Caterina Mancini (10 November 1924 – 21 January 2011) was an Italian

dramatic coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term ''coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of ...

, primarily active in Italy in the 1950s. Mancini was born at

Genzano di Roma Genzano di Roma is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is one of the Castelli Romani, at a distance of from Rome, in the Alban Hills. History The origin of the name ''Genzano'' is stil ...

. She made her debut in 1948, as Giselda in '' I Lombardi'', in Florence. In 1950, she appeared in Bologna and Venice, in '' Norma'', and made her debut at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan, in ''

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...

'', in 1951. The same year, she sang in many Verdi operas on radio broadcast ( RAI) to commemorate 50th anniversary of Verdi's death. Many of these broadcasts have been released by the record company

Cetra Cetra, a Latin word borrowed from Greek language, Greek, is an Italian descendant of ''κιθάρα'' (cithara). It is a synonym for the cittern but has been used for the citole and cithara (the lyre-form) and cythara (the lyre-form developing i ...

, notably, '' Nabucco'', ''

Ernani ''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani (drama), Hernani'' by Victor Hugo. Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in V ...

'', ''

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...

'', '' La battaglia di Legnano'', '' Il trovatore'', and '' Aïda''. She sang mostly in Italy, notably as Anaide in '' Mosè in Egitto'' in Florence (1955), and as Amelia in ''

Il duca d'Alba ''Le duc d'Albe'' (its original French title) or ''Il duca d'Alba'' (its later Italian title) is an opera in three acts originally composed by Gaetano Donizetti in 1839 to a French language libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier. It ...

'', in Verona (1956). She made occasional appearances in France and Spain. Other notable roles included: Amelia,

Elisabetta Elisabetta is an Italian feminine given name related to Elizabeth. * Elisabetta Artuso (born 1974), Italian former middle distance runner * Elisabetta Barbato (1921–2014), Italian operatic soprano * Elisabetta Casellati (born 1946), Italian pol ...

Gioconda ''La Gioconda'' is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito (as Tobia Gorrio), based on '' Angelo, Tyrant of Padua'', a 1835 play in prose by Victor Hugo (the same source Gaetano Rossi had used for h ...

, Santuzza, Tosca. Mancini was a dramatic coloratura soprano, possessing a large and powerful, yet surprisingly flexible voice, which made her an excellent exponent of early Verdi operas. Health problems in the early 1960s led her to withdraw little by little from the stage. In fact, on 30 November 1963 she sang the contralto part in a performance of the oratorio ''Messiah'', for the Dallas Opera. The event was dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy, who had been slain in that city a few days earlier. The other soloists included Jon Vickers and Norman Treigle, and it was conducted by

Nicola Rescigno Nicola Rescigno (May 28, 1916 – August 4, 2008) was an Italy, Italian-United States, American conductor (music), conductor, particularly associated with the Italian opera repertory. ''Opera News'' said that "Rescigno was a seminal figure in the ...

. It was billed as her "first appearance as a contralto and in an English work." Her career was in many ways similar to that of Anita Cerquetti; both had short but brilliant careers, and both were more or less eclipsed by

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

, and nowadays almost forgotten.

Selected recordings

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

- '' Mosė'' - Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Giuseppe Taddei,

Mario Filippeschi Mario Filippeschi (7 June 1907 in Montefoscoli – 25 December 1979 in Florence) was an Italian tenor, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, renowned for his ringing upper register. Filippeschi studied the clarinet for two years as ...

, Caterina Mancini, Bruna Rizzoli - Coro e Orchestra del Teatro di San Carlo, Tullio Serafin * Donizetti - ''

'' - Giangiacomo Guelfi, Caterina Mancini, Amedeo Berdini, Dario Caselli - Coro e Orchestra della RAI di Roma, Fernando Previtali * Verdi - '' Nabucco'' -

Paolo Silveri Paolo Silveri (b. Ofena, 28 December 1913 – d. Rome, 3 July 2001) was an Italian baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, one of the finest Verdi baritones of his time. Biography Silveri studied first in Capestrano (L'Aqui ...

, Antonio Cassinelli, Caterina Mancini,

Gabriella Gatti Gabriella Gatti (5 July 1908 – 22 October 2003) was an Italian operatic soprano, primarily based in Italy and associated with the Italian repertory. Born Gabriella Pesci in Rome, where she studied voice and piano. She made her stage debut in 19 ...

, Mario Binci - Coro e Orchestra della RAI di Roma, Fernando Previtali * Verdi - ''

'' - Gino Penno, Caterina Mancini, Giuseppe Taddei, Giacomo Vaghi - Coro e Orchestra della RAI di Roma, Fernando Previtali * Verdi - ''

'' -

Italo Tajo Italo Tajo (25 April 191528 March 1993) was an Italian operatic bass, particularly acclaimed for his Mozart and Rossini roles. Tajo was born in Pinerolo, Piedmont, Italy and studied violin and voice at the Music Conservatory of Turin with Nilde ...

, Giangiacomo Guelfi, Caterina Mancini, Gino Penno - Coro e Orchestra della RAI di Milano,

Carlo Maria Giulini Carlo Maria Giulini (; 9 May 1914 – 14 June 2005) was an Italian conductor. From the age of five, when he began to play the violin, Giulini's musical education was expanded when he began to study at Italy's foremost conservatory, the Conserva ...

* Verdi - '' La battaglia di Legnano'' - Caterina Mancini, Amedeo Berdini, Rolando Panerai, Albino Gaggi - Coro e Orchestra della RAI di Roma, Fernando Previtali * Verdi - '' Il trovatore'' - Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, Caterina Mancini, Miriam Pirazzini,

Carlo Tagliabue Carlo Pietro Tagliabue (January 13, 1898 in Mariano Comense – April 5, 1978 in Monza) was an Italian baritone. After studies with Leopoldo Gennai and Annibale Guidotti he made his debut in Lodi, Lombardy, in ''Loreley'' and ''Aida''. His ...

, Alfredo Colella - Coro e Orchestra della RAI di Torino, Fernando Previtali * Verdi - '' Aïda'' - Caterina Mancini, Mario Filippeschi, Giulietta Simionato, Rolando Panerai, Giulio Neri - Coro e Orchestra della RAI di Roma, Vittorio Gui

Sources

*''Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique'', R. Mancini & J-J. Rouvereux, (Fayard, 1995) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mancini, Caterina 1924 births 2011 deaths People from Genzano di Roma Italian operatic sopranos 20th-century Italian women opera singers