Met mezzo who founded a California opera house

Met mezzo who founded a California opera house

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norman lebrecht

December 15, 2014

Irene Dalis, who sang at the Met, Milan and Berlin before returning home to found the San Jose Opera, has died aged 89.

Lovely profile here:

irene dalis

Comments

  • Simon S. says:

    RIP.

    She will also remain as the Kundry of the probably best Parsifal recording ever: Knappertsbusch, Bayreuth 1962, also featuring Hans Hotter, George London, Jess Thomas, Martti Talvela and Gustav Neidlinger (and flower-maidens like Anja Silja and Gundula Janowitz!).

  • Peter Schünemann says:

    I heard Irene Dalis at Hamburg State Opera many times as (among other roles) Amme, Kundry and Ortrud; she was always highly impressive.

    At Bayreuth Festival she sang Kundry and Ortrud. Usually the first night of a production there was/is broadcast. Irene Dalis sang 1962 the Lohengrin premiere, which was not broadcast – instead of that the second performance, which was sung by Astrid Varnay. This performance was released on LP and CD. Does anyone has information, why it was so? It’s a pity, because we have Astrid Varnay’s Ortrud recorded twice, but no by the likewise impressive Irene Dalis.

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