the voice of Giulietta Simionato mezzo soprano
Giulia Simionato was born on the 12th May 1910 in Forli in the Emilia-Romagna, Italy to Felice Simionato, a law graduate and civil servant, and Giovanna Maria Truddaiu Barroccu. Soon nicknamed Giulietta she passed her childhood in Sardinia, receiving her first vocal lessons at boarding school in Rovigo, near Venice, where her family had moved. A local musical school director noticed the young Simionato and approached her parents but to little avail as her mother would not concede to singing lessons. When Giulietta's mother died in 1925 her father still refused her singing lessons out of respect for his late wife's wishes. Her first break came when a local company approached her father as they could not find the voices they needed to fill certain roles, Felice Simionato consented as he did not consider it a professional engagement. Giuletta's first public debut took place in Roigo's Teatro Sociale on May 14, 1927 and was a triumph. "La Simionato has a beautifully flexible voice, a quick intelligence" (La Voce de Mattina, May 15 1927), sentiments that chracterise her entire career. Simionato's father finally relented to pressure to allow her to study. She began formal vocal lessons, while taking engagements around Rovigo to build her confidence. In 1933 she entered a vocal competition to be held in Florence to mark the closing of the Maggio Musical Fiorentino. Out of the three hundred and eighty five entrants, she placed first. On the panel of judges were the composer Giordando, the great maestro Serafin and the celebrated soprano Storchio amongst other luminaries. Storchio was so impressed with the young singer that she handed her a bouquet of flowers after hearing her sing from Mignon, telling her to always sing just as she had. Following this success Simionato endured more than ten years of minor castings to her great frustration. During this period she sang with names such as Scuderi, Albanese, Olivero, Caniglia, Lauri-Volpi, Bruna-Rasa, Del Monaco and Elmo, and in important theatres such as La Scala and the Communale in Florence, but always in small roles. In smaller theatres she sang bigger parts and achieved several triumphs, such as in L'amico Frirz at the Bologna Music Festival where she received thirty five curtain calls. In 1945, after years of missed opportunities, Simionato reached a turning point in her career.
In October
1945 Simionato travelled to Genova to sing at the Grand Teatre as Dorabella in Cosi
Fan Tutte and
was a huge success. This lead to more engagements with the
company including a Quickly and an Ulrica. Her successes
quickly began to
mount. Again in the role of Dorabella she wowed Paris in 1946, but the event
that changed her life came in Genoa on January 8, 1947. Singing the role of
Mignon under Maestro Gavazzeni Simionato achieved what can only be described as a spectacular success.
She was asked to repeat the role at La Scala in the same year in a performance
that proved such an achievement that is now part of that theatres
history. From there on she sang in every major theatre, with every major
conductor, constantly in demand for the next twenty years. She
specialised in the bel canto repertoire of Rossini, Bellini and
Donizetti and
equally the highly dramatic Verdi mezzo-roles and even triumphed in the great
Verismo operas. She had one of the most spectacular operatic careers of the
century, lauded by critics and opera goers alike, always turning out
finished performances, rarely receiving anything other than raving reviews. Simionato has left a large legacy of recorded material, both live and in the
studio where she was the reigning mezzo-soprano of her generation.
Retirement came when Simionato married Professor Cesare Frugoni, Italy's most brilliant medical
mind, opera lover, and a highly celebrated public figure. She planed
on dedicating herself wholly to their life together and thus decided to end her
career. The couple married on November 18, 1965 in a small ceremony and were
guaranteed that the press would not be informed of the union for two months,
giving Simionato enough time to end her career. On the February 1, 1966 marking the
30th
anniversary of her debut at La Scala, taking a small role
in a performance of
La Clemenza di Tito, Simionato sang for the
last time on the lyric stage. She left willingly and without regret or
nostalgia.
After her
retirement La Simionato remained active in the opera world, as a teacher,
patron and administrator. She lives in
Milan, Italy.