Aprile Millo.
Ernani
Role Debut: La Scala 1982
Met in The Parks (debut)
Met Debut: March, 1985 *
Simon Boccanegra
Met Debut: 12/3/84 and Role Debut
Met Tour *
REPERTOIRE and History of Roles
This gorgeous opera of Verdi with its love of country and the feeling of Simon's love of the ocean permeates everything. For a young Verdi soprano it is a perfect fit. Long lines of really beautiful phrases, declamation and choral singing with long arching melody. I so loved having this my debut at the Met after a long lovely study with David Stivender and Rita Patane....with James Levine on the podium.....storybook....never forget.
At 24 to sing this towering piece at La Scala, sent to La Scala by Herbert Von Karajan, singing for and then being hired by Riccardo Muti and Leone Magiera. My Italian debut at this temple of music. Then after Simon's success at the Met it was the very first opera to sing.... "Ernani, Ernani involami!!!!" indeed.
AIDA
Debut: 1980 Salt Lake City
European Debut: Karlsruhe, Germany 1982
Met Debut: 1985
Met Opening Night 1989 SONY/DG **
EMMY award winner
My nearest and dearest vocal soul was always Aida, singing over 100 times from the first debut in Utah, at the Capitol Theater to the opening night of the Met Opera and all over the world, it was and is one of my favorite roles and I will be forever privileged to have had the honor to sing Verdi's great Ethiopian Princess. A Live Broadcast filmed for release through DG and recorded for Sony Classical. The TV Broadcast won an EMMY.
Don Carlo
Debut: 1986 Metropolitan Opera
European Debut: Teatro Comunale Bologna, Italy 1987
This great story of love and duty is a masterpiece. The great aria "Tu che la vanita'" I performed for the very first time on the opening night of Don Carlo at the Met. This remarkable portrait of a French Queen, very much a woman put where she does not want to be forever haunts me in his music and text. A very great privilege to have recorded her as well for Sony Classical with the Met. It always was comfortable and a lovely success.
Andrea Chenier
Debut: 1985 Santiago, Chile
European Debut: Vienna Staatsoper
Met Debut: 1990, 1993, 1996 2006
One of the reasons I sing Opera was because off this opera growing up. I saw Mario Del Monaco in the cover and then heard he and Tebaldi sing the incredible music and the glorious text. I always loved its story of great love surviving the chaos of the French Revolution and the reaction of the audiencein exaltation to its superb melody and texts. It still leaves me enchanted. Debuted with Nicola Martinucci, great Italian tenor, would sing it with most of the great tenors of my time, including Ermano Mauro, Placido Domingo, and would be with Luciano Pavarotti when he made his debut in the role....a great honor.
Un Ballo in Maschera
Debut: 1991 Metropolitan Opera
European Debut: Bologna, Italy 92
Met Debut: 91 DG/Radio
Debuting this role in 1990 for the Met and then taking it everywhere with thrilling success. Bologna, Japan, Seville for Placido and Marta Domingo for the Expo in Seville, with Luciano for Paris debut of mine, São Paulo Brazil, and the Vienna Staatsoper. It was happily recorded and released on DG and broadcast on radio live via The Metropolitan Opera Texaco Radio Broadcasts.
La Fanciulla del West
Debut: 2004 OONY Carnegie Hall
One of the greatest successes of my career. I fell madly in love with her, and loved getting to share it in New York with the Opera Orchestra of New York and Eve Queler with New York City Gay Men's Chorus. Pictured here is the granddaughter of Giacomo Puccini, who would become a great friend in the true sense of that important word to me. It was her favorite Puccini heroine and it became mine too.
Otello
Debut: Met Opera 1988
Debut European: Vienna Staatsoper : 1988
*
Desdemona would become one of my most successful roles performed first for the Vienna Staatsoper, one of the first to originate outside the Met.Debuted with Atlantov, a giant fabulous voice, and Renato Bruson. Singing it again for my Met debut of the role with the great Placido Domingo and James Levine. I felt in another world of beauty unlike any other Verdi role. Feel great love for this masterpiece.
Il Lombardi
Giuseppe Verdi
DEBUT: 1986 OONY
Debut Met Opera New Production 1993 Met Premiere of Opera
Debut in the Academy of Music Philadelphia and then Carnegie Hall would be a pivotal part of my early career. OONY with Eve Queler, Carlo Bergonzi, Paul Plishka. Launched me and gave me music I always felt was perfect for my voice. Later I would create the role for Metropolitan Opera history with Luciano Pavarotti, Sam Ramey, James Levine on the podium.
