1929.
Capsir retired from the stage in 1949, her final performance took place at the Liceo in Barcelona, as Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto is an opera in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick...
,
she then turned to teaching.
Mercedes Capsir recorded in 1928, complete versions of Il barbiere di Siviglia and Rigoletto, opposite Riccardo Stracciari
Riccardo Stracciari
Riccardo Stracciari was a leading Italian baritone. His repertoire consisted mainly of Italian operatic works, with Rossini's Figaro and Verdi's Rigoletto becoming his signature roles during a long and distinguished career which stretched from 1899 to 1944.- Life and career :Born near Bologna,...
and Dino Borgioli
Dino Borgioli
Dino Borgioli was an Italian lyric tenor. Praised by critics for his musicianship, he was particularly associated with roles in operas composed by Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti....
. She also recorded the first ever complete Lucia di Lammermoor and La traviata. In Spain and also for the Columbia Record Co. she recorded the Spanish zarzuela "Marina" by Arrieta in a performance which also featured Hipolito Lazaro and Jose Mardones.
Sources
- Alain Pâris, Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interpretation musicale au XX siècle (2 vols), Ed. Robert Laffont (Bouquins, Paris 1982, 4th Edn. 1995, 5th Edn 2004). ISBN 2-221-06660-X
- Roland Mancini and Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (orig. H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, French edition), Guide de l’opéra, Les indispensables de la musique (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-01563-6