Romilda Pantaleoni
Romilda Pantaleoni (1847 – 20 May 1917) was an Italian
Ponchielli's La Gioconda; two roles which she performed in opera houses throughout Italy. She is best remembered today for originating the roles of Desdemona in Giuseppe Verdi's Otello (1887) and Tigrana in Giacomo Puccini's Edgar (1889).[1] Universally admired for her acting skills as well as her singing abilities, Pantaleoni was compared by several critics to the great Italian stage actress Eleonora Duse.[2]
Biography
Pantaleoni was born into a musical family in
Verdi heroines including: Leonora in both Il trovatore and La forza del destino, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, Elisabeth de Valois in Don Carlos and the title role in Aida.[1]
In 1874 Pantaleoni sang the role of Isabella in the world premiere of
Teatro Regio di Torino. Her performance was greatly admired and is considered by music historians to be one of the reasons that Boito's opera enjoyed a renewed popularity after its less than enthusiastic reception in 1868. In 1884 she appeared in several opera with the Vienna State Opera, the only time that she performed outside of Italy.[2]
Pantaleoni joined the roster at
(1889) among others. She retired from the stage in 1891 after the death of conductor Franco Faccio, who was her longtime lover.[1] Her last performance was as Santuzza in La Scala's first production of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana.[2] She died in Milan.References
- ^ a b c Elizabeth Forbes: "Romilda Pantaleoni", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed December 10, 2008), (subscription access)
- ^ a b c d Biography of Romilda Pantaleoni on Operissimo.com (in German). Accessed 10 December 2008.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
