+39 0744 288116 / +39 349 8706515
Teachers
Fiorenza Cossotto (mezzosoprano)
Fiorenza Cossotto was an Italian mezzo-soprano who, according to Enzo Bordello, "represents a paradoxical disparity between the public and private persons of any artist. On stage, Cossotto was an immense powerhouse with a stunning voice, but in person she was known to scream at costume ladies "for not hiding her flabby arms," not stopping once they burst into tears. She and her husband, the bass Ivo Vinco, were a legendary couple who had sung Norma with Callas, and although there were rumors that the great soprano and mezzo did not get along, Vinco later insisted that Franco Zeffirelli made up stories. "Fiorenza would do anything for Maria, she worshipped her," he would explain. Cossotto was often considered to be La Scala's Queen Mezzo and in her day was the reigning Dalila, Amneris, and Princess Eboli, beloved by maestros like Georges Prêtre, Riccardo Muti, James Levine, and Herbert von Karajan. Her attack on the high B in "Lache!" near the end of Samson and Dalila's second act is still unforgotten by her fans lucky enough to have heard it live. According to Bordello, "it was ringing, rock-solid and massive. My eardrums vibrated for hours afterwards. It's hard for the junior queens to understand what the impact of such a voice is like. But once experienced, you never forget it."
Discografia
1959 La Gioconda (opera), Laura – A. Votto, M. Callas, P. Cappuccilli - EMI Classics
1959 Le nozze di Figaro,Cherubino – C. M. Giulini, G. Taddei, E. Schwarzkopf -EMI Classics
1959 Requiem (Verdi),Mezzo-Soprano – T. Serafin, B. Christoff, E. Fernandi – Testament Records
1961 Don Carlo, Eboli – G. Santini, B. Christoff, A. Stella - Deutsche Grammophon
1963 Il Trovatore, Azucena – T. Serafin, C. Bergonzi, A. Stella - Deutsche Grammophon
1964 Rigoletto, Maddalena – R. Kubelik, R. Scotto, D. Fischer-Dieskau - Deutsche Grammophon
1965 Cavalleria Rusticana, Santuzza – H. V. Karajan, C. Bergonzi, G. Guelfi - Deutsche Grammophon
1967 Medea (opera), Neris – L. Gardelli, G. Jones, B. Prevedi- Decca Records
1967 Requiem (Verdi), Mezzo-Soprano – H. V. Karajan, L. Price, L. Pavarotti - Deutsche Grammophon
1968 Cavalleria Rusticana, Santuzza- H. V. Karajan, G. Cecchele, G. Guelfi - Deutsche Grammophon
1970 Requiem (Verdi), Mezzo-Soprano - Sir J. Barbirolli, M. Caballe, J. Vickers - EMI Classics
1970 Il Trovatore, Azucena- Z. Mehta, L. Price, P. Domingo - RCA Records
1972 Norma (opera), Adalgisa – C. F. Cillario, M. Caballe, P. Domingo - RCA Records
1974 Un giorno di regno, Marchesa del Poggio – L.Gardelli, J. Norman, J. Carreras - Philips Records
1974 Aida, Amneris – R. Muti, M. Caballe, P. Domingo - EMI Classics
1974 La Favorita, Leonora - R. Bonynge,L. Pavarotti, G. Bacquier - Decca Records
1975 Un ballo in maschera, Ulrica - R. Muti, M. Arroyo, P. Domingo - EMI Classics
1976 Macbeth (opera), Lady Macbeth - R. Muti, S. Milnes, J. Carreras - EMI Classics
1977 La Forza del Destino, Prerziosilla - J. Levine, L. Price, P. Domingo - RCA Records
