# A talent who deserved more attention -- much more.



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)




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## JanacekTheGreat (Feb 26, 2021)

I agree! Beautiful voice, very dramatic interpretation. Probably the most underrated soprano of the 20th century!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

An extraordinary singer and artist. I can hardly imagine this scene being more compellingly done. Umberto Grilli is no slouch either, and who thinks of him nowadays?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I'm sure Zeani would be far better known today if she had landed a major recording contract, like Tebaldi and Callas.


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## OffPitchNeb (Jun 6, 2016)

Don't want to hijack Boito's Mephistopheles, but here is another indispensable Zeani live performance:


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

This is so totally exquisite and immediately brings sobs to my throat. I am a devoted lover of _The Consul_, having seen the original cast on Broadway with Patricia Neway and know practically every single word, and I tell you that Zeani's Italian approach did not diminish it in the least. She is spectacular!! This is ART!


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## Aerobat (Dec 31, 2018)

It is rumoured that Meleghinni once described Zeani as "The only soprano that Callas was scared of", or words to that effect. On reflection, I don't find this particularly surprising.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I was only familiar with Zeani in passing, but that Mefistofele excerpt awakened an interest to listen to more of her. I hadn't realised how broad her rep was: Bel Canto classics (Puritani, Sonnambula and Lucia), Four Hoffmann heroines, Verdi, Puccini, Verismo such as Fedora and Adriana Lecouvreur and a few new works. No wonder Callas (who said that she herself had no rivals as nobody else sang the wide range of rep she did) almost saw her as a rival and the Italians called her l'Assoluta!

Here's a sample of how wide a rep Zeani had:






N.


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## OffPitchNeb (Jun 6, 2016)

Even though she was called l'Assoluta, I am glad that she knows herself well and didn't take on Norma, Turandot, Abigaille, Lady Macbeth to harm her beautiful voice.

Her repertoire is very wide indeed. There are live recordings of her Donizetti's Maria di Rohan, Rossini' Otello, Glinka's A Life for the Tsar, Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites and La voix humaine, Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, Mercadante's Elisa E Claudio and Menotti's The Consul.

Had she worked with big names like Serafin, Gui, Votto, Zeffirelli, she could have revised many interesting operas.

Another thing to keep in mind is that she was only a few years junior to Callas and Tebaldi, and most of her live recordings were made in the 1960s and the 1970s (when Callas and Tebaldi had already been deep in their vocal decline). Zeani didn't her the luxury of having her youthful prime captured on discs as the names that eclipsed her.

Here is a rare early audio in 1956:


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

OffPitchNeb said:


> Even though she was called l'Assoluta, I am glad that she knows herself well and didn't take on Norma, Turandot, Abigaille, Lady Macbeth to harm her beautiful voice.
> 
> Her repertoire is very wide indeed. There are live recordings of her Donizetti's Maria di Rohan, Rossini' Otello, Glinka's A Life for the Tsar, Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites and La voix humaine, Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, Mercadante's Elisa E Claudio and Menotti's The Consul.
> 
> ...


She was two-three years younger than Tebaldi and Callas and recorded two recital albums for Decca in 1956 and 1958 (whereas Callas made her first records in 1949 and Tebaldi in 1951, so she wasn't that far behind. However, you are right that whereas Tebaldi and Callas captured throughout the 1950s both commercially and live, Zeani only has those Decca recitals and a few live performances from the 50s. Decca was incredibly short sighted in not signing her up for the lighter bel canto works and she would have been a much better bet for Traviata than Tebaldi, they could have had a hit on their hands (imagine a Zeani, Valletti, Bastianini Traviata in decent Decca stereo!) That said, with Callas having already recorded Puritani and Lucia they may have thought that recordings of rarer rep wouldn't be sellers.

I've ordered the nine CD set of Zeani's studio recordings (it doesn't include the Romanian Tosca and Traviata which were made later on). There are four volumes of excerpts from live recordings on Bongiovanni which I'm considering getting as well.

N.


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## Aerobat (Dec 31, 2018)

The Romanian Traviata is sublime, albeit with some cuts. I have the original Vinyl that I managed to find in Bucharest a few years ago. There have also been CD and digital downloads made available since for those who want it.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Aerobat said:


> The Romanian Traviata is sublime, albeit with some cuts. I have the original Vinyl that I managed to find in Bucharest a few years ago. There have also been CD and digital downloads made available since for those who want it.


