Giulietta Simionato, born in Forlì on 12 May 1910, has become part of the history of “bel canto” owing to her strong theatrical sense and to her inborn musicality, which she has always stood out for on the stage, worldwide. After coming to the fore with the wonderful performance of “Mignon” and “Così fan tutte”, she succeeded in capturing in all characters the unique qualities of each composer, by also analysing them from a human point of view.

Who doesn’t remember her clear and incisive performance in “Orpheo and Euridice” by Gluck, in 1959, with Herbert von Karajan conducting and with the State Opera choir and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra? Furthermore, we can emphasise G. Simionato’s open and at the same time rigorous personality, which is the evidence of complete professionalism.

The dark and dramatic timbre of her voice proved very suitable to the numerous characters from eighteenth-century operas; indeed in the 1950 performance of “Il Matrimonio segreto” by Cimarosa, during the “May Florentine Music Festival”, with Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari conducting, G. Simionato proved to have a lively and conversational vocalism, which enhanced the fresh Neapolitan style. Besides these memories, we cannot but mention the Rossini repertoire, which provided her with some of her big numbers.

The 1956 performance of the “Barbiere di Siviglia”, with Alberto Erede conducting and the “May Florentine Music Festival” Choir and orchestra, reproduced on a record, offered further evidence of her voice versatility. The 1952 performance of the “Barbiere di Siviglia” at La Scala theatre with Victor De Sabata conducting, also featured a fresh G. Simionato, who succeeded in deeply re-interpreting with a keen theatrical sense the character of Rosina. And what about Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” performed in 1956, again for the “May Florentine Music Festival”, together with Renata Tebaldi, or in its 1964 performance, with the unforgettable Thomas Schippers conducting for the Rome Opera House?

These are all precious expressions of a magic period in the history of melodrama. Aida and Falstaff were other significant performances documenting the feverish activity of the artist, who performed in all the most important theatres worldwide, where she was invited owing to her voice being provided with rare versatility and supported by excellent technical skills.
Bizet’s “Carmen” in the 1955 performance at La Scala theatre, with Karajan conducting, is imprinted in opera literature as one of the most tragic and at the same time romantic and sensual performances of “Carmen”, an effective and unique example of how feelings can be balanced in this tormented Bizet character.
The veristic period was also one of those the singer enjoyed most and in “Cavalleria rusticana” by Pietro Mascagni we find an effective expression of the character’s dignity and passion, blending into perfect osmosis thanks to the strong colouring of the voice. In this regard, we ought to mention the 1955 performance at La Scala theatre with Antonio Votto conducting.

As we can see, Giulietta Simionato has marked an age, by introducing a new type of relationship with the stage, based on a way of blending her voice with her gestures, which is weighed, controlled and supported by a gifted analytic intelligence. I am meeting her in her friendly Milan dwelling, on a sunny afternoon. I am struck by the dynamism and elegance of her gestures, accompanied by her intent and penetrating look.

Our conversation starts with a traditional question she has already answered thousands of times, which however allows the reader to understand this great personality who has had the opportunity to sing with the most famous conductors of the past.

A.B.: How did you enter the world of music and operatic music? G.S.: I was not given any example or received any stimuli from the family; on the contrary, my parents, and my mother in particular, who had Sardinian origins, were totally against the idea that I may become a singer. But fate willed it otherwise. The idea of singing came from the nuns at the boarding school I attended; they heard me singing and discovered my inborn vocal skills and did their best to persuade my family to allow me to study music. After my mother’s death, my father gave in to the nuns’ repeated requests and I started this experience, without even acknowledging its importance.

A.B.: When did you make your debut?
G.S.: In 1927, in the musical comedy: “Nina non far la stupida”; but those were still preparatory years for me. I studied in Padua with Maestro Locatello first and with the choirmaster Palumbo later. In 1933 the first Italian Singing Competition was held in Florence, and I was determined to take part in it, even though Maestro Palumbo kept telling me that without connections any effort would be vain. There were 385 of us taking part in the contest, and there were only 18 left of us, three of whom were mezzo-sopranos, and I was the winner. Maestro Serafin, who was a member of the jury, recommended me to Maestro Fabbroni, who was the Artistic Director of La Scala theatre at the time, for an audition, which I obtained, even though I was told that I was not yet mature enough for La Scala theatre, and that I should report back in two years’ time. So I did. After an intensive period of study with my first Maestro, I was accepted as a staff member of La Scala theatre. The contract provided for unacceptable conditions, which I however tolerated up to the end of the war; then, after 1947, I was granted the leading role in “Mignon”, which led to my first success.

A.B.: Which is the character you loved most?
G.S.: It is “Mignon” herself, because it represented the ideal solution for my vocal possibilities. I have always analysed my characters in a very individual way, in that I have never asked for other people’s advice. My work was entirely based on mental preparation, combined, in the case of historical characters, with a study of the age, of the customs and of the figure I was to represent.

A.B.: With which conductor did you feel most at ease?
G.S.: With Karajan, most definitely; maybe because there was a strong musicality and sensitivity reciprocity between the two of us. However, I also got along well with Toscanini, because he had a very fatherly attitude towards me. And I had a positive relation with Maestro Gavazzeni, as he managed to perfectly understand my personality and requirements.

A.B.: How did the rehearsals and scoring take place?
G.S.: There first was an individual meeting with the Maestro at the piano, after which, again with the piano only, a rehearsal took place with the whole company. At this point, we would start stage rehearsing, first without and then with the orchestra, till we got to the dress rehearsal.

A.B.: Which colleagues do you recall most fondly?
G.S.: Almost all of them, because they were always very understanding and patient with me, even though I often arrived late. However, they knew that all this was not due to negligence on my side, but to the fact that these were times when I was in great demand, and hence always travelling. Anyhow, I would like to mention the names of a few artists who worked with me: Del Monaco, Di Stefano, Corelli, Bastianini, Callas and Tebaldi.

A.B.: What can you tell us about new voices?
G.S.: It is not true that there are no gifted voices among the new ones; the problem is that interesting voices are ruined by the wrong type of training. Today, we chiefly have tremulous voices and here again, I am not sure what the cause is: the teaching, the diaphragm, the vocal chords or whatever.

A.B.: Do you believe in singing teaching?
G.S.: I don’t believe you can teach someone to sing. That is a natural gift. What you can convey to a student, though, is training in the art of singing, voice definition and attitude. For exclusively natural reasons, today we have not particularly powerful voices, we have mezzo-sopranos and tenors who are unable to handle certain operas, which for this reason are not performed.

A.B.: How do you feel about the fashion of introducing in the score the parts which the author himself had cut out?
G.S.: I am a traditionalist, and I therefore feel we should continue as tradition has taught us, which does not mean that we are not to evolve… quite the opposite; but this should be done without impairing the spirit of the melodrama, which cannot be renovated.

Our meeting ends with the strongly emotional feeling of having met a great figure, a direct witness of an unrepeatable magic period of Italian melodrama. Thank you, Mrs Simionato!

Transl. by interpres sas