Teresa Berganza Born 1933 Mezzo-soprano
radiant presence on stage, the Madrid-born Berganza enjoyed a phenomenally successful career. She started as she meant to go on, for within a year or so of her 1957 debut – in a Provence production of – she had appeared at La Scala, Glyndebourne and in the US. Popular appeal and critical acclaim soon followed, and though she would dip her toe into a variety of operas, she focused her skills in the Rossini and Mozart roles for which she would become known worldwide. Though she initially resisted playing Bizet’s Carmen, she went on to make that role her own, too, following a triumphant 1977 performance in Edinburgh. Her early aspiration was to teach music and join a convent choir, but she was persuaded to take to the stage and never looked back. And while she wasn’t a fan of making recordings, her legacy on record is nonetheless exceptional.