It's available in the UK very cheaply via amazon. However, I found it somewhat tepid, both in terms of the conducting and Zeani's somewhat unembodied interpretation. She is much more involved in her live performance from the ROH in 1960, which is available on Myto. The conducting is much more vibrant and alive on this live recording as well. Of course, the sound on the studio recording is superior to that on the live broadcast. If I were to choose just one definitive library Traviata, then I wouldn't choose any of the Zeani recordings. For a complete recording in modern sound the Solti with Gheorghiu is one of the best, but for the absolute top when it comes to Violetta, then it's the ROH Callas live recording that I would go for.

Getting back to Zeani, she was much more involved and just as technically accomplished in her live recordings and there are a number available when it comes to Traviata. There's the 1956 Naples recording, the already mentioned 1960 ROH one and then _her_ favourite from 1963. It's this last one which is included in the 9 CD box set and I will report back on how I find it. I have listened to the studio recording and the 1960 one and out of the two the live ROH from 1960 is the one I would pick. Whether 1963 equals or betters it, I will let you know.

N.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I can't believe I overlooked this singer before. It's partly because even her live discography is hard to track down on CD/Download, Decca managed two recitals, which is better than nothing, but EMI? They even engaged Antonietta Stella at times, what were they thinking? (You can lament all you like about the absence of Callas in _that_ Traviata, but they either had to wait or use somebody else, it's just that the somebody else they choose turns out to have been completely the wrong somebody else!)

N.


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## Parsifal98 (Apr 29, 2020)

The Conte said:


> She was two-three years younger than Tebaldi and Callas and recorded two recital albums for Decca in 1956 and 1958 (whereas Callas made her first records in 1949 and Tebaldi in 1951, so she wasn't that far behind. However, you are right that whereas Tebaldi and Callas captured throughout the 1950s both commercially and live, Zeani only has those Decca recitals and a few live performances from the 50s. Decca was incredibly short sighted in not signing her up for the lighter bel canto works and she would have been a much better bet for Traviata than Tebaldi, they could have had a hit on their hands (imagine a Zeani, Valletti, Bastianini Traviata in decent Decca stereo!) That said, with Callas having already recorded Puritani and Lucia they may have thought that recordings of rarer rep wouldn't be sellers.
> 
> I've ordered the nine CD set of Zeani's studio recordings (it doesn't include the Romanian Tosca and Traviata which were made later on). There are four volumes of excerpts from live recordings on Bongiovanni which I'm considering getting as well.
> 
> N.


I read somewhere that the reason why she did not record much is because, when negotiating her contract with Decca, she demanded that her husband, Nicola Rossi-Lemini, also join their ranks. Decca refused for they already had Cesare Siepi as their house bass, and probably because Rossi-Lemini was facing important vocal difficulties at the time. Zeani therefore did not sign the contract. Someone may have more information than me about this...


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

The Conte said:


> I was only familiar with Zeani in passing, but that Mefistofele excerpt awakened an interest to listen to more of her. I hadn't realised how broad her rep was: Bel Canto classics (Puritani, Sonnambula and Lucia), Four Hoffmann heroines, Verdi, Puccini, Verismo such as Fedora and Adriana Lecouvreur and a few new works. No wonder Callas (who said that she herself had no rivals as nobody else sang the wide range of rep she did) almost saw her as a rival and the Italians called her l'Assoluta!
> 
> Here's a sample of how wide a rep Zeani had:
> 
> ...


OMG! What a delightful treat and it isn't even my birthday. Bless you Conte.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Parsifal98 said:


> I read somewhere that the reason why she did not record much is because, when negotiating her contract with Decca, she demanded that her husband, Nicola Rossi-Lemini, also join their ranks. Decca refused for they already had Cesare Siepi as their house bass, and probably because Rossi-Lemini was facing important vocal difficulties at the time. Zeani therefore did not sign the contract. Someone may have more information than me about this...


She claimed that this was the case in an interview in 2015:

https://www.gramilano.com/2015/10/i...-my-brain-believes-that-im-eternally-young/2/

N.


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## OffPitchNeb (Jun 6, 2016)

The Conte said:


> She claimed that this was the case in an interview in 2015:
> 
> https://www.gramilano.com/2015/10/i...-my-brain-believes-that-im-eternally-young/2/
> 
> N.


Interesting interview. What does she mean here? Any vocal experts here can explain it to me?

