Renata Tebaldi

This Italian soprano had such a special rapport with the Metropolitan Opera House, enjoying unassailable box office appeal, that to New Yorkers she was known simply as “Miss Sold Out”. Renata Tebaldi was born in Rossini’s hometown of Pesaro in 1922, and by her early twenties had already established an enviable reputation—Arturo Toscanini described hers as the voice of an angel and engaged her for the concert that reopened La Scala Milan after the war. Known above all for her Verdi and Puccini, Tebaldi also cultivated the bel canto repertoire, bringing to all her roles an instinctive grasp of line, a formidable power tempered by delicate shading and an affecting, hushed intensity. She was a firm believer in beauty of tone, preferring to sing in her native language to avoid French as it was too nasal. She also insisted on singing Wagner in Italian. In 1963, Tebaldi took time out to address some vocal issues, but returned for what she termed her “second career” before retiring from public performance in 1976. She died in 2004 leaving a rich recorded legacy, and her memory lives on thanks to a foundation, singing competition and museum in her name.