Béatrice Uria Monzon (born 28 December 1963 in
Agen
The communes of France, commune of Agen (, ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux.
...
(
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.[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
Daughter of the Spanish painter Antonio Uria-Monzon, Béatrice Uria Monzon studied at the secondary school Joseph Chaumié, at the Bernard Palissy d'Agen High School and at the Catholic High School St Jean de Lectoure (
Gers
Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377. ) where she was introduced to singing in the
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
of the high school led by Roland Fornerod. She then went to the
University of Bordeaux. She entered the
Conservatoire de Bordeaux, then joined the of Marseille, and the École d'art lyrique of the
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...
.
She began her career as a lyric singer in 1987, as a
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 ...
. In 1989, she was Chérubin in Mozart's ''
The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...
'' at the
Opéra national de Lorraine
The Opéra national de Lorraine is a French opera company and opera house, located in the city of Nancy, France in the province of Lorraine, Lorraine, France. Formerly named the ''Opéra de Nancy et de Lorraine'', the company received the statu ...
.
She is known for her numerous performances of the title role of Bizet's ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
''
Béatrice Uria Monzon: ''le feu et la grâce''
Paris Match which she interpreted at the Opéra Bastille in 1993 and 1994, then again in 1997, 1998, 1999, and on the most important stages of the world during the same period (1994: Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux and the Teatro Colón
The Teatro Colón (Spanish: ''Columbus Theatre'') is the main opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acousti ...
in Buenos Aires; 1995: Opéra Royal de Wallonie
The Opéra royal de Wallonie is a Belgian Opera house located on the Place de l'Opéra, in Liège, Belgium. Together with La Monnaie and the Vlaamse Opera, the ''Opéra royal'', as it is colloquially known, is one of the three major opera house ...
; 1996: Teatro Massimo in Palerme, Teatro Regio; 1997: Théâtre du Capitole
The Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse is an opera house within the main administration buildings, the Capitole, of the city of Toulouse in south-west France. It houses an opera company, ballet company and symphony orchestra, Orchestre nationa ...
in Toulouse; 1998: Chorégies d'Orange
The ''Chorégies d'Orange'' is a summer opera festival held each August in Orange located about 21 kilometres north of Avignon in southern France. Performances are presented in the ancient Roman theatre, the Théâtre Antique d'Orange, the orig ...
, Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
of New York).
She has also performed the French and Italian repertoires: Massenet: Charlotte in ''Werther
''Werther'' is an opera (''drame lyrique'') in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann (who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont). It is loosely based on Goethe's epistolary novel ''The S ...
'', Hérodiade
''Hérodiade'' is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Paul Milliet and Henri Grémont, based on the novella ''Hérodias'' (1877) by Gustave Flaubert. It was first performed at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels o ...
( title role), Dulcinée in '' Don Quichotte'', Chimène in ''Le Cid
''Le Cid'' is a five-act French tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille, first performed in December 1636 at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris and published the same year. It is based on Guillén de Castro's play ''Las Mocedades del Cid''. Castro' ...
'' (alongside Roberto Alagna), Anita in ''La Navarraise
''La Navarraise'' (, "The Woman of Navarre") is an opera in two acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie and Henri Cain, based on Claretie's short story ''La cigarette'' (1890). It was first performed at Covent Garden in ...
''; Berlioz: Cassandre and Didon in ''Les Troyens
''Les Troyens'' (; in English: ''The Trojans'') is a French grand opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself from Virgil's epic poem the ''Aeneid''; the score was composed between 1856 and 1858. ''Les Tro ...
'', Béatrice in ''Béatrice et Bénédict
''Béatrice et Bénédict'' (''Beatrice and Benedick'') is an '' opéra comique'' in two acts by French composer Hector Berlioz. Berlioz wrote the French libretto himself, based in general outline on a subplot in Shakespeare's ''Much Ado About N ...
'', Marguerite in '' la Damnation de Faust''; Ambroise Thomas: Gertrude in ''Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'', '' Mignon'' (title role); Poulenc: Mère Marie in '' Dialogues of the Carmelites''; Saint-Saëns: Dalila in '' Samson and Delilah'', Offenbach: Giulietta in '' The Tales of Hoffmann'';
Italian repertoire: Bellini: Adalgisa in '' Norma'', Donizetti: Sarah in '' Roberto Devereux'', Eleonore in '' La Favorite'' (French and Italian versions); Verdi: Fenena in ''Nabucco
''Nabucco'' (, short for Nabucodonosor ; en, " Nebuchadnezzar") is an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera. The libretto is based on the biblical books of 2 Kings, ...
'', Amnéris in '' Aida'', Eboli in ''Don Carlos
''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...
'' (French and Italian versions); Mascagni: Santuzza in '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and also Wagner as Vénus in '' Tannhauser'' as well as Judith in Bartók's '' Bluebeard's Castle'', in the Hungarian language.
In 2012, she performed in Puccini's ''Tosca
''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...
''.
Discography
;Opera integrals
* Georges Bizet, ''Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
'' (Carmen), Orchestre national Bordeaux-Aquitaine, dir. Alain Lombard, Naïve
* Jules Massenet, ''Werther
''Werther'' is an opera (''drame lyrique'') in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann (who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont). It is loosely based on Goethe's epistolary novel ''The S ...
'' (Charlotte), Orchestre national de Lille, dir. Jean-Claude Casadesus
Jean-Claude Probst (born 7 December 1935), known professional as Jean-Claude Casadesus, is a French conductor.
Biography
Casadesus was born in Paris on 7 December 1935, the son of actress Gisèle Casadesus and her husband Lucien Pascal. He beg ...
, Naxos Records
Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...
* Serge Prokofiev, '' The Love for Three Oranges'' (Sméraldine), Opéra de Lyon orchestra, dir. Kent Nagano, Virgin classics
;Other vocal works
* Hector Berlioz, ''Cantates, La Mort de Cléopâtre'', Orchestre national de Lille, dir. Jean-Claude Casadesus
Jean-Claude Probst (born 7 December 1935), known professional as Jean-Claude Casadesus, is a French conductor.
Biography
Casadesus was born in Paris on 7 December 1935, the son of actress Gisèle Casadesus and her husband Lucien Pascal. He beg ...
, Naxos
* Maurice Ravel, ''Cantates pour le prix de Rome, Alcyone'', orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
300px, The Capitole back side
The Capitole de Toulouse ( oc, Capitòli de Tolosa, link=no; ), commonly known as the ''Capitole'', is the heart of the municipal administration of the French city of Toulouse and its city hall.
__NOTOC__
Hi ...
, dir. Michel Plasson
Michel Plasson (born 2 October 1933, Paris, France) is a French conductor.
Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. ...
, EMI
Videography
* Jacques Offenbach, '' The Tales of Hoffmann'' (Giulietta), Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris
The Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris is a French Symphonic Orchestra dating from 1672. Since the opening of the Opéra Bastille in 1989, the orchestra has also been called the ''Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille''.
History
In 1672, the Paris ...
, dir. Jesus Lopez-Cobos, TDK
* Serge Prokofiev, '' The Love for Three Oranges'' (Fata Morgana), Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, dir. Sylvain Cambreling, TDK
* Ambroise Thomas, ''Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' (Gertrude), orchestre du Gran Teatre del Liceu, dir. Bertrand de Billy, EMI
* Georges Bizet, ''Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
'' (Carmen), symphonic orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, dir. Marc Piollet
Marc Piollet (born 1962) is a French conductor. After positions at the Staatstheater Kassel and Volksoper in Vienna, he was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden from 2004 to 2012.
Career
Born in Paris, Piollet st ...
, C Major
C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...
* Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
, ''Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1 ...
'' (Vénus), with Peter Seiffert
Peter Seiffert (born 4 January 1954) is a German tenor.
Biography
Born in Düsseldorf, Seiffert studied at the Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf and made his debut in 1978 at the Deutschen Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf/Duisburg. In 1979, he was ...
(Tannhäuser) and Petra-Maria Schnitzer (Elizabeth), orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, dir. Sebastian Weigle, C Major (DVD and Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
).
References
External links
Béatrice Uria Monzon's personal website
in ''Who's Who in France''
Béatrice Uria Monzon
on France Musique
France Musique is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on European classical music, classical music and jazz.
Hist ...
Béatrice Uria Monzon
on Opera Online
on Forum Opera
Biographie
Carmen Liceu, Barcelone 2011
on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uria-Monzon, Beatrice
French operatic mezzo-sopranos
1963 births
People from Agen
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite
Living people
20th-century French women opera singers
21st-century French women opera singers