Bel canto queen, 70, sings her final Norma

Bel canto queen, 70, sings her final Norma

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norman lebrecht

May 14, 2018

At the Teatro La Fenice last night Mariella Devia, born April 1948, sang the first of three farewell performances of her final role.

It s 45 years since she made her debut as Lucia in Treviso, becoming a stalwart of bel canto performance.

Last night’s applause lasted ten minutes and included a standing ovation from the orchestra.

Comments

  • Alexander says:

    her singing can be taught at music schools and colleges as a paragon …. in other words ” una signora grandissima e belcantissima”

  • Ernest Low says:

    Devia is a miracle!

  • Debra says:

    I am sorry for her fans but she should have retired years ago.

    • Anthony Spinner says:

      How dare you? You are obviously incapable of any human emotion OR, for that matter, an ear capable of hearing a voice for what it is. Tell us who your favorite singers are.

      For the record, I flew 5000 miles to hear Mme. Devia sing her final Norma on 19 May. It was a lesson in bel canto. It still remained a voice capable of incredible tones and amazing breath control. She avoided some of the highest notes (not in the score anyway) but those she sang sounded fresh and vibrant. There was no beat in the voice, commonly associated with older voices. The moral of the story: If you don’t have any thing nice to say…SHUT YOUR MOUTH

  • Saul Davis says:

    I thought she was a lyric soprano with coloratura range. I was at her audition for Eve Queler in 1982, where she sang the Bell Song from Lakme during a break in a rehearsal of the Opera Orchestra at Manhattan School of Music. She seemed rather poor and desperate, but she sang well and got the engagement.

  • Moses says:

    Are you sure you got the right person. What a thing to say. I guess she must have stepped on you toes. I think she is the most underrated soprano. Thus far, everything she has sung has been superb.

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