Jean Madeira (née Jean Browning, on November 14, 1918, in Centralia, Illinois; died on July 10, 1972, in Providence, Rhode Island) 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. [1] Jean Madeira is the second-cousin of composer Amy Beth Kirsten.[2] 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) Pathé
- 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) Sony
- Puccini: Manon Lescaut (Antonicelli, Bjoerling, Valdengo; Met) Myto
- Saint-Saëns: Samson et Delilah (San Carlo theater Orchestra, Pradelli) Hardy Classic
- Strauss: Elektra as Clytemnestra (Borkh, Schech, Uhl, Fischer-Dieskau; Böhm, 1960) DG
- Verdi: Aida as Amneris (Rysanek, London, Frick, Hopf; Vienna State Opera, Kubelik 1955) Orfeo
- 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 Records
- 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) Orfeo
- Wagner Parsifal (Varnay, London, Hotter; Friz Reiner 1954) Adonis
References
- ↑ Erik Eriksson, Biography: Jean Madeira, All Music Guide, © 2009
- ↑ Amy Beth Kirsten,
External links
| Persondata |
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| Name |
Madeira, Jean |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
Singer |
| Date of birth |
November 14, 1918 |
| Place of birth |
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| Date of death |
July 10, 1972 |
| Place of death |
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