Hariclea Darclée
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Hariclea Darclée (born Hariclea Hartulary; June 10, 1860–January 12, 1939) was a celebrated Romanian opera singer and soprano.
Born in Brăila, she made her debut at the Opéra National in Paris in 1888 as Marguerite in Charles Gounod's Faust, and shot to fame in 1889, when she replaced Adelina Patti as Juliette in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette.
The highlights of her career in Italy from 1890 on included Odalea in Antônio Carlos Gomes' Condor at La Scala in Milan in 1891, Alfredo Catalani's La Wally at the same theater in 1892, and the title roles in Pietro Mascagni's Iris and Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, both at Teatro Costanzi in Rome in 1899 and 1900, respectively. Her last role was that of Carmen in Georges Bizet's opera, in Florence in 1918.
Darclée was the mother of composer Ion Hartulary Darclée. Both she and her son are buried at Bellu cemetery, in Bucharest.
Started in 1997, the Hariclea Darclée National Voice Competition is held every two years in Brăila.