Teresa Berganza

Even as Teresa Berganza distinguished herself in the demanding roles of Mozart and Rossini along with other staples of the standard repertory, her work retained a distinctly Spanish character. She regularly promoted music from her native country, encompassing zarzuela as well as the songs of Granados and Falla, while also taking on the title role of Carmen on numerous occasions and imparting her personal vision of the character in both live performances and studio recordings. Possessing remarkable versatility, Berganza excelled as a pianist and organist and pursued studies in conducting and composition. Her voice, notable for its strong upper range, likewise defied conventional limits when she received an offer in 1960 to sing Violetta—a signature soprano part—in Verdi's La traviata at La Scala in Milan.

Berganza entered the world in Madrid on March 16, 1935. At the Madrid Conservatory she trained with Lola Rodriguez Aragon, herself a pupil of Elisabeth Schumann. Berganza attributed her transformation from an unrefined talent into a finished performer entirely to this mentor, with whom she continued working long after her student years to refine interpretations and resolve occasional vocal issues. Her professional debut occurred in 1956 at the Madrid Athenaeum in Schumann's song cycle Frauenliebe und -Leben, followed by her first operatic appearance at the Aix-in-Provence Festival as Dorabella in Così fan tutte. She reached the Glyndebourne stage for the first time in 1958, portraying Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro.

That same year she made her American debut in Dallas, appearing in the supporting role of Neris in a production of Medea. Maria Callas sang the title character, and Berganza later stated that she absorbed more about musical drama and stage discipline from Callas than from anyone else; Callas treated her "like a younger sister" and even required that Berganza depict Neris as a young woman near Medea's own age rather than the customary older, matronly figure. Berganza's Covent Garden debut came in 1960 as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and through the 1960s and into the early 1970s she concentrated chiefly on Rossini and Mozart parts. She first appeared at the Met in 1967, again as Cherubino.

Berganza first performed Carmen in 1977 and later recalled the experience as profoundly freeing, both personally and artistically. To prepare, she traveled to Seville to watch Romani women, read Prosper Mérimée's original novel, and examined the score in detail. She arrived at her own understanding of the character as a free spirit within a constrained society—neither a prostitute nor a tramp, and marked by a certain sweetness. Although many reviewers praised this approach, others considered it insufficiently raw and overly "ladylike." She applied comparable originality to the role of Zerlina in Don Giovanni, singing the character in Joseph Losey's film as a fully grown, sensual young woman rather than a naïve and dazzled girl.

As a recitalist Berganza gained particular recognition for Spanish repertoire, though she also programmed Mussorgsky and additional composers. Her first husband, Félix Lavilla, whom she met at the Madrid Conservatory, served as her regular accompanist for many years. Although her final major stage appearance took place in 1992, she continued presenting recitals and conducting master classes into the 2000s before formally retiring from the concert platform in 2008. Throughout her career she guarded her voice carefully, limiting what she permitted audiences to hear and thereby extending its usable life. Among her recordings, the account of Rosina and the anthology of Spanish songs issued on Claves stand out as especially noteworthy. Berganza died on May 13, 2022, at the age of 89.