Il Trovatore
Role Debut: Vienna Staatsoper 1988
Debut Met: 1988 Met Opera Tour Japan
Debut Met: 1988 with Luciano Pavarotti/Levine/Cossotto *
Where my voice felt the most comfortable, with its dramatic accent and long lyrical lines capped with real bel canto needs. The plaintive "D'Amor" will forever be one of the greatest moments on stage for me. I could show them wrapped in Verdi's genius melody everything the voice and my soul wanted and could express.So very happy this was one of the titles recorded for Sony Classical Verdi Series with Maestro James Levine and the formidable Met Orchestra and Chorus.
Luisa Miller
Debut: Metropolitan Opera 1988
European Debut: Teatro dell'Opera di Roma 1988
Teatro Regio di Parma 1992
One of my very favorite roles of Verdi, full of gorgeous melody, another opera I debuted at the Met Opera with Nello Santi, for the radio broadcasts, and for Mo. Levine in recording for Sony Classical. I had almost recorded with Phillips and Jose Carreras this opera but Sony caught news of that and offered me instead to do it as part of their series, and I was honored to have brought it back to the Teatro dell Opera under Professore Bruno Cagli who mounted it specifically for me.
Turandot
Debut: 1988 Metropolitan Opera *
One of the greatest pleasures to debut this in the towering Zeffirelli debut of his glorious production, with so many great Turandots, Gwyneth Jones, Ghena Dimitrova and Eva Marton with Maestros James Levine and Nello Santi. That she would give her whole life and dedication to a man who captured her heart with the incandescense of his smile. In that smile she saw a soul worth living and dying for/ Puccini's masterpiece of power and fear being conquered the greatest power of all, Love.
Tosca
Debut: 1997 Liceu, Barcelona, Spain
Met Debut: 1998
La Scala : 1998
In this glowing heart of the Roman Diva I found a great pairing. Her constant existance and access to a spiritual world made her very easy to love, and I debuted with a magnificent tenor in Giacomo Aragall and fabulous baritone, Juan Pons. One of the great Puccini roles. It was my return to La Scala, which meant the world to me and hearing that audience cheer told me they accepted me in the temple of art that is that blessed house.
Mefistofele
Debut: 1991 Lyric Opera, Chicago
Met Debut: 1999
Margarita of Boito is a masterpiece and I was so thrilled to make my Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in it in 1991 under Maestro Bruno Bartoletti. Superb Sam Ramey and Kristian Johansson in Carsen's fabulous update of this opera with real wit and imagination. Went on to sing it everywhere, San Francisco, and the Metropolitan Opera.
La Gioconda
Debut: OONY 2004
Met Debut: 2006
To a sold out Carnegie Hall I sang my first Gioconda. My Met Debut came with no stage rehearsals but was also a success, and I have to say so very gorgeous music and the chance to sing with Olga Borodina. Love this music, so full of real passion and emotion.
Adriana Lecouvreur
Debut: OONY 2002
Adored this opera always will. My debut for OONY with Eve Queler and with Marcello Giordani and Dolora Zajick was a dream come true. Fantastic return to New York in Carnegie Hall.
Il Pirata by Bellini
DEBUT : 1990 OONY
European Debut: Bilbao 1993
Bellini opera at its finest. LOVED singing her, with Eve Queler/ so very grateful to Eve for all these highly successful opportunities to display the bel canto part of my voice.
La Forza del Destino
Debut: Munich 1992
Italian Debut: Teatro Regio di Torino 1994
Giuseppe Sinopoli asked and I made my debut in Munich in one of my most successful ever debuts in a major musical capital. Lando Bartolini was fabulous tenor and Giorgio Zancanaro was stupendous. I adored Sinopoli. He and I had great nights and he is one of my true favorite maestri and a gentleman to make music with. God rest his lovely soul.
Guglielmo Tell by G. Rossini
Debut: OONY 1984
My debut in New York on November 10th at Lehmann College. OONY. This was so much fun, and a role to sing a lot. Chris Merrit was tenor.
La Wally Catalani
Debut: OONY 1990
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La Battaglia di Legnano
Debut : OONY Carnegie Hall, 1987
Le Villi/Turandot
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Zaza
Debut : Teatro Grattacielo 2005
Messa di Requiem of Giuseppe Verdi
Debut: Pensacola Symphony Debut: Aspen Festival George Mester
Debut European: London Philarmonic with Sinopoli
Working with the great Alfredo Silipigni was a great idea. This solid beautiful reading of this verismo piece garnered a huge reaction for the piece, and rave press and public enthusiasm for me. He knew the way it should go... so very thrilled to have debuted it with him. G> Powers was the tenor and Stephen Gartner superb baritone.
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