Victoria de los Ángeles
Encyclopedia
Victoria de los Ángeles (1 November 1923 15 January 2005) was a Spanish
Catalan
operatic soprano and recitalist whose career began in the early 1940s and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Her obituary in The Times noted that she must be counted “among the finest singers of the second half of the 20th century. James Hinton, Jr., Opera magazine (1954). praised her "meltingly lovely middle voice". Elizabeth Forbes, writing in The Independent on 17 January 2005, also noted that "It is impossible to imagine a more purely beautiful voice than that of Victoria de los Ángeles at the height of her career in the 1950s and early 1960s". In her early years in particular she also sang a good deal of florid music. While she later made fewer appearances in opera, she continued to give recitals focusing on mostly French and Spanish art songs into the 1990s.
to Bernardo Lopez Gómez (or Gamez), a university caretaker, and Victoria García. Her birth name has sometimes been misreported as Victoria de los Angeles Gómez Cima. She studied at the Barcelona Conservatory
, graduating in just three years in 1941 at age 18. That year, while still a student, she made her operatic debut as Mimì in La bohème
at the Liceu
, afterwards resuming her musical studies. In 1945, she returned to the Liceu to make her professional debut as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro
. After winning first prize in the Geneva International Competition in 1947, she sang Salud in Falla's
La vida breve
with the BBC
in London
in 1948.
In 1949 she made her first appearance in the Paris
Opéra as Marguérite. The following year
, she made her debut in Salzburg
and at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
as Mimì, and in the United States
with a recital at Carnegie Hall
. In March 1951, she made her Metropolitan Opera
debut in New York
as Marguérite, and she went on to sing with the company for ten years. In 1952 she became an instant favourite in Buenos Aires
at the Teatro Colón as Madama Butterfly
. She returned to Buenos Aires many times until 1979. She sang at La Scala
in Milan from 1950-56. In 1957 she sang at the Vienna State Opera
.
After making her debut at the Bayreuth Festival
as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser
in 1961, she devoted herself principally to a concert career. However, for the next twenty years, she continued to make occasional appearances in one of her favourite operatic roles, Bizet
's Carmen
. She was among the first Spanish-born operatic singers to record the complete opera; she recorded it in 1958, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
using the recitatives added by Ernest Guiraud
after Bizet's death.
Though Carmen lay comfortably in her range, she nevertheless sang major soprano roles, best known of which were Donna Anna, Manon, Nedda, Desdemona, Cio-Cio-San, Mimi, Violetta and Mélisande. Like Montserrat Caballé
, she was a true exponent of bel canto singing.
James Hinton, Jr. (Opera magazine) described her work in the 1954 Met Barbiere di Sivilgia in terms which praised her characterisation of Rosina as achieved by a curious means: "...she — almost literally – does nothing at all that is in the conventional sense 'effective'. She is rapidly becoming one of those great rarities... a personality who makes everyone believe in her characterizations. Even in that there is a flaw, for she really offers no characterization. The personality is always the same... Yet the audience believes... that this is the way whichever character she happens to be dressed as must have been..." James Hinton Jr., Opera magazine (1954)
De los Ángeles performed regularly in song recitals with pianists
Gerald Moore
and Geoffrey Parsons
, occasionally appearing with other eminent singers, such as Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
. Her recitals of Spanish songs with the pianist Alicia de Larrocha
were also legendary. She sang at the Barcelona Olympic Games
in 1992, aged 68. She made many widely acclaimed recordings, including those of La vida breve, La bohème
, Pagliacci
, and Madama Butterfly
. The last three paired her with the outstanding tenor Jussi Björling
. She was particularly appreciative of Björling's unique talent. In de los Ángeles' biography by Peter Roberts, de los Ángeles noted that "in despite of technical developments, none of the Jussi Björling recordings give you the true sound of his voice. It was a far, far more beautiful voice than you can hear on the recordings he left".
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
operatic soprano and recitalist whose career began in the early 1940s and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Her obituary in The Times noted that she must be counted “among the finest singers of the second half of the 20th century. James Hinton, Jr., Opera magazine (1954). praised her "meltingly lovely middle voice". Elizabeth Forbes, writing in The Independent on 17 January 2005, also noted that "It is impossible to imagine a more purely beautiful voice than that of Victoria de los Ángeles at the height of her career in the 1950s and early 1960s". In her early years in particular she also sang a good deal of florid music. While she later made fewer appearances in opera, she continued to give recitals focusing on mostly French and Spanish art songs into the 1990s.
Life and career
She was born Victoria de los Ángeles López García in the porter's lodge of the University of BarcelonaUniversity of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. It is a member of the Coimbra Group, LERU, European University Association, Mediterranean Universities Union, International Research Universities Network and Vives Network...
to Bernardo Lopez Gómez (or Gamez), a university caretaker, and Victoria García. Her birth name has sometimes been misreported as Victoria de los Angeles Gómez Cima. She studied at the Barcelona Conservatory
Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu
Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu is a music college in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was created in 1837 with the name Liceo Filo-dramático de Montesión....
, graduating in just three years in 1941 at age 18. That year, while still a student, she made her operatic debut as Mimì in La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
at the Liceu
Liceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu , or simply Liceu in Catalan and Liceo in Spanish, is an opera house on La Rambla in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
, afterwards resuming her musical studies. In 1945, she returned to the Liceu to make her professional debut as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
. After winning first prize in the Geneva International Competition in 1947, she sang Salud in Falla's
Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla y Matheu was a Spanish Andalusian composer of classical music. With Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados and Joaquín Turina he is one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century....
La vida breve
La vida breve
La vida breve is an opera in two acts and four scenes by Manuel de Falla to an original Spanish libretto by Carlos Fernández-Shaw...
with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1948.
