Jean Madeira
Encyclopedia
Jean Madeira was an American mezzo-soprano
, particularly known for her work in late-romantic German repertoire such as the operas of Richard Wagner
and Richard Strauss
. She studied at The Juilliard School, and made her debut in opera in Chatauqua, as Nancy in Martha, by von Flotow. In 1955, the singing-actress successfully sang the title role in Carmen with the Vienna State Opera
. She sang approximately 300 times at the Metropolitan Opera
in forty-one roles, from 1948 to 1971. Her last appearance there was in Elektra, opposite Birgit Nilsson
. Jean Madeira is the second-cousin of composer Amy Beth Kirsten. Her family moving to East St. Louis as a child, she attended East St. Louis High School.
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
, particularly known for her work in late-romantic German repertoire such as the operas of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
. She studied at The Juilliard School, and made her debut in opera in Chatauqua, as Nancy in Martha, by von Flotow. In 1955, the singing-actress successfully sang the title role in Carmen with the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
. She sang approximately 300 times at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in forty-one roles, from 1948 to 1971. Her last appearance there was in Elektra, opposite Birgit Nilsson
Birgit Nilsson
right|thumb|Nilsson in 1948.Birgit Nilsson was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works...
. Jean Madeira is the second-cousin of composer Amy Beth Kirsten. Her family moving to East St. Louis as a child, she attended East St. Louis High School.
Abridged Discography
- Bizet: Carmen as Carmen (Filacuridi; Dervaux, 1957) PathéPathéPathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
- Britten: Peter Grimes (Jon Vickers; 1967) Immortal Performances
- Falla: Three Cornered Hat (Vienna Symphony) Tuxedo Music
- Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (Valdengo, de los Angeles; Fritz Reiner) Myto Historical
- Pochielli: La Gioconda (Milanov, Cehanovsky, de Paolis; Met, Cleva) Gala
- Puccini: Madama Butterfly as Suzuki (Steber, Tucker, Valdengo; Met, Rudolf, 1949) SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
- Puccini: Manon Lescaut (Antonicelli, Bjoerling, Valdengo; Met) Myto
- Saint-Saens: Samson et Delilah (San Carlo theater Orchestra, Pradelli) Hardy Classic
- Strauss: Elektra as Clytemnestra (Borkh, Schech, Uhl, Fischer-Dieskau; Böhm, 1960) DGDG-Fiction:*Delta Green*DG , the main protagonist in the science fiction channel miniseries Tin Man-Locations:* Diego Garcia, an atoll in central Indian Ocean* Downers Grove, Illinois* Danilovgrad, a municipality in Montenegro...
- Verdi: Aida as Amneris (Rysanek, London, Frick, Hopf; Vienna State Opera, Kubelik 1955) OrfeoOrfeoL'Orfeo , sometimes called L'Orfeo, favola in musica, is an early Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to...
- Verdi: Requiem (Vienna Symphony, Erich Kleiber 1955) Melodram
- Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Rysanek, Bergonzi, Merill; Santi 1962) Living Stage
- Wagner: Das Rheingold as Erda (Flagstad, London; Solti, 1958) Decca RecordsDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
- Wagner: Die Walkure as Fricka (Nilsson, Rysanek, Ludwig, Hotter, Frick, Suthaus; La Scala, Karajan 1958) Myto; IDIS
- Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen as Erda, Rossweisse & First Norn (Bayreuth, Knappertsbusch 1956) OrfeoOrfeoL'Orfeo , sometimes called L'Orfeo, favola in musica, is an early Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to...
- Wagner Parsifal (Varnay, London, Hotter; Friz Reiner 1954) AdonisAdonisAdonis , in Greek mythology, the god of beauty and desire, is a figure with Northwest Semitic antecedents, where he is a central figure in various mystery religions. The Greek , Adōnis is a variation of the Semitic word Adonai, "lord", which is also one of the names used to refer to God in the Old...