Concepció Bordalba i Simón (1866 – 6 June 1910) was a

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid ...

operatic soprano who performed under the name Concetta Bordalba outside her native Spain. She spent most of her career in Italy or with touring Italian opera companies and was particularly known for her performances as Elsa in Wagner's ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...

'' and Margherita in Boito's ''

Mefistofele ''Mefistofele'' () is an opera in a prologue and five acts, later reduced to four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera with music by the Italian composer- librettist Arrigo Boito (there are several completed operas for which he was libr ...

''. Kutsch, Karl-Josef and

Riemens, Leo Leonardus Antony Marinus Riemens (3 December 1910 – 3 April 1985) was a Dutch musicologist and cultural journalist. He wrote a book about Maria Callas, and together with Karl-Josef Kutsch began a reference book about opera singers in 1962, which ...

(2004)
"Bordalba, Concetta"
''

Großes Sängerlexikon ''Großes Sängerlexikon'' (''Biographical Dictionary of Singers'', literally: Large singers' lexicon) is a single-field dictionary of singers in classical music, edited by Karl-Josef Kutsch and Leo Riemens and first published in 1987. The fi ...

'' (4th edition), vol. 4, p. 506. Walter de Gruyter.

Life and career

Bordalba was born in Barcelona and studied at the

Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu () is a music college in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was created in 1837 with the name ''Liceo Filo-dramático de Montesión''. In 1847 the institution inaugurated the opera house Gran Teatre del Lic ...

in her native city. While there she sang in the opera ''Laura Debellan'' which

Marià Obiols Marià Obiols (26 November 1809 – 10 December 1888), also known as Mariano Obiols, was a Catalan composer, conductor, and professor of music. He served as the music director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona from its founding in 1847 un ...

had composed especially for the students at the conservatory. By 1881 she had been engaged as a principal soprano for the opera season at the

Teatro Apolo ''Apollo Theatre'' (Spanish: ''Teatro Apolo'' is a 1950 Spanish musical film directed by Rafael Gil and starring Jorge Negrete, María de los Ángeles Morales and Juan Espantaleón.Labanyi & Pavlović p.419 It takes its title from the Teatro A ...

in Madrid. After further studies with Federico Blasco in Milan she made her debut in Italian opera houses in 1887, singing Elisabetta in ''

Don Carlo ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedr ...

'' at the

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fro ...

in Genoa and Leonora in ''

Il trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mo ...

'' in Venice. She went on to sing leading

dramatic soprano A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but ...

roles in Italy, as well as appearing with touring Italian opera companies in North America in 1889 and South America in 1892. She also sang in Moscow in 1890 appearing in the title role of ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...

'' and as Valentine in ''

Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836. Composition history ...

''. In 1894, Bordalba appeared in Naples at the

Teatro Mercadante The Teatro del Fondo is a theatre in Naples, now known as the Teatro Mercadante. It is located on Piazza del Municipio #1, with the front facing the west side of Castel Nuovo and near the Molo (Dock) Siglio. Together with the Teatro San Carlo, it w ...

where she sang the title role in the world premiere of Giordano's ''

Regina Diaz ''Regina Diaz'' is an opera in two acts composed by Umberto Giordano to a libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci. It premiered on 5 March 1894 at the Teatro Mercadante in Naples. The libretto is based on Lockroy's and Edmond Bado ...

'' and at the

Teatro San Carlo The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is an opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and adjacent t ...

where she sang Marguerite in ''

La damnation de Faust ''La damnation de Faust'' (English: ''The Damnation of Faust''), Op. 24 is a work for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a "''légende dramatique' ...

''. She was at La Scala in Milan in 1896, again singing Marguerite as well as Maria in Mascagni's ''

Guglielmo Ratcliff ''Guglielmo Ratcliff'' is a tragic opera in four acts by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, translated from the German play ''Wilhelm Ratcliff'' (1822) by Heinrich Heine. Mascagni had substantially finished the composition ...

''. Although her career was primarily in Italy or with Italian touring companies, she returned to her native Barcelona in 1897 to sing Leonora in ''Il trovatore'' at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and in the 1901/1902 season when she again sang Leonora, as well as Elsa in ''Lohengrin''. She retired from the stage in 1904 and then taught singing at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu where her students included

Elvira de Hidalgo Elvira Juana Rodríguez Roglán (December 28, 1891 – January 21, 1980), known professionally as Elvira de Hidalgo, was a prominent Spanish coloratura soprano, who later became a teacher and vocal coach. Her most famous pupil was Maria C ...

who, in turn, became the teacher of

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

. Bordalba died in Barcelona in 1910. Gran Teatre del Liceu
Cronología: ''Il trovatore'', 1853–2009
. Retrieved 12 November 2017 .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bordalba, Concepcio 1866 births 1910 deaths Spanish operatic sopranos Voice teachers Opera singers from Catalonia Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu alumni Singers from Barcelona 19th-century Spanish women opera singers 20th-century Spanish women opera singers