Christiane Eda-Pierre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christiane Eda-Pierre
|
|
|---|---|
_-_53Fi3774.jpg)
Eda-Pierre at the Théâtre du Capitole on 11 January 1968
|
|
| Born | 24 March 1932 |
| Died | 6 September 2020 (aged 88) Saint-Maurice-la-Fougereuse, Deux-Sèvres, France
|
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation |
|
| Awards | |
Christiane Eda-Pierre (born March 24, 1932 – died September 6, 2020) was a famous French opera singer. She was known for her amazing voice, called a coloratura soprano. This means she could sing very high notes with great skill and speed. Christiane sang in many different types of operas, from old Baroque music to new, modern pieces.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Journey
Christiane Eda-Pierre was born in Fort-de-France, a city on the island of Martinique. She grew up in a family that loved learning. Her father, William Eda-Pierre, was a journalist, and her mother, Alice Nardal, was a music teacher. Christiane's aunt, Paulette Nardal, was also a well-known writer.
Christiane started learning to play the piano from her mother when she was very young. In 1950, when she was 18, she moved to Paris, France. There, she studied music at the École Normale de Musique de Paris for two years. After taking lessons from a famous singer named Charles Panzéra, Christiane decided to switch from playing piano to singing.
In 1954, she went to the Conservatoire de Paris, a top music school. She learned singing from Louis Noguéra and how to speak clearly (diction) from Gabrielle Fontan. Christiane worked hard and graduated with honors in 1957. That same year, she had her first professional performance in Nice, France. She sang the role of Leïla in an opera called Les pêcheurs de perles.
Becoming an Opera Star
Christiane Eda-Pierre quickly became a popular opera singer. In 1958, she made her debut at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, singing the main role in Lakmé. The next year, she performed at the Aix-en-Provence Festival as Papagena in The Magic Flute. In 1960, she sang at the famous Palais Garnier (the Paris Opera House) as Lucia di Lammermoor.
She was especially loved for her performances in operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Some of her most famous Mozart roles included:
- Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
- The Countess in The Marriage of Figaro
- Donna Anna and Elvira in Don Giovanni
- The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute
Christiane also excelled in French Baroque operas, especially those by Jean-Philippe Rameau. She sang in important works like Les Indes Galantes, Zoroastre, and Dardanus. She even helped bring Les Boréades back to the stage in its first modern performance in 1964.
She was very active on French Radio, where she sang in many operas that were not often performed. These included works by famous composers like Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Georges Bizet, and Hector Berlioz.
New Music and International Fame
Christiane Eda-Pierre was also known for performing new, modern operas. She helped bring many new pieces to life, such as:
- Capdeville's Les amants captifs (1973)
- Chaynes's Pour un monde noir (1979)
- Erszebet (1983)
In 1983, she created the role of the Angel in Olivier Messiaen's important opera, Saint François d'Assise, at the Paris Opera.
Her talent took her all over the world. She performed in many major cities, including Lisbon, London, Berlin, Vienna, Moscow, Chicago, and New York. In 1980, she made her debut at the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York City, singing Konstanze. Over the next two years, she returned to the Met to sing other big roles: Gilda in Rigoletto (with the legendary Luciano Pavarotti) and Antonia in Les contes d'Hoffmann (with Plácido Domingo).
Teacher and Legacy
In 1977, Christiane Eda-Pierre began teaching at the Conservatoire de Paris, the same school where she had studied. She continued to perform in operas and concerts while also teaching new generations of singers.
Christiane had a beautiful, strong, and flexible voice. This allowed her to sing many different kinds of roles with great success. You can hear her amazing voice on several recordings. Some of her most famous recordings include:
- Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
- Teresa in Benvenuto Cellini
- An album of songs from French comic operas by André Grétry and François-André Danican Philidor
She also participated in BBC radio recordings of La Jolie Fille de Perth and Le Docteur Miracle in 1975, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Georges Bizet's birth.
Awards and Recognition
Christiane Eda-Pierre received many important awards for her contributions to music:
- In 1997, she was given the rank of Commander in the Ordre national du Mérite, a high French honor. She was promoted to Grand Officer in 2011.
- In 2007, she was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour, another very prestigious French award. She was promoted to the rank of Officer in 2016.
Publication
- A book about her life, titled Christiane Eda-Pierre: Une vie d'excellence, was published in 2019 by Catherine Marceline.
