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Zinka Milanov

Pace, Pace, Mio Dio!

March 15, 2024

The Metropolitan Opera’s new staging of Verdi’s La Forza Del Destino has caused much comment about the performance of one of the composer’s great soprano roles by a singer (Lise Davidsen) best known for her performances of the heroic German roles. Many reviewers felt that her performance was an outstanding effort. Others, including me, thought […]

The Verdi Soprano – Pace, Pace, Mio Dio!

August 11, 2020

Verdi wrote soprano parts for a variety of vocal types. The roles of Abigaille (Nabucco), Violetta (Traviata), and Leonora (Trovatore and Forza) have quite different requirements. The first asks for a spinto capable of both forceful declamation and great agility, but floated high notes and a velvet tone are not needed. Traviata seems as though […]

The Verdi Soprano – Pace, Pace, Mio Dio!

Zinka Milanov – A Reminscence

September 5, 2018

The article below was written by Raymond Beegle who served as an accompanist for Zinka Milanov (1906-89) during the years after she retired from performing and devoted herself to teaching. He was also her friend. His moving appreciation of the great soprano was originally published in the Spring 1990 issue of Opera Quarterly to mark her (then) recent death. […]

Verdi: Father and Daughter

July 3, 2012

In Aida there are two father-daughter combos. The obvious one is Aida and her warrior-king father Amonasro. The other pair is the Pharaoh and his rebellious teen-age daughter Amneris. The Pharaoh is a minor character and not a whole lot goes on between him and his daughter. But the third act encounter between the Ethiopian royals is one of Verdi’s […]

Andrea Chenier Act 2 Duet

January 29, 2012

Here for no other reason than it’s beautiful is the second act duet from Giordano’s most performed opera. It’s not as well known as the duet for the the same characters that concludes the opera, though it contains almost the same material. It’s taken from the Dec 28, 1957 performance of Chenier at the Met. […]

The Perfect Il Trovatore

March 1, 2009

Verdi’s great opera currently on display at New York’s Metropolitan Opera rarely gets a good performance anywhere because of the extraordinary demands placed on its four protagonists. In 1952 RCA got the best cast ever assembled to record the opera. It’s as close to perfection as we’re ever likely to get. You can quibble about […]

Zinka Milanov – The Most Beautiful Voice in the World

December 10, 2007

“I have the most beautiful voice in the world.” That was Zinka’s appraisal of her own voice. Who am I to argue with such a source? Besides, she did. A great opera singer does what lesser singers do, only better. I can think of just two exceptions to the rule – Zinka Milanov and Giuseppe […]

Zinka Milanov – The Most Beautiful Voice in the World