Oralia Domínguez

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Oralia Domínguez (born October 15, 1925 in San Luis Potosí , † November 25, 2013 in Milan ) was a Mexican opera singer ( mezzo-soprano , alto ).

Life

Studies and artistic beginnings

Domínguez studied singing at the Mexican National Conservatory in Mexico City . During her studies, she met the composer Carlos Chávez Ramírez , who promoted her career. In her first year of study she sang a solo part in the cantata (for female choir and soloists) La Damoiselle élue by Claude Debussy . In June 1948 she sang the role of Maddalena in Rigoletto at the Mexico City Opera House in a guest appearance at La Scala in Milan . Her partners were Giuseppe Di Stefano (as Duca di Mantova) and Giuseppe Valdengo (title role as Rigoletto). She was one of the native singers of the cast; In accordance with the casting practice at the time, minor roles were filled with national singers. A live recording of this performance has come down to us, which is considered the oldest extant sound document by Oralia Domínguez. In October 1948 she sang the title role in the world premiere of the opera La Mulata de Córdoba by the Mexican composer José Pablo Moncayo García at the Palacio de Bellas Artes .

She made her official stage debut in 1950 at the Mexico City Opera House. In 1951 she sang Amneris in the opera Aida at the Palacio de Bellas Artes as part of a guest performance at La Scala in Milan under the conductor Oliviero De Fabritiis . Her partners were Maria Callas (Aida), Mario del Monaco (Radames) and Giuseppe Taddei (Amonasro). In 1952 she sang Charlotte in Werther at the Mexico City Opera House alongside Giuseppe di Stefano. In 1953 Domínguez went to Europe ; she made her European concert debut in the same year at London's Wigmore Hall . At the Lucerne Festival , also in 1953, she sang the alto part in the Verdi Requiem . Further concert guest appearances followed in Spain , France , the Federal Republic of Germany and in the Netherlands .

International opera guest performances

In 1953 Domínguez made his successful debut at La Scala in Milan; she sang the role of Princess de Bouillon in the opera Adriana Lecouvreur . In 1955 she sang the fortune teller Ulrica in Verdi's opera Un ballo in maschera at the Rome Opera House . In 1956 the role of Marina in Boris Godunow at La Scala in Milan followed , and in 1958 she repeated her Princess von Bouillon there.

In January 1955 she sang the role of fortune teller Sosostris in the world premiere of Sir Michael Tippett's opera The Midsummer Marriage at Covent Garden Opera in London . From 1955 to 1964 she was a regular guest at the Glyndebourne Festival : u. a. 1950 and 1957 as Mrs. Quickly in Falstaff , 1957 as Isabella in Die Italienerin in Algier and 1962 as Nurse Arnalta in L'incoronazione di Poppea . In 1959 she sang Mrs. Quickly at the San Francisco Opera ; she also appeared again at the Covent Garden Opera (as Amneris in Aida ). In April 1963 she made a guest appearance, albeit only once, at the Vienna State Opera ; she sang Princess Eboli in Don Carlos . In the same year she sang the role of Amneris in Aida at the Grand Opéra Paris . In 1964 she sang the roles of Arnalta in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea and Mrs. Quickly in Falstaff at the Aix-en-Provence Music Festival . In the role of Mrs. Quickly, which was one of her particularly brilliant roles, she appeared at the Monte Carlo Opera House in 1965 and at the Covent Garden Opera in London in 1966 and in the 1967/1968 season.

At the Salzburg Easter Festival in April 1968 she sang the role of Erda in Das Rheingold under the direction of Herbert von Karajan . In 1969 she sang the Rheingold -Erda again under Karajan's direction and also took over the Erda in Siegfried . In 1968 Erda also sang in a performance of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen in Rome under the musical direction of Wolfgang Sawallisch ; their partners were u. a. Theo Adam (Wotan / Wanderer) and Jean Cox (Siegfried).

Domínguez also made guest appearances in the 1960s and 1970s a. a. at the Mexico City Opera House, at the Teatro Colón (1961, as Maddalena in Rigoletto ), at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (1961 as Princess Eboli; 1966 as Arnalta), at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (regularly between 1960 and 1969), at the Hamburg State Opera (guest contract 1972–1974; inter alia 1974 as Mrs. Quickly) and at the State Opera Stuttgart (guest contract 1972–1976).

