Kathleen Cassello

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Kathleen Cassello (born August 3, 1958 in Wilmington , Delaware ; † April 12, 2017 in Munich ) was an American opera singer (dramatic coloratura soprano ).

Life

Origin and education

Kathleen Ann Cassello came from an Italian-American family; her grandfather was a Neapolitan . Her health was difficult in her youth. After leaving school, she was first at the University of Delaware as a nurse with bachelor -Degree ( Bachelor of Science degree in Nursery trained). She practiced this profession from 1980 to 1984 in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Wilmington.

In addition, she took part in local musicals, for example in The Man of La Mancha . From 1980 to 1984 she studied singing as the only private student of Dan N. Pressley, professor in the Music Department of the University of Delaware. She participated in several university performances ( Così fan tutte as Fiordiligi, The Magic Flute as Queen of the Night and Pamina and Falstaff ). In 1984 she won first prize at the “Austrian-American” singing competition in her hometown of Wilmington, with which she was able to continue studying at the Salzburg Summer Academy. As a result, she gave up her job as a nurse, stayed in Europe and studied at the Salzburg Summer Academy from 1984 to 1986. Her teachers there included Wilma Lipp , Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Sesto Bruscantini . Through the mediation of Wilma Lipp, she got an engagement as a choir singer at the Salzburg State Theater , with which she financed her living.

From autumn 1984 to January 1985 she took part in numerous singing competitions. She won first prize at the singing competition in Porto , second prize at the singing competition in Vercelli and again first prize at the “Vinas coloratura competition” in Barcelona . In 1985 she won the International Mozart Singing Competition in Salzburg ; She was also a finalist in the Vienna Belvedere Singing Competition .

Early years

After winning the Mozart singing competition, she made her European debut as Queen of the Night at the Hamburg State Opera in 1985, personally engaged by Rolf Liebermann . Her success in various singing competitions also led to her first permanent engagement as an opera singer in the 1986/87 season at the Salzburger Landestheater, where she also sang the Queen of the Night, which later became her particularly successful role. In the years 1985–1988 she sang the Queen of the Night in a total of over 200 performances in Germany, Austria, Russia and Switzerland, including in West and East Berlin, Zurich, Geneva, as well as in the guest performance of the Düsseldorf Rhine Opera at the Moscow Bolschoi Theater .

At the beginning of the 1987/88 season she was initially engaged for two seasons as “First Coloratura Soprano” at the Staatstheater Karlsruhe , where she stayed in the ensemble until 1990 and later made regular guest appearances there until 1991. She made her debut there in September 1987, with a "pure, sovereign coloratura soprano", also as Queen of the Night in the opening premiere of the 1987/88 season. After the two queen arias, she received an ovation for her performance, which “fully lived up to the dramatic demands of the role”. In addition, in her first season in Karlsruhe, although she was not originally engaged for this, at the request of the artistic director she alternated the operetta role of Lisa in Das Land des Smiles , the second season premiere; Despite “perfect singing and good performance”, however, she lacked the “indefinable certain something of an operetta diva” for this role. In the following period she worked in Karlsruhe in her first four months there a total of five new roles, partly in close collaboration with the directors Giancarlo del Monaco and Wolfgang Quetes . In Karlsruhe she also sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (as a short-term takeover), Mimì in La Bohème (new production, director: Giancarlo del Monaco, premiere: November 1987; the press wrote that her Mimì was a "stroke of luck"), Violetta in La Traviata (role assumed in February 1988, in a del Monaco production), the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor (new production, director: Giancarlo del Monaco, premiere: June 1989) and Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail . At the Karlsruhe Handel Festival in 1990 she sang the sacrificial king's wife Alceste in Admeto . In May 1991 Cassello sang Lucia di Lammermoor alongside Peter Dvorsky as Edgardo at the Staatstheater Karlsruhe as part of the performance series “Festliche Opernabende” (Festive Opera Evenings) with her voice that has become more dramatic . In 1997 she returned to the Karlsruhe State Theater for a gala performance of Lucia; In 1999 she sang Mimì there in a gala performance of Bohème , with Vicente Ombuena and Renato Girolami as her partners.

