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Graciela ParetoSpanish opera singer (soprano)
Date of Birth: 15.05.1889
Country:  Spain |
Content:
Early Life and Opera Debut
Graciela Pareto was born in Barcelona on May 15, 1889. Her mother was a soprano at the Liceo theater, and her father, Gabriele Sibella, was a composer. Pareto studied in Milan and made her opera debut in 1909 at the Teatro Real in Madrid as Amina in Bellini's "La Sonnambula."
International Success
Over the next two seasons, Pareto performed at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, singing the roles of Gilda, Adina, Rosina, and Ophelia. She returned to the same theater in 1926 to reprise these roles. Pareto also performed in Italy, notably playing Marguerite de Valois in "Les Huguenots" in Turin in 1912. In 1914, she made her debut at La Scala in Milan as Gilda.
Covent Garden and Beyond
In 1920, Pareto was invited to Covent Garden in London, where she sang as Norina, Violetta, and Leïla in Georges Bizet's "Les Pêcheurs de Perles" under the baton of Thomas Beecham. Beecham considered Pareto to be the finest light soprano of her time. She also sang in Chicago from 1923 to 1925 and performed as Carolina in Domenico Cimarosa's "Il Matrimonio Segreto" in Salzburg in 1931.
Recordings and Legacy
Pareto's recordings showcase her light and agile soprano, which could convey a wide range of emotions. While her technique may have lacked the grandeur of some other opera singers, Pareto made up for it with her ability to evoke sadness and melancholia. One of her most celebrated recordings is "Sovra il sen" from "La Sonnambula." Graciela Pareto died on September 1, 1973, in Rome.