"_Sutherland had a fantastic voice - fantastica! - but her voice wasn't here [she puts her hands around the mask, from below the nose to the forehead and sings] but here [she taps the top of her head and demonstrates the contrasting sound]_"


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

A heartwarming visit:


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

OffPitchNeb said:


> Interesting interview. What does she mean here? Any vocal experts here can explain it to me?
> 
> "_Sutherland had a fantastic voice - fantastica! - but her voice wasn't here [she puts her hands around the mask, from below the nose to the forehead and sings] but here [she taps the top of her head and demonstrates the contrasting sound]_"


It's difficult to say without hearing the sounds she is making. I've never understood the concept of the sound coming out the top of ones head (it can't _literally_ be so). She may mean that Sutherland's head voice was almost pure head voice with very little chest voice in the mix. Or perhaps that the sound wasn't forward (could be seen to be the reason for her poor diction). Different singers use different ways to describe voice production and sounds and so it's very difficult to know what people are talking about.

N.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Not familiar with her. She is a marvelous interpreter! Beautiful voice. My take on why she might not be better known is that to my ear her voice is not possessing of an instantly recognizable sound. Others perhaps don't notice this. This really helps sell albums.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Not familiar with her. She is a marvelous interpreter! Beautiful voice. My take on why she might not be better known is that to my ear her voice is not possessing of an instantly recognizable sound. Others perhaps don't notice this. This really helps sell albums.


That was my first reaction on belatedly discovering her. In a blind test I think I'd have to listen for more than a few notes to know who I was hearing.


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## Andante Cantabile (Feb 26, 2020)

Based on an interview published in _Classical Record Collector_ (Spring 2010), Decca/London, after recording two recital albums with Zeani, was actually immensely interested to promote her as a major artist and had plans in store for more recording projects with her. In fact, Terry McEwen, then Director of Artists and Repertoire for Decca/London, was a huge Zeani fan and greatly wanted to sign her up as an exclusive Decca/London artist. A forum member on Opera-L remembered that at dinner one time in the mid-70s at a friend's apartment, McEwen kept raving about Zeani and stressing how superb she was.

Zeani, on her part, did not want her husband, bass Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (whom she married in 1957) to be left out and proposed to Decca to sign him up as well. However, Rossi-Lemeni (as can be heard in the 1957 La Scala Anna Bolena with Maria Callas) was having significant vocal problems by then and (as mentioned earlier) Decca already had Cesare Siepi as their house bass for the Italian repertoire, so Zeani's proposal was rejected. For Zeani, it was either 'both Nicola and I' or 'both of us out' situation. It also happened that she gave birth to her son around the time of the negotiation over the Decca/London recording contract. In the end, she opted out. That Zeani did not enjoy a major recording career was because of the choice she made herself under particular circumstances. Despite the lack of a contract with a major recording company, she still managed to enjoy a highly respectable career on the stage.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Andante Cantabile said:


> Based on an interview published in _Classical Record Collector_ (Spring 2010), Decca/London, after recording two recital albums with Zeani, was actually immensely interested to promote her as a major artist and had plans in store for more recording projects with her. In fact, Terry McEwen, then Director of Artists and Repertoire for Decca/London, was a huge Zeani fan and greatly wanted to sign her up as an exclusive Decca/London artist. A forum member on Opera-L remembered that at dinner one time in the mid-70s at a friend's apartment, McEwen kept raving about Zeani and stressing how superb she was.
> 
> Zeani, on her part, did not want her husband, bass Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (whom she married in 1957) to be left out and proposed to Decca to sign him up as well. However, Rossi-Lemeni (as can be heard in the 1957 La Scala Anna Bolena with Maria Callas) was having significant vocal problems by then and (as mentioned earlier) Decca already had Cesare Siepi as their house bass for the Italian repertoire, so Zeani's proposal was rejected. For Zeani, it was either 'both Nicola and I' or 'both of us out' situation. It also happened that she gave birth to her son around the time of the negotiation over the Decca/London recording contract. In the end, she opted out. That Zeani did not enjoy a major recording career was because of the choice she made herself under particular circumstances. Despite the lack of a contract with a major recording company, she still managed to enjoy a highly respectable career on the stage.


She is reputed to have sung 1,000 Violettas . And both Zeani and Nicola were subsequently asked to join the Voice faculty at the University of Indiana, at Bloomington.


