Berganza (Vargas), Teresa
Berganza (Vargas), Teresa
Berganza (Vargas), Teresa, admired Spanish mezzo- soprano; b. Madrid, March 16, 1935. She was a pupil of Lola Rodriguez Aragon in Madrid. After winning the singing prize at the Madrid Cons, in 1954, she made her debut in a Madrid concert in 1955; in 1957 she made her operatic debut as Dorabella at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. In 1958 she made her British debut as Cherubino at the Glyndebourne Festival, and that same year she sang at the Dallas Civic Opera. In 1960 she made her first appearance at London’s Covent Garden as Rosina, and in 1962 her debut at the Chicago Lyric Opera as Cherubino, a role she repeated for her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on Oct. 11, 1967; she remained on its roster until 1969. She toured widely as a concert artist, winning particular distinction for her Spanish song recitals. In 1992 she participated in the gala ceremonies at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. She appeared in recital at London’s Wigmore Hall in 1997 and at N.Y.’s Alice Tully Hall in 1999. In addition to her roles in operas by Mozart and Rossini, she was esteemed for her portrayals of Monteverdi’s Octavia, Purcell’s Dido, and Bizet’s Carmen. Her career is the subject of her book Meditaciones de na Cantante (Madrid, 1985).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire