Although I never saw her onstage in opera or recital, the voice of Teresa Berganza has been a favorite of mine since I first heard her recording of Cleopatra's lament, Piangerò la sorte mia, from Handel's GIULIO CESARE on an old cassette many years ago.
Watch and listen here.
Ms. Berganza was born in Madrid in 1935 and made her debut as a concert artist in 1955; she gave recitals throughout Europe before making her operatic debut as Mozart's Dorabella at Aix-en-Provence in 1957. She appeared at La Scala, L'Opera de Paris, Covent Garden, Glyndenbourne, and Dallas, and made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1967 as Rossini's Rosina, later appearing there as Cherubino. Meanwhile, she continued to maintain a busy recital schedule, frequently with her husband Félix Lavilla at the piano.
Among her roles were Rossini's Cenerentola and Isabella (ITALIANA IN ALGERI), Neris in Cherubini's MEDEA, and Charlotte in Massenet's WERTHER; she also enjoyed a great personal success as Carmen. Ms. Berganza plays Zerlina in Joseph Losey's film of Mozart's DON GIOVANNI.
A truly beloved artist, Teresa Berganza left us with many beautiful recordings; here are two of my favorite tracks: