Verrett, who was 79, died at her home in ann arbor, mi, after a long illness. The metropolitan opera mourns the death of the great american singer shirley verrett. Shirley verrett, 79, opera singer known for intensity the. Everest records cd and other audiophile reissues discography. She played nettie fowler in the 1994 broadway revival of carousel. Shirley verrett may 31, 1931 november 5, 2010 was an africanamerican operatic mezzosoprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles, i. Shirley verrett, gluck, donizetti, berlioz, gounod. This discography was generated by clor for the compiler. From the beginning, shirley verrett was an artist who unflinchingly and unapologetically went her own way. Find shirley verrett movies, filmography, bio, co stars, photos, news and tweets. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from alfredo kraus at the discogs marketplace. Shirley verrett biography, albums, streaming links allmusic. Shirley verrett biography, albums, streaming links.
Shirley verrett possessed a talent and ambition so dazzling she could not be denied. According to the article in german wp, she married a james carter in 1951, and temporarily performed under the name shirley verrett carter, which is i believe not an uncommon practice cfr justin heninhardenne in tennis, or courteney coxarquette in movies. From the 1950s to the 1990s she did soprano roles, including irina in lost in the stars in 1958. She was married to louis lomonaco and james carter.
Nov 05, 2010 shirley verrett was one of americas finest opera stars and recital singers and one of the remarkable generation of great africanamerican singers. Shirley verrett accent on the last syllable, verrett was one of americas finest opera stars and recital singers, and was one of the remarkable generation of great africanamerican singers who came to international prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. My only complaint and i admit that it is a small one, which keeps me from loving this recording and giving it five stars, is that shirley verrett s vibrato at this early point in her career is sometimes a bit too fast for my taste. Low prices on shirley verrett discography of music albums at cd universe, with top rated service, shirley verrett songs, discography, biography, cover art pictures, sound samples, albums, etc. There are 63 recordings on file in which shirley verrett appears. Christopher brooks is the leading authority on the life and career of the late shirley verrett, he also wrote her biography i never walked alone. Shirley verrett obituary us opera singer who overcame racial prejudice to become a celebrated performer shirley verrett as lady macbeth and timothy noble as macbeth at the san francisco opera.
She was an actress, known for life is beautiful 1997, macbeth 1987 and great performances at the met 1977. This is a list of recordings of macbeth, an opera by giuseppe verdi. I can assure you that the sound in those recordings is better than the sound on this album. The autobiography of an american singer shirley verrett, christopher brooks on. Giuseppe verdi complete operas flac decca collection. Shirley verrett, anna moffo, and judith raskin are all in excellent voice. Verrett is seen in performance excerpts of roles that she made her own, including iphigenie, tosca, dalila and carmen. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from shirley murdock at the discogs marketplace. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from ezio flagello at the discogs marketplace. Shirley verrett was an internationally renowned opera singer and concert recitalist. Explore releases from montserrat caballe at discogs. More recent roles include singing didon in les troyens 1990.
Shirley verrett, an acclaimed american mezzosoprano and soprano praised for her blazing intensity during a career that spanned four decades, died friday in ann arbor, mich. Music profile for leontyne price, born 10 february 1927. Nov 06, 2010 shirley verrett was born on may 31, 1931, in new orleans, one of five children. Shirley verrett may 31, 1931 november 5, 2010 was an african american opera singer. The set is conducted by renato fasano, whose pacing of the score shows a very sure touch. She was an actress, known for life is beautiful 1997, macbeth 1987 and cavalleria rusticana 1990. Shirley verrett was in a class by herself, a singer that defied the established vocal classifications and was able to excel in both mezzo and soprano repertoire with great success. An ongoing annual shirley verrett award that recognizes a faculty member whose performance, scholarship, or service supports the success of female students or faculty in the arts who come from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds was established in 2011 by the university of michigan. Shirley verrett born may 31, 1931 is an american operatic mezzosoprano and soprano. She invited caballe and her husband, tenor bernabe marti, and shirley verret to dinner at her home that very evening. Music profile for giorgio tozzi, born 8 january 1923. Her performances and recordings marked her as one the leading singers in. Verrett enjoyed great fame from the late 1960s through the 1990s, particularly well known for singing the works of verdi and donizetti. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page.
I never walked alone draws the reader into the world of this graceful, fiery artist, dramatically telling the story of her childhood and her brilliant international career. Shirley verrett was born on may 31, 1931 in new orleans, louisiana, usa. Beverly sills and shirley verrett backstage on the opera debut at nys metropolitan opera house in rossinis the siege of corinth, april 9, 1975. Gluck orfeo ed euridice renato fasano, shirley verrett. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from montserrat caballe at the discogs marketplace. The liebling singers, 1947 bevery sills, lower left. Shirley verrett, opera singer of dramatic intensity, is dead. Paul driscoll discuss highlights from shirley verrett s discography.
Shirley verrett in opera shirley verrett, jules massenet, christoph willibald gluck, gaetano donizetti, hector berlioz, charles gounod, georges pretre. Shirley verrett was the second of six children born to leon and elvira verrett. Shirley verrett may 31, 1931 november 5, 2010 was an american operatic mezzosoprano. On this recital verrett sings italian and french arias from the mezzo repertoire, selections taken from both solo recitals and complete operas. Shirley verrett sings vincenzo bellinis norma highlights. Verrett forged a career of astonishing breadth and depth, one that resists being neatly summarized. Deceptive cadence the famed singer had it all, according to critics voice, intelligence, musicianship, beauty, stage. An appreciation highlights from verretts discography with analysis and discussion by f.
