Katia Ricciarelli
Katia Ricciarelli, in her prime, possessed a radiant lyric soprano voice with an individually sweet timbre, and a lovely stage presence that complemented her voice. However, like all too many singers, she became a textbook example of what happens when a voice is pushed beyond its limits. During her best years, she was one of the most touching Giuliettas (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Desdemonas, and Anna Bolenas on the operatic stage, and had a special affinity for Rossini's music, enjoying great success in such roles as Bianca (Bianca e Falliero), Elena (La donna del lago), and Amenaide (Tancredi).
She came from a very poor family and after graduating from school, worked to afford the time and money to study at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice, where she worked primarily with Iris Adami Corradetti, herself a noted lyric soprano. Upon graduation, she made her operatic debut as Mimì in Puccini's La bohème, in Mantua, Italy. Her appearance in Cherubini's Anacréon the next year in Siena created a small sensation, followed by a greater one when she won the Parma Verdi competition, followed in 1971 by her winning the Voce Verdiane competition. Largely on the strengths of these triumphs, in 1972, she debuted at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Lucrezia in Verdi's I due Foscari, and at the Rome Opera as Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco. In 1974, she made her Covent Garden debut as Mimì. Her Met debut was also in La bohème in 1975, and her La Scala debut was in 1976 as Suor Angelica in Puccini's Il trittico.
Like many singers, her voice became larger as she matured, allowing her to take on such roles as Verdi's Desdemona and Luisa Miller. However, over-encouraged by this, and also guided by Karajan, who often pitted essentially lyric voices against heavy roles, in the early 1980s, she began to sing roles that were considerably too dramatic, such as Tosca, Aida, and even Turandot (though only in the recording studio.) By the 1990s, while it had not lost all of its luster, her voice was no longer as limpid as it had been, both the top and middle were wobbly, and her pitch had become frequently imprecise. Some of the theaters where she had scored her major triumphs, such as La Scala, received her subsequent performances very badly.
Among her recordings, a collection of arias made in 1979 and 1980 (Ermitage) catches her still in fine voice, although some strain does show in the more dramatic roles. In complete operas, her recording of La donna del lago (Sony) is excellent. She also appeared as Desdemona in the 1986 film of Otello, directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
© TiVo
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Discography
18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Puccini: Turandot
Katia Ricciarelli, Plácido Domingo, Barbara Hendricks, Ruggero Raimondi, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: La Battaglia di Legnano
Katia Ricciarelli, José Carreras, ORF Symphony Chorus, ORF Symphony Orchestra, Lamberto Gardelli
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bizet: Carmen
Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras, José Van Dam, Katia Ricciarelli, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Turandot - Highlights
Katia Ricciarelli, Plácido Domingo, Barbara Hendricks, Ruggero Raimondi, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater e Salve Regina (Katia Ricciarelli)
Klassiek - Released by Tactus on 2 jan. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giuseppe Verdi : Luisa Miller
Katia Ricciarelli, Plácido Domingo, Elena Obraztsova, Renato Bruson, Royal Opera House Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
GRANDI VOCI KATIA RICCIARELLI Una collana dedicata con registrazioni originali Decca e Deutsche Grammophon rimasterizzate con le tecniche più moderne che ne garantiscono eccellenza tecnica e artistica
Katia Ricciarelli, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 18 jun. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amore
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Klassiek - Released by Nuova Era Internazionale on 1 jan. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gabriel Fauré & Igor Stravinsky: Requiem, Symphony of Psalms
Boris Martinovic, Katia Ricciarelli, Patrick Crispini, European Concerts Orchestra, Evoe Choir
Klassiek - Released by Doron Music on 1 jan. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Katia Ricciarelli in Recital : Bellini ● Donizetti ● Verdi ● Puccini ● Catalani ● Cilea
Katia Ricciarelli, Bruno Amaducci, Orchestra RTSI
Klassiek - Released by Ermitage Records on 5 mrt. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giuseppe Verdi: Aida
Klassiek - Released by FM-Revolver Records on 31 dec. 1907
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Tosca
Klassiek - Released by FM-Revolver Records on 31 dec. 1918
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Habanera (feat. Francesco Zingariello)
Pop - Released by Lungomare S.r.l on 16 okt. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lettera
Francesco Drosi, Katia Ricciarelli, Francesco Zingariello
Pop - Released by MW Edizioni on 2 dec. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I grandi temi di Natale (Intrepretati dal vivo)
Katia Ricciarelli, Orchestra Internazionale D'italia, Renato Serio
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Lungomare S.r.l on 28 mei 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rugiero Raimondi, Paolo Coni, Los Divos de la Opera, En Vivo
Rugiero Raimondi, Paolo Coni, Katia Ricciarelli
Opera - Released by JamadaClassics on 15 sep. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Un passo per la libertà
Katia Ricciarelli, Francesco Zingariello, Orchestra di Puglia e Basilicata
Pop - Released by Lungomare S.r.l on 20 jan. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo