UShirley Verrett |

UShirley Verrett

"I-Callas emnyama" ayisekho. Ushiye emhlabeni ngoNovemba 5, 2010. Ukulahlekelwa kuka-Shirley Verret ochungechungeni lokungalungiseki.

Noma ubani ojwayelene namanoveli adumile aseNingizimu, noma ngabe eka-Margaret Mitchell ethi Gone With the Wind noma iLouisiana kaMaurice Denouzier, uzojwayelana nezimpawu eziningi zokuphila kuka-Shirley Verrett. Wazalwa ngoMeyi 31, 1931 eNew Orleans, eLouisiana. Lena iNingizimu yaseMelika yangempela! Ifa lamasiko lamakholoni aseFrance (yingakho umyalo wolimi lwesiFulentshi wawungenasici, owawuhlaba umxhwele kakhulu lapho uShirley ecula ethi “Carmen”), inkolo ejulile: umndeni wakubo wawungowehlelo lamaSeventh-day Adventist, futhi ugogo wakhe wayengumuntu obalulekile. ishaman, i-animism phakathi kwamaCreole ayivamile. Ubaba kaShirley wayenenkampani yokwakha, futhi lapho eseyintombazane, umndeni wathuthela eLos Angeles. UShirley wayengomunye wabantwana abahlanu. Encwadini yakhe yesikhumbuzo, wabhala ukuthi uyise wayeyindoda elungile, kodwa ukujezisa izingane ngebhande kwakuyinto evamile kuye. Izici ezingavamile zemvelaphi kaShirley nokuzihlanganisa nenkolo yakhe zamdalela ubunzima lapho ithemba lokuba umculi lisondela emkhathizwe: umndeni wasekela ukukhetha kwakhe, kodwa wayiphatha ngokulahla i-opera. Izihlobo zakhe bezingeke zimphazamise uma kumayelana nomsebenzi womculi wekhonsathi njengoMarian Anderson, kodwa i-opera! Waqala ukufunda umculo endaweni yangakubo eLouisiana futhi waqhubeka nemfundo yakhe eLos Angeles ukuze aqedele izifundo zakhe eJuilliard School eNew York. Umdlalo wakhe wokuqala waseshashalazini wawusencwadini kaBritten ethi The Rape of Lucrezia ngo-1957. Ngalezo zinsuku, abaculi be-opera abangamakhala babeyivelakancane. U-Shirley Verrett kwadingeka ezwe umunyu nokululazeka kwalesi simo esikhumbeni sakhe. Ngisho noLeopold Stokowski wayengenamandla: wayefuna ukuthi acule naye iculo likaSchoenberg elithi “Gurr’s Songs” ekhonsathini e-Houston, kodwa amalungu e-orchestra ashona emelene nomculi oyedwa omnyama. Ukhulume ngalokhu encwadini yakhe ye-autobiographical ethi I Never Walked Alone.

Ngo-1951, u-Verret osemusha washada noJames Carter, owayemdala kuye ngeminyaka eyishumi nane futhi wazibonakalisa eyindoda ethambekele ekulawuleni nasekungabekezeleni. Kumaphosta angaleso sikhathi, umculi wayebizwa ngokuthi uShirley Verrett-Carter. Umshado wakhe wesibili, noLou LoMonaco, waphothulwa ngo-1963 futhi waqhubeka kwaze kwaba sekufeni kwalo mculi. Kwase kuyiminyaka emibili ephumelele inhlolokhono yeMetropolitan Opera.

Ngo-1959, uVerrett wavela okokuqala e-Europe, wamenza wavela okokuqala e-Cologne encwadini kaNicholas Nabokov ethi, The Death of Rasputin. Ushintsho olukhulu emsebenzini wakhe kwaba ngo-1962: kungaleso sikhathi lapho adlala khona njengoCarmen eMkhosini Wezizwe Ezimbili eSpoleto futhi maduzane wenza ukuthi abonakale okokuqala ku-New York City Opera (u-Irina ku-Weil's Lost in the Stars). E-Spoleto, umndeni wakhe waya emdlalweni othi "Carmen": izihlobo zakhe zamlalela, ziguqa ngamadolo futhi zicela intethelelo kuNkulunkulu. Ngo-1964, uShirley wacula uCarmen esiteji se-Bolshoi Theatre: iqiniso eliyingqayizivele, uma ucabangela ukuthi lokhu kwenzeka ngesikhathi seMpi Yomshoshaphansi.

