[Deathwatch] Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano, 82

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Thanks to a few readers for submitting this (notices will be a little
slow getting out over the holidays) - Ed.

Italian Opera Diva Renata Tebaldi Dies at 82

Mon Dec 20
By Rachel Sanderson

ROME (Reuters) - Italian soprano Renata Tebaldi, one of the great
post-World War II opera divas who Arturo Toscanini said had the "voice
of an angel," has died, a family friend said Sunday. She was 82.

She died in the Republic of San Marino where she had moved several
months ago to be close to the sea, said the family friend, who asked
not to be named.

Tebaldi had one of the most beautiful Italian voices of the century.
Although her rivalry with Maria Callas attracted much attention, it was
her singing that captivated her fans.

Her breakthrough came in 1946 when she auditioned in Milan for the
great conductor Toscanini and from then until the late 1970s she
performed across Europe and the United States.

When she made her debut at the city's La Scala opera house in late
1946, the maestro dubbed her "The Voice of an Angel."

Singing the soprano part in Giuseppe Verdi's "Te Deum," the concert
marked the reopening of the theater after the end of World War II. It
also branded Tebaldi in Italian minds as part of the country's post-war
renaissance.

She went on to perform at London's Covent Garden, the San Francisco
Opera and appeared regularly at the Metropolitan Opera in New York
taking the lead roles in "La Boheme," "Madam Butterfly," "Tosca" and
"La Traviata."

"I started my career at 22 and finished it at 54. 32 years of success,
satisfaction and sacrifices. Singing was my life's scope to the point
that I could never have a family," she wrote in a preface to her
official Web site.

Tebaldi was born in the Italian seaside town of Pesaro on Feb. 1, 1922.
Stricken with polio at the age of 3, she was unable to partake in
strenuous activities and instead became interested in music.

In her early teens, she began studying music at the Conservatory of
Parma.

"I started singing when I was a young girl but my family wanted me to
study piano but my overwhelming need to express myself with my voice
made me choose the art of singing," she once told her fans.

Tebaldi has left a huge legacy of complete operas on disc with other
famous singers including Mario del Monaco, Giulietta Simionato, and
Carlo Bergonzi.

Her recordings include Verdi's "Otello" and "Aida" and Puccini's "La
Boheme" and "Madama Butterfly."

She last performed on the opera stage in 1973, and her last concert
took place in 1976.

Tebaldi was a Knight Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian
Republic and had received a Commander, Order of Arts and Letters from
France.