In 1949 she made her first appearance in the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Opéra as Marguérite. The following year
1950 in music
-Events:*January 3 – Sam Phillips launches Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.*August – Herbert Howells' Hymnus Paradisi is premiered at the Three Choirs Festival.*Malcolm Sargent becomes chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra....
, she made her debut in Salzburg
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
and at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
as Mimì, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a recital at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
. In March 1951, she made her Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
debut in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as Marguérite, and she went on to sing with the company for ten years. In 1952 she became an instant favourite in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
at the Teatro Colón as Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
. She returned to Buenos Aires many times until 1979. She sang at 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 from 1950-56. In 1957 she sang at the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
.
After making her debut at the Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser was a German Minnesänger and poet. Historically, his biography is obscure beyond the poetry, which dates between 1245 and 1265...
in 1961, she devoted herself principally to a concert career. However, for the next twenty years, she continued to make occasional appearances in one of her favourite operatic roles, Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
's Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
. She was among the first Spanish-born operatic singers to record the complete opera; she recorded it in 1958, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...
using the recitatives added by Ernest Guiraud
Ernest Guiraud
Ernest Guiraud was a French composer and music teacher born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for writing the traditional orchestral recitatives used for Bizet's opera Carmen and for Offenbach's opera Les contes d'Hoffmann .- Biography :Guiraud began his schooling in Louisiana under the...
after Bizet's death.
Though Carmen lay comfortably in her range, she nevertheless sang major soprano roles, best known of which were Donna Anna, Manon, Nedda, Desdemona, Cio-Cio-San, Mimi, Violetta and Mélisande. Like Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
, she was a true exponent of bel canto singing.
James Hinton, Jr. (Opera magazine) described her work in the 1954 Met Barbiere di Sivilgia in terms which praised her characterisation of Rosina as achieved by a curious means: "...she — almost literally – does nothing at all that is in the conventional sense 'effective'. She is rapidly becoming one of those great rarities... a personality who makes everyone believe in her characterizations. Even in that there is a flaw, for she really offers no characterization. The personality is always the same... Yet the audience believes... that this is the way whichever character she happens to be dressed as must have been..." James Hinton Jr., Opera magazine (1954)
De los Ángeles performed regularly in song recitals with pianists
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
Gerald Moore
Gerald Moore
Gerald Moore CBE was an English pianist best known for his career as one of the most in-demand accompanists of his day, accompanying many of the world's most famous musicians...
and Geoffrey Parsons
Geoffrey Parsons (pianist)
Geoffrey Penwill Parsons AO OBE was an Australian pianist, most particularly notable as an accompanist to singers and instrumentalists...
, occasionally appearing with other eminent singers, such as Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, DBE was a German-born Austrian/British soprano opera singer and recitalist. She was among the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century, much admired for her performances of Mozart, Schubert, Strauss, and Wolf.-Early life:Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike...
and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a retired German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous lieder performers of the post-war period and "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century"...
. Her recitals of Spanish songs with the pianist Alicia de Larrocha
Alicia de Larrocha
Alicia de Larrocha y de la Calle was a Spanish pianist from Catalonia. One of the great piano legends of the 20th century, Reuters called her "the greatest Spanish pianist in history", Time "one of the world's most outstanding pianists" and The Guardian "the leading Spanish pianist of her...
were also legendary. She sang at the Barcelona Olympic Games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in 1992, aged 68. She made many widely acclaimed recordings, including those of La vida breve, La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
, and Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
. The last three paired her with the outstanding tenor Jussi Björling
Jussi Björling
Johan Jonatan "Jussi" Björling was a Swedish tenor. One of the leading operatic singers of the 20th Century, Björling appeared frequently at the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as well as at other major European opera...
. She was particularly appreciative of Björling's unique talent. In de los Ángeles' biography by Peter Roberts, de los Ángeles noted that "in despite of technical developments, none of the Jussi Björling recordings give you the true sound of his voice. It was a far, far more beautiful voice than you can hear on the recordings he left".
Death
On 15 January 2005, she died of heart failure in her native Barcelona, aged 81. She had been hospitalised for a bronchial infection since 31 December 2004.Family
De los Ángeles married Enrique Magriñá in 1948 and had two sons. She was predeceased by her husband and one of her sons.Partial Discography
- La Vida Breve (Complete), Manuel de FallaManuel de FallaManuel de Falla y Matheu was a Spanish Andalusian composer of classical music. With Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados and Joaquín Turina he is one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century....
, RCA Victor Red Seal, LM-6017, 1954- with Emilio Payá (baritone), Rosario Gomez (mezzo-soprano), Pablo Civil (tenor). Ernesto HalffterErnesto HalffterErnesto Halffter Escriche was a Spanish composer and conductor. He was the brother of Rodolfo Halffter....
, conductor, with the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Opera de Barcelona
- with Emilio Payá (baritone), Rosario Gomez (mezzo-soprano), Pablo Civil (tenor). Ernesto Halffter
External links
- Music School Victòria dels Àngels
- University of New York, Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation
- January 1950 Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, at Hans Swarowksy's page
- Opera~Opera tribute 2005
- Victoria de los Angeles - Il Barbiere Victoria de los Ángeles sings Gioachino Rossini's "Una voce poco fa"
- Discography (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
- Recordings and discography (Youngrok Lee's Classical Music page)
Obituaries
- Elizabeth Forbes, "Victoria de los Angeles: Soprano with a rich but limpid-toned voice and great interpretive gifts, The Independent (London), 17 January 2005
- "Victoria de los Angeles, Enchanting Spanish soprano who must be counted among the finest singers of the past 50 years", The Times (London), 17 January 2005
- "Victoria de los Angeles", The Daily Telegraph (London), 17 January 2005