Celestina Boninsegna
Celestina Boninsegna (26 February 1877 – 13 February 1947) was an Italian operatic dramatic soprano, known for her interpretations of the heroines in Verdi's operas. Although particularly eminent in Verdi's works, she sang a wide repertoire during her 25-year career, including Rosaura in the world premiere of Mascagni's Le maschere.[1] Boninsegna made many recordings between 1904 and 1918, and her voice was one of the most successfully captured on disc during that period.[2]
Career
Boninsegna was born in Reggio Emilia, where she began to study singing in her youth with Guglielmo Mattioli. She made her professional opera debut at the unusually young age of 15, singing Norina in Don Pasquale.[3] Boninsegna entered the Conservatorio Gioachino Rossini in Pesaro shortly thereafter, where she studied under Virginia Boccabadati.
In 1897, she made her operatic début at
She retired from the stage in 1921 and spent the next two decades teaching singing. Amongst her pupils was the Australian dramatic soprano Margherita Grandi.
Boninsegna possessed a rich, resonant voice with a wide compass that was particularly suited to Verdi's music. In Italy in the 1900-1920 period, she was considered to be one of the finest interpreters of several Verdi heroines, including the title role in
In an era of dynamic and passionate singing-actresses (such as
She died in Formigine (MO) in 1947.[4]
Roles
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Recordings
For her day, Boninsegna was a prolific recording artist. She recorded 106 sides, nearly as many as the combined output of her contemporaries
- Celestina Boninsegna — Arias Label: Pearl 9219
- Lebendige Vergangenheit (Legendary Voices) — Celestina Boninsegna Label: Preiser 89584
- Celestina Boninsegna, The Symposium Opera Collection Vol. 13. Label: Symposium 1323
- The Complete Celestina Boninsegna, Label: Marston Records
Notes and references
- Teatro Costanziin Rome, conducted by Mascagni himself.
- ^ a b Tuggle, Metropolitan Opera Archives
- ^ a b Celletti, Rodolfo/Valeria Pregliasco Gualerzi: "Celestina Boninsegna", Grove Music Online
- ^ Comune di Formigine (MO) certificato di morte atto n.22 parte 1 anno 1947
- Teatro Regio di Torino, 1897
- ^ Hoffmann (2005) p. 119
- Carner, Mosco (1985) Giacomo Puccini: Tosca, Cambridge University Press, p. 146. ISBN 0-521-29661-7
- Celletti, Rodolfo/Valeria Pregliasco Gualerzi: "Celestina Boninsegna", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed October 20, 2008), (subscription access) Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Guzmán, Mario Cánepa (1976) La opera en Chile, 1839–1930, Editorial Del Pacífico.
- Hoffmann, Frank W. (2005) Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound: M–Z Index, CRC Press. ISBN 0-415-93835-X
- The New York Times, "Aida for the First Time at the Metropolitan", December 22, 1906, p. 9.
- Porter, Andrew (1989) Musical Events: A Chronicle, 1983–1986 Summit Books, p. 345. ISBN 0-671-63537-9
- Rideout, Robert (2000) "Celestina Boninsegna", Record Collector, Vol. 45, No. 1 (updated and revised version reprinted on mrichter.com). Accessed 13 October 2008.
- Rosenthal, H. and Warrack, J. (1979) "Boninsegna, Celestina" in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-311321-X
- Salgado, Susana "The Teatro Solis: 150 Years of Opera, Concert, and Ballet in Montevideo", Wesleyan University Press. 2003 (ISBN 978-0819565945)
- Tuggle, Robert From The Metropolitan Opera Archives: Celestina Boninsegna. Metropolitan Opera, New York. Accessed 13 October 2008.
External links
Audio files
- Celestina Boninsegna – "Casta diva" on . Recorded 1904.
- Celestina Boninsegna – "Ma dall'arido stelo divulsa" from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. Recorded 1905.
- Celestina Boninsegna – "Pace, pace mio Dio" from Verdi's La forza del destino. Recorded 1906.
- Celestina Boninsegna – "O patria mia" from Verdi's Aida. Recorded 1909.
- Celestina Boninsegna – "Ernani, Ernani involami" on YouTube from Verdi's Ernani. Recorded 1910.