# Names of female comprimaria singers on recordings



## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

Rina Cavallari. Gabriella Carturan. Aurora Cattelani. Corinna Vozza. Santa Chissari. These are the singers of roles like Berta, Curra, Mamma Lucia. Sometimes they may get La Cieca or Marthe in Faust or Msrta in Mefistofele. Or Enrichetts in I Puritani. Some like Lucia Danieli sang big roles in smaller houses in Italy.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I usually remember the famous names, because it is amusing. As, for instance, Joan Sutherland singing Clotilde in Norma next to Callas.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

thelma votipka


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> thelma votipka


Milton Cross must’ve said her name hundreds of times. There are actually 1422 entries in the archive, from Flora in *La Traviata* to Gerhilde in *Die Walkure* and points beyond.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

MAS said:


> Milton Cross must’ve said her name hundreds of times.


Try saying it a hundred times fast without losing control of your tongue.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> I usually remember the famous names, because it is amusing. As, for instance, Joan Sutherland singing Clotilde in Norma next to Callas.


Then of course there are the famous names singing cameos in major recordings, like Barbara Hendricks singing The Voice from Heaven in Karajan’s Don Carlo and Katia Ricciarelli singing the Priestess in his EMI Aida, another role at one time taken by Sutherland (on the live 1953 Callas/Barbirolli Aida from Covent Garden).


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## ALT (Mar 1, 2021)

None other than Cheryl Studer has sung a few comprimaria roles. There is a recording on YouTube of her as the Falcon in FrOSch, for example. She also sang Adelaide in Arabella, Gertrud in Hänsel und Gretel, and Vertraute and Aufseherin in Elektra. Recently sang Tertullia in the rarely performed Condemnation of Lukullus by Paul Dessau/Bertolt Brecht. Also recorded Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria, commercially released by the Oehms label.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I remember Clotilde next to Joan Sutherland on the video recording from Sydney. Her name, Etela Piha, sounds Czech, piha meaning a freckle.

Also Thelma Votipka has a Czech or Slavic surname, meaning a piece of bound straw.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Lucine Amara (who, incidentally is 98 today!!) became a Met cover in the 1970's.


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

nina foresti said:


> Lucine Amara (who, incidentally is 98 today!!) became a Met cover in the 1970's.


She sang lead roles. She did small roles like Frasquita and the Voice from Heaven initially at the Met, but soon sang leading roles.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Francasacchi said:


> She sang lead roles. She did small roles like Frasquita and the Voice from Heaven initially at the Met, but soon sang leading roles.


She covered the leads in case they couldn’t sing or cancelled a performance.


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

MAS said:


> She covered the leads in case they couldn’t sing or cancelled a performance.


She did get a debut of sorts not as a cover, as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes in a new production.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

MAS said:


> She covered the leads in case they couldn’t sing or cancelled a performance.


She made quite a few recordings in leading roles, perhaps most famously as Musetta on the Beecham *La Boheme*, but there are also recordings of her as Nedda, Aida, Pamina, the soprano part in the Verdi *Requiem*, and also as Elsa in *Lohengrin.*


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> She made quite a few recordings in leading roles, perhaps most famously as Musetta on the Beecham *La Boheme*, but there are also recordings of her as Nedda, Aida, Pamina, the soprano part in the Verdi *Requiem*, and also as Elsa in *Lohengrin.*


I wonder how many of those were because the singer originally cast was unavailable for the recording?


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

MAS said:


> I wonder how many of those were because the singer originally cast was unavailable for the recording?


She replaced Leontyne Price as Elsa


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## Montarsolo (5 mo ago)

Stefania Malagu! She has sung small roles in a lot of legendary recordings. Macbeth/Abbado, Otello/Karajan, La Traviata/Kleiber, Barbiere Siviglia/Abbado etc. 










Su ilustrísima comprimaria Malagù


El éxito de una representación de ópera es un objetivo sumamente frágil en su dependencia de múltiples disciplinas. Si se considera imposible con una absurda dirección escénica, un protagonista mediocre, una orquesta ineficaz o una batuta incompetente, a menudo existen igualmente papeles...



www.mundoclasico.com


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

This is the video of the three sisters singing all three female characters in the same performance of Norma. Esther, Ruby and Grace Hinds, the black singers. That is something I wouldn't forget. I assume, Clotilde is the third name, i.e. Grace Hinds.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Has anyone mentioned Margreta Elkins?


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

MAS said:


> Has anyone mentioned Margreta Elkins?


She sang mostly major roles but did appear in small parts in recordings


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

MAS said:


> Has anyone mentioned Margreta Elkins?


In remember her as Maffio Orsini with Sutherland as Lucrezia Borgia.


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## niknik (Oct 4, 2014)

ColdGenius said:


> In remember her as Maffio Orsini with Sutherland as Lucrezia Borgia.


And as Alisa in Callas second studio Lucia di Lammermoor


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

I have always thought Flora could be a bigger part vocally. And she could be the lead in a sequel to La Traviata where she attempts to seduce Alfredo and descends into a Zolaesque end like Nana.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

Francasacchi said:


> I have always thought Flora could be a bigger part vocally. And she could be the lead in a sequel to La Traviata where she attempts to seduce Alfredo and descends into a Zolaesque end like Nana.


I always thought that Flora is above all these stupid things and would live long and happily.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Francasacchi said:


> I have always thought Flora could be a bigger part vocally. And she could be the lead in a sequel to La Traviata where she attempts to seduce Alfredo and descends into a Zolaesque end like Nana.


The role is played by Marie Collier in Callas's 1958 Covent Garden performances. Seven years later, she would replace Callas as Tosca at Covent Garden when Callas pulled out due to failing health. She's also the Chrysothemis on Solti's *Elektra*.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> The role is played by Marie Collier in Callas's 1958 Covent Garden performances. Seven years later, she would replace Callas as Tosca at Covent Garden when Callas pulled out due to failing health. She's also the Chrysothemis on Solti's *Elektra*.


Collier is also a valkyrie (Gerhilde) on the Leinsdorf _Walkure_ (originally part of RCA's Soria Series). I remember Conrad Osborne singling her out in his survey of the Wagner operas for High Fidelity magazine.


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## OffPitchNeb (Jun 6, 2016)

Tsaraslondon said:


> The role is played by Marie Collier in Callas's 1958 Covent Garden performances. Seven years later, she would replace Callas as Tosca at Covent Garden when Callas pulled out due to failing health. She's also the Chrysothemis on Solti's *Elektra*.


She also appeared in a very dramatic Il tabarro with Gobbi.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

^^^ Outstanding production!


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