Reporter:She was Italy's diva, absolute primadonna of the Rome opera for 25 years..Born in 1925 at Solovastru, as Virginia Zehani she went on without the family's help, without any connections to the music world, only by her courage and determination because she wanted to sing opera & she became a legend. What were you singing in your childhood? Z: I was making up songs, I only knew gypsy songs, Christmas traditions, violins...I was imitating the sounds without knowing what canto is.
Excuse me please. Is there a recording of Mme Zeani singing Leonora in Il Trovatore? If not, was it because she never sang it on stage? If so, why ever didn't she sing it? I think it would have been perfect for her.
Thank you, thank you, to Irix4 who has translated all four parts of this programme. To get the right sequence you need to read upwards from the lowest comment posted.
How could I have known?! In my home, there was no electricity, radio...that's why I think talents comes at birth.like a painter is born knowing colours..I started transposing everything to music.When I left my home town for Bucharest I went to the Opera to see Mme Butterfly at 9 years old. Then singing in a choir at 12 (in the spring of 1938), the lady said I would go on becoming an opera singer since my voice was going high up& so strong.I started canto lessons with Lucia Anghel from 14-16y.o.
Reporter: My guest today is a great Romanian &a great lady;she's considered the greatest lyrical artist of the 20th century & the most beautiful opera singer of all times.Her life story is like a movies screenplay.Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Virginia Zeani! At te airport, Zeani: I have no words, the emotions...are so great! Reporter: the world stood at her feet once they heard her voice... Zeani: I knew kings, queens, veni vidi vici,...My talent arrived at my birth, heavens decide for us.
From 14 to 16 years old, during the war.Then I met a Russian teacher I've learned about in newspapers and asked my mum for help. She said I should sing in the church choir, make some money &go study with Lydia Lipkowska who helped me a lot with my voice, my sounds.. R: Romania in 1946 entered communist times, and Virginia was 21 &she got noticed at singing soirees by the Italian cultural attache and so it followed a consequent meeting with Romanian prime-minister and other guests
R: she left Romania to conquer the world Z: In 1947 I arrived in Milan, I cried like a baby... (at her birthplace, a woman: I waited so long for you to return! Z: Oh! How I've missed this place! I can die happy now..) R: How did it all start? Z: I think it started when i was 4-5years old (y.o.)& it's not over..My career of course started later but my talent was there. I always wake up happy &I would talk to my mum only singing &she would say:I only have one daughter &she's nuts :)
at that soiree, the Russian diplomat wanted her to come to Moscow to study there but the Italian diplomat managed to convince her to go to Italy instead. Z: I went to Italy with 4 operas I knew by heart: 2 in French and 2 in Italian: Traviata, Boheme, Faust and Manon. R: A Romanian tenor convice her before leaving to get married so she would have someone with her since he also knew many personalities and people in Italy...She boards a ship to Italy, she had 500$ given by her parents.
By the time she left, Romania was conquered bit by bit by communists and the king was forced into abdicating.. King: talks about the circumstances in which he gave up the throne, being blackmailed by communists.. end of part 1 of video
Reporter:She was Italy's diva, absolute primadonna of the Rome opera for 25 years..Born in 1925 at Solovastru, as Virginia Zehani she went on without the family's help, without any connections to the music world, only by her courage and determination because she wanted to sing opera & she became a legend.
What were you singing in your childhood?
Z: I was making up songs, I only knew gypsy songs, Christmas traditions, violins...I was imitating the sounds without knowing what canto is.
La Zeani - era semplicemente divina.
una attrice sublime.
Excuse me please. Is there a recording of Mme Zeani singing Leonora in Il Trovatore? If not, was it because she never sang it on stage? If so, why ever didn't she sing it? I think it would have been perfect for her.
Thank you, thank you, to Irix4 who has translated all four parts of this programme.
To get the right sequence you need to read upwards from the lowest comment posted.
How could I have known?! In my home, there was no electricity, radio...that's why I think talents comes at birth.like a painter is born knowing colours..I started transposing everything to music.When I left my home town for Bucharest I went to the Opera to see Mme Butterfly at 9 years old. Then singing in a choir at 12 (in the spring of 1938), the lady said I would go on becoming an opera singer since my voice was going high up& so strong.I started canto lessons with Lucia Anghel from 14-16y.o.
Reporter: My guest today is a great Romanian &a great lady;she's considered the greatest lyrical artist of the 20th century & the most beautiful opera singer of all times.Her life story is like a movies screenplay.Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Virginia Zeani!
At te airport, Zeani: I have no words, the emotions...are so great!
Reporter: the world stood at her feet once they heard her voice...
Zeani: I knew kings, queens, veni vidi vici,...My talent arrived at my birth, heavens decide for us.
From 14 to 16 years old, during the war.Then I met a Russian teacher I've learned about in newspapers and asked my mum for help. She said I should sing in the church choir, make some money &go study with Lydia Lipkowska who helped me a lot with my voice, my sounds..
R: Romania in 1946 entered communist times, and Virginia was 21 &she got noticed at singing soirees by the Italian cultural attache and so it followed a consequent meeting with Romanian prime-minister and other guests
R: she left Romania to conquer the world
Z: In 1947 I arrived in Milan, I cried like a baby...
(at her birthplace, a woman: I waited so long for you to return! Z: Oh! How I've missed this place! I can die happy now..)
R: How did it all start?
Z: I think it started when i was 4-5years old (y.o.)& it's not over..My career of course started later but my talent was there. I always wake up happy &I would talk to my mum only singing &she would say:I only have one daughter &she's nuts :)
Bravo!
at that soiree, the Russian diplomat wanted her to come to Moscow to study there but the Italian diplomat managed to convince her to go to Italy instead.
Z: I went to Italy with 4 operas I knew by heart: 2 in French and 2 in Italian: Traviata, Boheme, Faust and Manon.
R: A Romanian tenor convice her before leaving to get married so she would have someone with her since he also knew many personalities and people in Italy...She boards a ship to Italy, she had 500$ given by her parents.
By the time she left, Romania was conquered bit by bit by communists and the king was forced into abdicating..
King: talks about the circumstances in which he gave up the throne, being blackmailed by communists..
end of part 1 of video