She gave further international guest appearances in Tel Aviv (1959), Venice (1960 in Alcina , as partner of Joan Sutherland ), at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples (1958; as Preziosilla in La forza del destino ), at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and on Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie . She first appeared in the United States in 1959 on a concert tour; later appearances in Chicago , Dallas and New Orleans followed . In 1976 she performed in a concert in Mexico City. In 1982 she had her last public appearance as a singer in the Verdi Requiem at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Voice and sound documents

Kutsch / Riemens describe Domínguez's voice as "a technically excellent, lush voice with a delightful exotic timbre". In a contribution by the Tamino Klassikforum opera forum , her voice is characterized as a "velvety soft, dark-toned voice of captivating sound".

The Mexican Cultural Authority, which announced Domínguez 'death, described her voice as "one of the most important voices of the 20th century".

The most important stage roles are preserved as sound documents through recordings and live recordings. Early live recordings from Mexico City ( Rigoletto from 1948; Aida from 1951) have been preserved. In 1954 she took up the Verdi Requiem under the musical direction of Victor de Sabata ; her partners in this recording were Elisabeth Schwarzkopf , Giuseppe di Stefano and Cesare Siepi . A live recording from the same year (1954) of Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde , with Domínguez in the alto part, Set Svanholm (tenor part), Paul Kletzki (conductor) and the Vienna Philharmonic was on CD at the music label ORFEO published.

From the Glyndebourne Festival there is a live recording of Falstaff from 1957 with Domínguez as Mrs. Quickly; The conductor was Vittorio Gui . In 1958, under the conductor Ferenc Fricsay , she recorded a cross-section (in German) of the opera Carmen in Munich for the Deutsche Grammophon label ; her partner as Don José was József Simándy . In 1962 EMI Records published a complete recording of the opera L'incoronazione di Poppea with the cast of the Glyndebourne Festival; it conducted Sir John Pritchard .

In 1967 Decca Records released a complete recording of the opera La Gioconda , in which she embodied the role of Cieca. Her partners were Renata Tebaldi , Carlo Bergonzi , Marilyn Horne and Robert Merrill ; it conducted Lamberto Gardelli . In 1968, Deutsche Grammophon released the studio recording of Wagner's Ring- Vorabend Das Rheingold on record as an addendum to the Salzburg Easter Festival. Domínguez sang the role of Erda under the musical direction of Herbert von Karajan. In 1969 she also took on this role in the studio production of Siegfried . In 2007 Deutsche Grammophon published a solo recital.

Oralia Domínguez's musical oeuvre, passed down through radio recordings, live recordings and records, has now largely been re-released on CD. A live recording of a concert performance of the opera Samson et Dalila from 1964, with Jean Fournet (conductor), Jon Vickers (Samson), Ernest Blanc (Grand Prêtre) and the Radio Filarmonisch Orkest Amsterdam was released on the Gala label.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Oralia Dominguez Biography (Eng.); Booklet of the CD release by Samson et Dalila on the Gala label . Until her death, the year 1927 or 1928 was often given as the year of birth.
  2. ^ Opera singer Oralia Domínguez dies Death report in: Focus from November 27, 2013
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Oralia Dominguez, mezzo-soprano thread in: Tamino-Klassikforum ; Retrieved November 30, 2013
  4. ↑ List of roles by Oralia Domínguez in: Chronik der Wiener Staatsoper 1945-2005 , p. 373. Löcker Verlag, Vienna 2006. ISBN 3-85409-449-3
  5. ↑ a b Opera singer Oralia Dominguez is dead. Death notification and obituary at Klassik.com from November 29, 2013; Retrieved November 30, 2013
personal data
SURNAME Domínguez, Oralia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dominguez, Oralia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mexican opera singer (mezzo-soprano, alto)
DATE OF BIRTH October 15, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH San Luis Potosí , Mexico
DATE OF DEATH November 25, 2013
Place of death Milan