Pia Tassinari

Pia Tassinari (September 15, 1903, Modigliana - May 15, 1995, Faenza) was an Italian soprano and later mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertories.

Born Domenica Tassinari, she studied with Vezzani and Marcantoni, and made her debut in 1929, as Mimi, in Casale Monferrato.

She sang widely in Italy and South America, making her debut at La Scala in Milan, in 1932, and at the Metropolitan Opera in 1947.In 1955, she sang in Naples, in a famous revival of Mercadante 's "Il giuramento".

She sang a wide range of roles, including: Marguerite, Manon, Elisabeth, Elsa, Fedora, Tosca, etc. She was also much admired in contemporary works by Zandonai, Wolf-Ferrari, and Respighi.

In the 1950s, as her voice darkened, she tackled successfully mezzo-soprano roles, notably Carmen and Charlotte, but also Amneris and Ulrica.

She was married to tenor Ferruccio Tagliavini with whom she often appeared on stage and on disc. They can be heard together in a number of complete opera recordings: "Un ballo in maschera", "Martha","Werther", "L'arlesiana", and most notably "L'amico Fritz", conducted by Pietro Mascagni himself.

Tassinari had a beautiful voice of great range, and she brought considerable warmth, sensitivity, and refinement to whatever she was singing.

ources

* "Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique", R. Mancini & J-J. Rouvereux, (Fayard, 1986), ISBN 2-213-01563-6