Giulietta Simionato (1910-2010) was one of the greatest singers of the middle of the last century. Born in Forlì, Romagna, she studied in Rovigo, and then in Padua. Though she made her stage debut in 1927 while still a teenager she gradually progressed up the ladder of Italian theaters until she made it to the biggest ladder of them all – La Scala in 1936. She remained with the company until 1966 the year of her retirement.
She achieved international renown during the years following World War II. She sang in all the world’s leading opera houses. She did not make her Met debut until 1959. San Francisco and Chicago had heard years before she first appeared in New York – another example of the Met’s mysterious mistakes. The New York critics were overwhelmed by the beauty, power, and dramatic impact of her singing. She only appeared 28 times with the Met – an incalculable loss to its audiences.
Her debut role at the Met was Azucena in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. Here’s what Winthrop Sargeant wrote in the New Yorker of her initial Met appearance: Giulietta Simionato [is] an Italian mezzo-soprano (the designation is scarcely adequate, for she combines a rich contralto range with the agility and scope of a dramatic soprano) who was new to the company and who sang the role of Azucena with a degree of authority, power, and musical taste that I have not heard approached in this part since the days of the great Bruna Castagna. Miss Simionato – a small, round-faced woman with an intense stage personality that matches her extraordinary vocal gifts – presented Azucena not as the dishevelled hag standardized by tradition but as a vital, individualized character, whose seething search for vengeance is tempered by human and feminine traits. And her vocal contribution was so flawless, so easy in production, and so mature in its skill as to make her role the center around which the evening revolved, creating frequently that element of electric excitement that is found only in the presence of the most formidable artists.
She sang all the great mezzo roles of Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi. But so great was her range and vocal comfort zone that she sang soprano roles as well. I heard her in performance only one time – as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana in the year of her Met debut. She was beyond great. I’ve forgotten everything else about that performance and the accompanying Pagliacci save her searing portrayal of Mascagni’s seduced and forsaken Sicilian villager.
After her retirement, she married an Italian doctor. According to my Italian colleagues, she then spent all his money which caused them boundless mirth every time I mentioned her name. Below are a few examples of her artistry recorded both in performance and in the studio.
First two of the soprano roles that she sang with great distinction. Voi lo sapete, o mamma is Santuzza’s lament about Turiddu, her seducer who has abandoned her for a married woman. She makes her confession to his mother.
Simionato sang Valentine in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots at La Scala with a cast that included Joan Sutherland and Franco Corelli. Performed in Italian as Gli Ugonott Simionato is joined with Corelli in the great duet from Act IV.
Simionatto was personally very close to Maria Callas. In 1955 they appeared in Bellini’s Norma at La Scala. Pollione was Mario Del Monaco.The two women sing Mira, o Norma from Act 2. The demands of Bellini’s masterpiece are so great that the opera should only be staged when a company has artists at least close to the caliber of these two.
Rossini’s last Italian opera was Semiramide. Based on a play by Voltaire, it is infrequently performed. This dearth of staging is due to the demands placed on the mezzo-soprano and the bass. Both parts have extensive coloratura passages and coloratura mezzos and basses are as rare honor among politicians. No, non ti lascio is from Act 2. The soprano is Joan Sutherland. This opera is another one best left on the shelf unless a luminous cast is available. Another Rossini duet is Dunque io son from The Barber. The baritone is Ettore Bastianini. Donizetti was the third bel canto composer whose work was in Simionato’s repertoire. O mio Fernando is from the composer’s La Favorita (La Favorite in the original French).
Dalila’s ‘Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix’ from Act 2 of Saint-Saens Samson et Dalila is sung in Italian as S’Apre per te il mio cor. Simionato’s mastery of a style far removed from Italian opera is easily recognized.
Finally, here’s a knockout version of Amneris’s Judgement Scene from Verdi’s Aida. It’s so good that one might wish to change the name of the opera to Amneris.
Simionato was one of a small group of mezzo-sopranos who sat atop the opera world in the 20th century. There were even fewer who had the versatility that characterized her work. She was equally adept at bel canto opera, Verdi, and the French repertory. A very great artist.