Guest performances in Germany

Cassello has made guest appearances in Germany at the Koblenz Theater (December 1985 at the opening performance of the renovated Stadttheater, as Queen of the Night), at the Frankfurt Opera (1987/88 season as Musette in La Bohème ), at the Heidelberg Theater (1987/88 season; in her role debut as Konstanze, "mastering the exorbitant vocal demands in an exemplary way, with a strong acting presence"), at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (1989, as Queen of the Night), at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (1989, as Queen of the Night) , at the Stuttgart State Opera (season 1990/91, house debut in October 1990 as Queen of the Night, where she not only sang “perfect coloratura”, but also “tried to give her role personal and human traits”), at the Leipzig Opera House (In December 1990 / January 1991 as Leonora in Il trovatore in her role debut, director: Giancarlo del Monaco; in December 1991 there as Mimì in a new production of La Bohème by Peter Konw itschny , where her “ confident voice guidance” and the “youthful, radiant timbre of her soprano” were particularly popular; in December 1993 again as Trovatore- Leonora for the 300th anniversary of the Leipzig Opera), at the Bavarian State Opera (February 1991 as Konstanze), at the Wiesbaden State Theater (May 1991 as Konstanze), at the Dresden State Opera (1999/00 season, as Konstanze and Donna Anna, with Bo Skovhus as Don Giovanni) and at the Stadttheater Aachen (2002; with the title role in Maria di Rohan ).

Guest performances in Europe

In the 1990/91 season she sang Konstanze in the new production of the Ponnelle production from 1985 at the Zurich Opera House . She made guest appearances in Europe at the Gran Teatre del Liceu (1989, as Queen of the Night; June 1991, as Pamina at the Side by Francisco Araiza as Tamino), at the Metz Opera House (1989/90 season in the title role of Massenet's Manon ), at the Toulouse Opera House (1992 as Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito in her role debut with Rockwell Blake and Martine Dupuy as partners , also the title role in La Traviata with Franco Farina as partner; at the season opening of the 1996/97 season as the title heroine, which she developed “from a lyrical keynote that is as delicate as it is firm,” in Louise with Gregory Kunde as partner; 1997 as Gilda in Rigoletto with Tito Beltran as partner) as well as in Avignon (October 1991 as Queen of the Night, 1992 as Konstanze) and Nîmes (1992, also as Konstanze). In Avignon, in the fall of 1991, she sang Queen of the Night for the last time in her career, and from then on increasingly appeared in the more dramatic field.

In the course of her career she has appeared regularly at the Marseille Opera House , including as Lucia (1990 and 1993), as Elvira in I puritani (July 1991), Manon, Thaïs (March 1991), Gilda (December 1992, alongside Leo Nucci in her role debut), Konstanze (1993 and 1995), Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux (1998), Marguerite in Faust (1999), Liù in Turandot (2000), Giselda in I Lombardi alla prima crociata (2001) and Madame Butterfly ( 2002).

In 1993 she made her successful debut at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma with “enchanting scenic presence” as Lucia, who she created as a “human, playful and youthful” figure, at the side of Alfredo Kraus . Later she sang Traviata there and in 1996 Amina in La sonnambula in a production by Pupi Avati . In 1994 she sang the role of Giunia in Montpellier in a concert performance of the Mozart opera Lucio Silla, broadcast live by the national radio station France Musique .

In May 1994 she made her debut at La Scala in Milan as Gilda in Rigoletto under the musical direction of Riccardo Muti ; In 1995 she sang Lucia there, alongside Vincenzo La Scola as Edgardo. In Italy she also appeared in Treviso (1992, as Lucia), at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice (1993, as Elettra in Idomeneo ) and in Naples (1995, as Donna Anna). In 1997 she made a guest appearance in Seville as Lucia, in the production of the Roman Opera, again with Alfredo Kraus as a partner. In 1997 she also took the title role in a new Traviata production in Oviedo .

She also appeared at the Bregenz Festival (1986), at the Savonlinna Opera Festival (1989), both as Queen of the Night, at the Opera Festival in the Arena di Verona (1992, as a musette), several times at the Orange Opera Festival (1993 as Traviata with Roberto Alagna as partner, 1995 as Gilda, 1996 as Donna Anna and 1997 as Lucia) and at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro (1994, in L'inganno felice ). At the beginning of 2002 she sang Norma in a production of the Salzburg State Theater in performances that took place in the Kleiner Festspielhaus . At the Antiken-Festspiele in Trier in the summer of 2002 she also sang Norma in a production by Edda Moser , where the new production gained a strong musical profile thanks to her "expressive and confident interpretation of the difficult title role."

Guest performances overseas

Cassello made guest appearances in Haifa (1985, with her role debut as Traviata), at the São Paulo Opera House (1989, as Lucia alongside Ramón Vargas ), at the Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City (1993, as Gilda) on the side of Ramón Vargas; 1998, as Elettra on the side of Francisco Araiza), in Tokyo (1995, as Traviata), in South Africa (1996, at two concerts with Luciano Pavarotti ), at the Teatro Teresa Carrena in Caracas (1997, as Lucia) and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1999, as Traviata).

In 1996 she made her US debut at the Dallas Opera House as Donna Anna in a Don Giovanni production with Lella Cuberli .

