Ana Raquel Satre (1925 – 18 November 2014)—nicknamed 'Mimi'—was a Uruguayan operatic

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

Biography

Satre was born in Uruguay and studied with French soprano

Ninon Vallin Eugénie "Ninon" Vallin (8 September 1886 22 November 1961) was a French soprano who achieved considerable popularity in opera, operetta and classical song recitals during an international career that lasted for more than four decades. Career ...

at the Conservatorio Nacional in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. Her first success came at an early age when she was chosen to sing in Cimarosa's '' Il matrimonio segreto'' at the Montevideo Opera House. She subsequently appeared in South America singing the title role in

Peri In Persian mythology, peris (singular: peri; from fa, پَری, translit=parī, , plural , ; borrowed in European languages through ota, پَری, translit=peri) are exquisite, winged spirits renowned for their beauty. Peris were later ado ...

's ''

Euridice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...

'', Fiordiligi in ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

'' and Cleopatra in

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's '' Giulio Cesare''. Satre's first European appearances were at the Wigmore Hall in London, as part of Lies Askonas’ ''Voices of Tomorrow'' recital series, and as Euridice in Gluck's '' Orfeo'', opposite

Gérard Souzay Gérard Souzay (8 December 1918 – 17 August 2004) was a French baritone, regarded as one of the very finest interpreters of mélodie (French art song) in the generation after Charles Panzéra and Pierre Bernac. Background and education He wa ...

in the title role, with the Aix-en-Provence Festival. She then went on Barcelona;

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (, "The Phoenix") is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th century, La Fenice beca ...

; Venice; La Monnaie; Brussels; and was invited by

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept h ...

to take part in the Spoleto and Madrid Festivals. She toured Australia with the Elizabethan Theatre Trust appearing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth and at the Adelaide Festival, as Donna Elvira in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'' and Violetta in ''

La traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...

'', for which she was awarded the 1963 Opera Medal of the Harriet Cohen International Music Awards. In addition to her operatic work, Satre toured extensively as a recitalist in Great Britain, most notably with Gerald Moore at the King's Lynn Festival in the presence of the Queen Mother, and in Austria, France, Italy, and North and South America. For Decca, she recorded Alisa in '' Lucia di Lammermoor'', Lola in '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and Emilia in ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. Th ...

'' with Mario del Monaco and Renata Tabaldi. In 1963, Satre interpreted Judith in a film version of Bartók's '' Bluebeard's Castle'', recorded in German for Stuttgart Television and in English for world release, and directed by Michael Powell. Satre sang under conductors that included

Paul Paray Paul Marie-Adolphe Charles Paray () (24 May 1886 – 10 October 1979) was a French conductor, organist and composer. He was the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1952 until 1963. Early life and education Paul Paray was ...

, Lamberto Baldi, Tulio Serafin, Georges Prêtre,

Sir John Pritchard Sir John Michael Pritchard, (born Stanley Frederick Pritchard, 5 February 1918 – 5 December 1989) was an English conductor. He was known for his interpretations of Mozart operas and for his support of contemporary music. Life and career Pritch ...

, Sir Charles Mackerras, Eric Simon and Herbert von Karajan. In January 1962 she married the classical guitarist Patrick Bashford; they had a son, Roderick, who lived with Satre in Paris following her separation from Bashford in the 1980s. She died on 18 November 2014 in Lanzarote, in the Canary Isles.

Recordings

*Emilia in ''

'' by

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

, conducted by Herbert von Karajan with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ( Decca 1961, 411618) *Lola in '' Cavalleria rusticana'' by Pietro Mascagni, conducted by Tullio Serafin with the Rome Santa Cecilia Academy Orchestra (Decca)

Films

* ''

Herzog Blaubarts Burg ''Herzog Blaubarts Burg'' ("Duke Bluebeard's Castle") (1963) is a film of the opera ''Bluebeard's Castle'' by the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, written in 1911 to a symbolist libretto by the poet and later film theorist Béla Balázs. The fi ...

'' (''Bluebeard's Castle'') (1963)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Satre, Ana Raquel Operatic mezzo-sopranos Uruguayan opera singers 1925 births 2014 deaths