Maria Barrientos |

Mary Barrientos

Masters of Bel Canto: Maria Barrientos

One of the most famous sopranos of the first half of the 20th century, Maria Barrientos, made her debut on the opera stage unusually early. After a few vocal lessons from Francisco Bonet in her native Barcelona, ​​Maria, at the age of 14, first appeared on the stage of the Teatro Lirico as Ines in Meyerbeer’s Africana. From next year, the singer began touring in Italy, France, Germany, and South American countries. So, in 1899 she performed with great success in Milan the role of Lakme in the opera of the same name by Delibes. In 1903, the young Spanish singer made her debut at Covent Garden (Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville), the next season La Scala submits to her (Dinora in Meyerbeer’s opera of the same name, Rosina).

The peak of Maria Barrientos’ career came in performances at the New York Metropolitan Opera. In 1916, with resounding success, the singer made her debut as Lucia in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and became the idol of the local audience, performing the leading parts of the coloratura soprano over the next four seasons. Among the roles on the stage of America’s leading theater, we note Adina in Donizetti’s Love Potion, where the singer’s partner was the great Caruso, the Queen of Shemakhan in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel. The singer’s repertoire also includes the roles of Amina in Bellini’s La Sonnambula, Gilda, Violetta, Mireille in Gounod’s opera of the same name and others. In the 20s, Barrientos performed in France, in Monte Carlo, where in 1929 she sang the title role in Stravinsky’s The Nightingale.

Maria Barrientos also became famous as a subtle interpreter of chamber works by French and Spanish composers. She made a number of brilliant recordings for Fonotopia and Columbia, among which the recording of Manuel de Falla’s vocal cycle “Seven Spanish Folk Songs” with the author at the piano stands out. The last years of her life, the singer taught in Buenos Aires.

The singing of Maria Barrientos is distinguished by a filigree, truly instrumental technique with a magnificent legato, which, even after a century, is amazing. Let’s enjoy the voice of one of the most talented and beautiful singers of the first half of the 20th century!

Selected discography of Maria Barrientos:

1. Recital (Bellini, Mozart, Delibes, Rossini, Thomas, Grieg, Handel, Caballero, Meyerbeer, Aubert, Verdi, Donizetti, Gounod, Flotow, de Falla), Aria (2 CDs).
2. Де Фалья — Historical Recordings 1923 — 1976, Almaviva.
3. Our Recovered Voices Vol. 1, Aria.
4. Charles Hackett (Duet), Marston.
5. The Harold Wayne Collection, Symposium.
6. Hipolito Lazaro (Duets), Preiser — LV.