The Three Sopranos

In early 1996, Cassello, along with Kallen Esperian and Cynthia Lawrence , was engaged by the concert producer Tibor Rudas for concerts by the soprano trio "The Three Sopranos", the female counterpart of the " Three Tenors ". The first concerts took place in Los Angeles in September 1996 and continued in Europe and South Africa. In 1997 Cassello sang at "Soprano" concerts in Budapest , Košice , Atlantic City and Reno , and in 1998 in Aschaffenburg and Pretoria , among others . In 1999 "Soprano" concerts followed in Avignon, Montpellier , Paris , Cape Town , Stellenbosch , Hamburg, Leipzig, Berlin, Pretoria and Durban . She was also a guest on the Harald Schmidt Show with “The Three Sopranos” .

Private

Cassello was married to the Italian bass-baritone Renato Girolami , who was a member of the ensemble at the Vienna Volksoper and the Vienna State Opera from 1991 to 1996 . With him she also appeared several times, including in Karlsruhe, Barcelona and Marseille. During Girolami's permanent engagement, she lived in Vienna in the 1990s . Cassello described herself as a devout Christian . She spoke fluent German .

Roles and voice

Cassello's voice was particularly characterized by the unusual pitch of her soprano voice and its technical mastery. She was particularly successful in the field of "dramatic coloratura soprano". She had her first major international success as Queen of the Night. In the following years after her engagement in Karlsruhe , Lucia in particular became her special highlight role, which she sang in numerous international guest appearances (Rome, Seville, São Paulo, Málaga , San Sebastián , Marseille). Her other brilliant roles in the further course of her career included Violetta (in Karlsruhe, Hamburg, Toulouse, Orange, Geneva, Oviedo, Buenos Aires, among others) and Gilda (Rome Opera, La Scala, Marseille, Orange, Mexico City). Critics repeatedly highlighted the expressiveness of her voice, as well as her vocal and dramatic presence.

Her voice is documented through several live and radio recordings, but above all through some television recordings ( La Traviata , Lucia di Lammermoor , each from Orange).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d e Charles Arden: Disparition de l'une des "3 sopranos": Kathleen Cassello. Obituary. Olyrix.com on April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Geerd Heinsen: An American Girl Abroad. Obituary. Operlounge.de. April 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. ↑ a b Manfred Kraft: A remarkable start to the season. Performance reviews. In: Orpheus . January 1, 1988, pp. 38/39.
  4. ↑ J.-M. Wienecke: Season opening with Verdi Requiem and Magic Flute . Performance reviews. In: Opera glasses . Issue January 1988. Page 23/24.
  5. ↑ J.-M. Wienecke: Karlsruhe: LA BOHÈME . Performance review. In: Opera glasses . Edition February 1988. page 29.
  6. ↑ Manfred Kraft: Repertoire . Performance review. In: Orpheus . June 6, 1988, pp. 457/458.
  7. ↑ Manfred Kraft: Reason to celebrate . Performance review. In: Orpheus . August 8, 1989, pp. 641/642.
  8. ↑ J.-M. Wienecke: HÄNDEL-FESTSPIELE 1990 . Performance reviews. In: Opera glasses . Edition April 1990. Pages 16/17.
  9. ↑ Manfred Kraft: FESTIVE OPERA NIGHTS . Performance review. In: Orpheus . Issue November 11, 1991. Page 45.
  10. ^ Kurt Osterwald: Director's debut debacle . Performance review. In: Orpheus. April 4, 1988, pp. 286/287.
  11. ↑ HANNS-HORST BAUER: TRIBUTE TO THE MOZART YEAR . Performance review. In: Orpheus . Issue February 2, 1991. page 49.
  12. ↑ N. Eckert: LEIPZIG: LA BOHÈME . Performance review. In: Opera glasses . Issue March 1992, page 47.
  13. ^ Gerhard Rohde: The opera in the town hall. The Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse in new splendor. In: Opera world . Issued January 1, 1997. Pages 37–39.
  14. ↑ IN BRIEF . In: Opera glasses . Issue October 10, 1991. Page 48.
  15. ^ Maurizio Modugno, GH: Austerity at the Roman Opera . Performance review. In: Orpheus. April 4, 1993, p. 50.
  16. ↑ Clemens Hoegl: As in a recording session . Performance review. In: Opera world . Edition 7/1994. July 1994. Pages 40/41.
  17. ^ W. Kutzschbach: SALZBURG: Norma . Performance review. In: Opera glasses . Edition April 2002. Page 45/46.
  18. ^ M. Fiedler: Trier Antikenfestspiele: Norma . Performance review. In: Opera glasses . Edition September 2002. Pages 48/49.
personal data
SURNAME Cassello, Kathleen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cassello Kathleen Ann (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American opera singer (dramatic coloratura soprano)
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd August 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH Wilmington , Delaware , United States
DATE OF DEATH April 12, 2017
Place of death Munich , Bavaria, Germany