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## Viardots (Oct 4, 2014)

Zeani's _Traviata _at Naples (Arena Flegrea) on Aug 8th, 1956 can be heard almost complete on YouTube. It's divided into several videos (go to YouTube and look for the playlist), beautifully produced by a close friend of Zeani's with rare stage stills from Zeani's personal collection. Among Zeani's recorded Traviatas, this unsurprisingly finds her at vocally her freshest, yet her interpretation is already fully developed and quite detailed:


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## Viardots (Oct 4, 2014)

The Conte said:


> It's available in the UK very cheaply via amazon. However, I found it somewhat tepid, both in terms of the conducting and Zeani's somewhat unembodied interpretation. She is much more involved in her li*ve performance from the ROH in 1960*, which is available on Myto. The conducting is much more vibrant and alive on this live recording as well. Of course, the sound on the studio recording is superior to that on the live broadcast. If I were to choose just one definitive library Traviata, then I wouldn't choose any of the Zeani recordings. For a complete recording in modern sound the Solti with Gheorghiu is one of the best, but for the absolute top when it comes to Violetta, then it's the ROH Callas live recording that I would go for.
> 
> Getting back to Zeani, she was much more involved and just as technically accomplished in her live recordings and there are a number available when it comes to Traviata. There's the 1956 Naples recording, the already mentioned *1960 ROH* one and then _her_ favourite from 1963. It's this last one which is included in the 9 CD box set and I will report back on how I find it. I have listened to the studio recording and the 1960 one and out of the two the live ROH from 1960 is the one I would pick. Whether 1963 equals or betters it, I will let you know.
> 
> N.


The 1960 ROH performance was the same old Tyrone Gurthrie production in which Callas had sung in June 1958. Joan Sutherland was originally scheduled to star in the January 1960 run. Unfortunately, Sutherland was indisposed just before the performance and Zeani was called in at the last minute to replace Sutherland. Here's more from Zeani's close friend ('Charlotteinweimar' on YouTube):








> Having failed to cover Sutherland's first Lucia, the BBC planned well in advance to broadcast one of her first Traviatas, but she had a heavy cold and had to cancel, Zeani was tracked down and after a sleepless night flew to London, arriving at the Royal Opera House at 4pm. This was her Covent Garden debut, but there was only just enough time for costume fittings and no time at all for any music rehearsal. She walked onto the stage at 7pm and had to ask "Which one is my Alfredo?" This is a wonderfully reckless account of the Act One scena which Mme Zeani remembers to this day, as conductor Nello Santi set a hair raising speed for the Sempre Libera. Just managing to sing the notes of this demanding role in such circumstances would be a fine achievement, but Zeani gives so much more, a truly electrifying performance.


'Charlotteinweimar' was lucky to have witnessed both Zeani's and Callas' ROH performances as a member of the audience:



> Although dramatically, as a sublime character portrayal, Maria Callas's Violetta was her undoubted equal, vocally Callas could not match the unalloyed lustre with which Zeani sustained Verdi's demanding vocal lines. I was fortunate to hear them both in the same aged staging at Covent Garden and both, in their contrasting ways, were magnificent. There was no "production" to speak of and the success of the performance depended entirely on the quality and conviction of the principal soprano. With Zeani and Callas success was never in any doubt and memories of their magnificent performances are as vivid as ever.


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## Viardots (Oct 4, 2014)

MAS said:


> She is *reputed to have sung 1,000 Violettas* . And both Zeani and Nicola were subsequently asked to join the Voice faculty at the University of Indiana, at Bloomington.


Should be *about 648*, not 1,000, according to Zeani's close friend ('Charlotteinweimar' on YouTube), who is a much more reliable source of info.


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

The Conte said:


> It's difficult to say without hearing the sounds she is making. I've never understood the concept of the sound coming out the top of ones head (it can't _literally_ be so). She may mean that Sutherland's head voice was almost pure head voice with very little chest voice in the mix. Or perhaps that the sound wasn't forward (could be seen to be the reason for her poor diction). Different singers use different ways to describe voice production and sounds and so it's very difficult to know what people are talking about.
> 
> N.


Yes. This seems exactly like the Barbieri/chest voice example. Without the sounds, it can be very confusing/misleading. Zeani is not nasal, mask singing as we typically encounter it today, but she may have used that terminology.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> That was my first reaction on belatedly discovering her. In a blind test I think I'd have to listen for more than a few notes to know who I was hearing.


I have been on a tear listening to everything I can get my hands on about her voice and I think I would now recognize her voice if I heard it. The only one who might give me trouble is Gheorghiu because they sound very much alike (which isn't so surprising being that Virginia was Angela's idol.) 
She has a way of completing notes to the very last second which I find appealing in a singer. She is also very musical and her high notes are very secure.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Viardots said:


> Should be *about 648*, not 1,000, according to Zeani's close friend ('Charlotteinweimar' on YouTube), who is a much more reliable source of info.


Thank you for the information. I stand corrected! :tiphat:


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