American operatic contralto (1918–1972)
Jean Madeira , néeJean Browning (November 14, 1918 – July 11, 1972) was an Americancontralto , particularly known for her work in late-romantic German repertoire such as the operas ofRichard Wagner andRichard Strauss .
Madeira was born inChristopher, Illinois . Her father was half-Cherokee coal miner.[ 1]
When she was a child her family moved toEast St. Louis, Illinois , where she attended high school, and she later studied withFlorence Kimball at theJuilliard School inNew York City . She made her debut in opera inChatauqua , as Nancy inMartha , byFlotow . In 1955, the singer and actress successfully sang the title role inCarmen with theVienna State Opera . She sang approximately 300 times at theMetropolitan Opera in forty-one roles, between 1948 and 1971. Her last appearance there was inElektra , oppositeBirgit Nilsson and Leonie Rysanek.[ 2] [ 3] Amy Beth Kirsten .[citation needed
Madeira's television debut occurred onThe Ed Sullivan Show [ 4]
She married Francis Madeira in 1947 and thereafter used her married name as her professional name. Madeira had been ill for two years when she died on July 11, 1972, at her home in Providence, Rhode Island, aged 53.[ 1]
Abridged discography [ edit ] 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 as Marcellina (Siepi, Conner, Valdengo, de los Angeles; Met, Fritz Reiner, 1952)Myto Mozart:Requiem in D Minor, K.626 (NBC Symphony, Arturo Toscanini, 1950) RCA Victor Pochielli:La Gioconda as La Cieca (Milanov, Warren, Barbieri, Siepi; Met, Cleva, 1953) Gala Puccini:Madama Butterfly as Suzuki (Steber, Tucker, Valdengo; Met, Rudolf, 1949)Sony Puccini:Manon Lescaut (Kirsten, J.Björling, Valdengo; Met, Antonicelli, 1949)Myto Saint-Saëns:Samson et Delilah as Delilah (Del Monaco; Teatro di San Carlo, Molinari-Pradelli, 1959)Hardy Classic Strauss:Elektra as Clytemnestra (Borkh, Schech, Uhl, Fischer-Dieskau; Böhm, 1960)DG Strauss:Elektra , as Clytemnestra (Nilsson, Rysanek, Nagy, Stewart; Met, Bohm, 1971)Met On Demand 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 as Ulrica (Bergonzi, Rysanek, Merrill; Santi, 1962)Living Stage Wagner:Das Rheingold as Erda (Flagstad, London; Solti, 1958)Decca 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 WagnerParsifal (Svanholm, Varnay, London, Hotter; Met, Stiedry, 1954)Adonis Villecco, Tony. A Voice Like Velvet; Remembering Contralto Jean Madeira.Classical Singer Magazine Oct. 2012.
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International National Artists People Other