Ekugcineni, iqhwa laphuka, futhi iminyango yezindlu ezihlonishwa kakhulu ze-opera emhlabeni yavulelwa uShirley Verrett: eminyakeni yama-60s, ukuqala kwakhe kwenzeka eCovent Garden (Ulrika e-Masquerade Ball), e-Comunale Theatre eFlorence futhi iMetropolitan Opera eNew York (Carmen), eLa Scala Theatre (Dalila in Samson and Delilah). Kamuva, igama lakhe lahlobisa izingqwembe zazo zonke ezinye izindlu ze-opera ezihlonishwayo namahholo ekhonsathi emhlabeni: iParis Grand Opera, iVienna State Opera, iSan Francisco Opera, iChicago Lyric Opera, iCarnegie Hall.

Ngawo-1970 kanye nama-80s, u-Verrett wayehlotshaniswa kakhulu nomqhubi we-Boston Opera kanye nomqondisi u-Sarah Calwell. Kungaleli dolobha lapho u-Aida wakhe, uNorma noTosca behlotshaniswa khona. Ngo-1981, uVerrett wacula ingoma ethi Desdemona e-Othello. Kodwa ukungenela kwakhe okokuqala emculweni we-soprano kwenzeka ngo-1967, lapho ecula ingxenye ka-Elizabeth kuMary Stuart kaDonizetti emcimbini we-Florentine Musical May. "I-shift" yomculi eqondise izindima ze-soprano ibangele izimpendulo ezihlukahlukene. Abanye abagxeki abatusayo bakubheke njengephutha lokhu. Kuye kwaphikiswana ngokuthi ukusebenza ngesikhathi esisodwa kwe-mezzo-soprano namapiyano e-soprano kuholele ekutheni izwi lakhe “lihlukanise” libe amarejista amabili ahlukene. Kodwa u-Verrett wabuye waphathwa isifo esingazwani nomzimba esabangela ukuvinjelwa kwe-bronchi. Ukuhlaselwa “kungamsika” engalindele. Ngo-1976, wacula ingxenye ye-Adalgiza e-Met futhi, ngemva kwamasonto ayisithupha, evakashele neqembu lakhe, uNorma. E-Boston, uNorma wakhe wabingelelwa ngokumemeza okukhulu emi. Kodwa eminyakeni emithathu kamuva, ngo-1979, lapho ekugcineni ebonakala njengoNorma esiteji se-Met, wahlaselwa yizinto eziguquguqukayo, futhi lokhu kwaba nomthelela omubi ekuculeni kwakhe. Sekukonke, wenza esiteji semidlalo yaseshashalazini edumile izikhathi ezingu-126, futhi, njengomthetho, kwaba yimpumelelo enkulu.

Ngo-1973 iMetropolitan Opera yavulwa ngokuqala kwe-Les Troyens nguBerlioz noJohn Vickers njengo-Aeneas. UVerrett akagcinanga nje ngokucula uCassandra engxenyeni yokuqala ye-opera duology, kodwa uphinde wathatha indawo kaChrista Ludwig njengoDido engxenyeni yesibili. Lokhu kudlala kuhlale phakade emibhalweni ye-opera. Ngo-1975, ku-Met efanayo, wazuza impumelelo njengo-Neocles ku-Rossini's The Siege of Corinth. Abalingani bakhe kwakunguJustina Diaz noBeverly Sills: kokugcina kwaba yi-debut eyabambezeleka isikhathi eside esiteji se-opera house edume kakhulu e-United States. Ngo-1979 wayenguTosca kanti uCavaradossi wakhe kwakunguLuciano Pavarotti. Lokhu kudlalwa kwavezwa kumabonakude futhi kwakhishwa kuDVD.

U-Verrett wayeyinkanyezi ye-Paris Opera, owadlala ngokukhethekile ingoma kaRossini ethi Moses, Cherubini's Medea, Verdi's Macbeth, Iphigenia in Tauris kanye nekaGluck's Alceste. Ngo-1990, wabamba iqhaza ekukhiqizweni kwe-Les Troyens, enikezelwe ekugubheni iminyaka eyi-XNUMX yaba nesiphepho se-Bastille nokuvulwa kwe-Bastille Opera.

Ukunqoba kwethiyetha kuka-Shirley Verrett akuzange kuboniswe ngokugcwele kurekhodi. Ekuqaleni komsebenzi wakhe, waqopha eRCA: Orpheus and Eurydice, The Force of Destiny, Luisa Miller with Carlo Bergonzi and Anna Moffo, Un ballo in maschera with the same Bergonzi and Leontine Price, Lucrezia Brgi ngokubamba iqhaza Montserrat Caballe kanye U-Alfredo Kraus. Khona-ke okukhethekile kwakhe ne-RCA kwaphela, futhi kusukela ngo-1970 ukuqoshwa kwama-opera ngokuhlanganyela kwakhe kwakhululwa ngaphansi kwamalebula we-EMI, i-Westminster Records, i-Deutsche Grammophon ne-Decca. Laba ngoDon Carlos, u-Anna Boleyn, uNorma (ingxenye ka-Adalgisa), Siege of Corinth (ingxenye yeNeocles), Macbeth, Rigoletto kanye no-Il trovatore. Ngempela, izinkampani zokuqopha azimnakanga kangako.