Overview v biography v discography v songs v credits v related v. I am going to give the cd away to a friend to make space. For both sets of performances, the chicago symphony chorus was prepared by margaret hillis. Shirley verrett may 31, 1931 november 5, 2010 was an american operatic mezzosoprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles, i. Verdi oberto, il trovatore, don carlo, aidahighlights gala gl 100. Excerpted from i never walked alone by shirley verrett christopher brooks excerpted by permission. Nov 05, 2010 verrett, who was 79, died at her home in ann arbor, mi, after a long illness. The platinum collection, greatest hits iii, and barcelona.
Nov 05, 2010 shirley verrett discography and songs. Leonard bernstein, american composer, conductor, pianist, educator, and humanitarian. Jul 27, 2003 then, on march 31, the veteran mezzosoprano shirley verrett sang the role of princess eboli in verdis don carlo and brought down the house with a vocally blazing account of the volatile aria. Music profile for loren driscoll, born 14 april 1928. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Shirley verrett was an africanamerican operatic mezzosoprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles, i. Smith recordings the golden age of opera, 195671 by william shaman, william j. Power biggs fellowship of the organ historical society, the westfield center for early keyboard studies paper. Montserrat caballe, shirley verrett great operatic duets. Born into a large family where music played a significant role in the household, verrett sang solo for the first time in church both her parents were seventh day adventists when she was five. Recommended for large music libraries for its value as a career chronicle. Albums include macbeth, stravinsky conducts oedipus rex operaoratorio in two acts after sophocles, and luisa miller. Shirley verrett mezzosoprano and details of their recordings available to browse and buy. Her disciplinarian father was a building contractor who, unable to.
Shirley verrett possessed a talent and ambition so dazzling she could not be deniedand she became one of the most celebrated artists of her time. Succinct synopses of all the operas in which verrett sang and a discography of verrett performances close the book. Shirley verrett simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The cdrs issued by premiere are included in the list of new releases dated 2 february 2007. Verrett enjoyed great fame from the late 1960s and was much admired for. You may also see a leopold stokowski chronological discography 19411959 by clicking here. Leopold stokowski chronological discography 19601977 this is a chronological listing of the commercially issued recordings of leopold stokowski 19601977. Shirley verrett may 31, 1931 november 5, 2010 was an american operatic mezzosoprano or soprano sfogato.
Shirley verrett makes a deeply impressive orfeo, firm and pure in sound, classically restrained in expression. Various additions made in januaryfebruary 2018 following readers comments. Discography of leopold stokowski recordings 19601977. Opera news shirley verrett, american singer of astonishing.
Bach cbc symphony orchestra the festival singers of toronto elmer iseler igor stravinsky john colicos shirley verrett loren driscoll cbc symphony orchestra the festival singers of canada. Shirley verrett is an american soprano who performed on the stages of the worlds most famous opera houses. Nov 08, 2010 the african american opera singer shirley verrett, who has died from heart failure aged 79, overcame both religious opposition and racial discrimination to become one of the most glamorous and. The simply perfect version of this aria performed by the glorious diva shirley verrett, who is one of the greatest voices of all times and a magnificent example of what a mezzosoprano falcon can achieve. Shirley verrett, gluck, donizetti, berlioz, gounod, massenet.
Shirley verrett, verrett, shirley 1931 opera singer shirley verrett is an american soprano who performed on the stages of the worlds most famous opera houses. Her father, who ran a construction company and moved the family to. A video biography that follows the black diva throughout a year. At the ravinia festival, arroyo appeared with the orchestra in puccinis madama butterfly on july 31 and august 2, 1969, with alain lombard conducting. Best placido domingo, placido domingo opera singer, conductor for the record selected discography sources singers who become successful conductors must be as rare as con. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our fandango. Acclaimed both in mezzosoprano and soprano roles, she sang 126 performances with the company. Leontyne price, richard tucker 2, robert merrill, shirley verrett, giorgio tozzi, ezio flagello, rca italiana opera orchestra and chorus, thomas schippers, giuseppe verdi verdi. The first performance of the work was on 14 march 1847 at the teatro della pergola in florence. Born in new orleans in 1931, verrett battled family disapproval and. Leonard bernstein at 100 is a worldwide centennial celebration that begins on august 25, 2017, on the day of his 99th birthday, and runs through august 25, 2019. Nov 07, 2010 shirley verrett, an acclaimed american mezzosoprano and soprano praised for her blazing intensity during a career that spanned four decades, died friday in ann arbor, mich. Her performances and recordings marked her as one the leading singers in the postmarian anderson generation of african american classical musicians.
Soloists included shirley verrett, carlo cossutta, and ezio flagello. Everest records cd and other audiophile reissues discography originally posted on february 25, 2017, repeatedly updated in march to include results of further research. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. Ramon vargas paolo gavanelli 9 macbeth riccardo chailly leo nucci shirley verrett samuel ramey veriano luchetti 10 i masnadieri richard bonynge joan sutherland samuel ramey. Shirley verrett bio, albums, pictures naxos classical. From the giuseppe verdi opera don carlos, first performed in french at the opera of paris on the 18th of november, 1866. After that dinner with maria callas at her home, caballe and verrett became friends with her and she graciously advised them on their careers.
Nov 08, 2010 shirley verrett, opera singer of dramatic intensity, is dead at 79. Shirley verrett in opera shirley verrett, jules massenet, christoph. Music profile for shirley verrett, born 31 may 1931. Shirley verrett, 79, opera singer known for intensity. Nov 05, 2010 this page was last edited on 29 may 2019, at 05. She died on november 5, 2010 in ann arbor, michigan, usa.