Umsebenzi ka-Verrett okhaliphile futhi oyingqayizivele waphela ekuqaleni kwawo-1990. Ngo-1994, u-Shirley wenza i-debut yakhe ye-Broadway njengo-Netti Fowler ku-Rodgers kanye ne-Carousel yomculo ka-Hammerstein. Ubelokhu ethanda lolu hlobo lomculo. Uvuthondaba endimeni kaNatty ingoma ethi “Awusoze Wahamba Wedwa”. Lawa magama achazwe ngenye indlela aba yisihloko sencwadi ka-Shirley Verrett echaza umlando ngempilo yakhe, ethi, I Never Walked Alone, futhi umdlalo ngokwawo wawina ama-Tony Awards amahlanu.

NgoSepthemba 1996, u-Verrett waqala ukufundisa ukucula e-University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre and Dance. Unikeze amakilasi aphezulu e-United States naseYurophu.

Izwi likaShirley Verrett kwakuyizwi elingajwayelekile, eliyingqayizivele. Leli zwi, cishe, alikwazanga ukubhekwa njengelikhulu, nakuba abanye abagxeki belichaza ngokuthi "linamandla". Ngakolunye uhlangothi, umculi wayene-timbre ye-sonorous, ukukhiqizwa komsindo ongenasici kanye ne-timbre yomuntu ngamunye (kungenxa yokungabikho kwayo ukuthi inkathazo enkulu yabaculi besimanje be-opera!). U-Verrett wayengomunye wama-mezzo-soprano ahamba phambili esizukulwaneni sakhe, ukuhumusha kwakhe izindima ezinjengoCarmen noDelila kuzohlala njalo emibhalweni ye-opera. Okungalibaleki futhi i-Orpheus yakhe ku-opera kaGluck yegama elifanayo, uLeonora ku-Intandokazi, Azucena, Princess Eboli, Amneris. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, ukungabi khona kwanoma yiziphi izinkinga kurejista ephezulu kanye ne-sonority kwamvumela ukuba enze ngempumelelo ku-repertoire ye-soprano. Ucule uLeonora kwethi Fidelio, ethi Celica ethi The African Woman, Norma, Amelia ku-Un ballo ku-maschera, Desdemona, Aida, Santuzza in Rural Honor, Tosca, Judit ku-Bartók's Bluebeard Duke's Castle, Madame Lidoin ku-“Dialogues of the Carmelites” Poulenc. Impumelelo ethile yayihambisana naye endimeni kaLady Macbeth. Ngale opera uvule isizini ka-1975-76 eTeatro alla Scala eqondiswa uGiorgio Strehler futhi iqondiswa uClaudio Abbado. Ngo-1987, uClaude d'Anna wathwebula i-opera noLeo Nucci njengoMacbeth noRiccardo Chailly njengomqhubi. Ngeke kube yihaba ukusho ukuthi uVerrett ungomunye wabalingisi abavelele endimeni kaNtukazi emlandweni wonke wale opera, kanti amaqhuqhuva asagijima esikhumbeni somlaleli ozwelayo ekubukeleni ifilimu.

Izwi lika-Verrett lingahlukaniswa njenge-"falcon" soprano, okungelula ukuliveza ngokucacile. Kuyisiphambano phakathi kwe-soprano ne-mezzo-soprano, izwi elithandwa ikakhulukazi abaqambi baseFrance bekhulu leshumi nesishiyagalolunye namaNtaliyane ababhala ama-opera esiteji saseParis; izingxenye zalolu hlobo lwezwi zifaka uCelica, uDelila, uDido, uPrincess Eboli.

U-Shirley Verret wayenokubukeka okuthakazelisayo, ukumamatheka okuthandekayo, i-charisma yasesiteji, isipho sangempela sokulingisa. Kodwa uzohlala emlandweni womculo futhi njengomcwaningi ongakhathali emkhakheni wemisho, ama-accents, izithunzi kanye nezindlela ezintsha zokukhuluma. Wagcizelela ukubaluleka kwegama. Zonke lezi zimfanelo zenze ukuba kuqhathaniswe noMaria Callas, futhi uVerrett wayevame ukubizwa ngokuthi “La nera Callas, the Black Callas”.

U-Shirley Verrett wavalelisa emhlabeni ngoNovemba 5, 2010 e-Ann Arbor. Wayeneminyaka engamashumi ayisikhombisa nesishiyagalolunye. Abathandi bezwi abakwazi ukuthembela ekubukekeni kwamazwi afana nezwi lakhe. Futhi kuzoba nzima, noma kungenzeki, ukuthi abaculi bacule njengoLady Macbeth.