Lisa Della Casa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lisa Della Casa
Born	(1919-02-02)2 February 1919 Burgdorf, Switzerland
Died	10 December 2012(2012-12-10) (aged 93) Münsterlingen, Switzerland
Occupation	Soprano singer
Years active	1940–1974
Organisation	Zürich Opera House Vienna State Opera
Spouse(s)	Ernst Geiser ​ ​ (m. 1944; div. 1949)​ Dragan Debeljevic ​ (m. 1949)​

Lisa Della Casa (born February 2, 1919 – died December 10, 2012) was a famous Swiss opera singer. She was a soprano, which is the highest female singing voice. People especially loved her performances in operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Strauss. She was also known for singing German lieder, which are classical songs. Many people called her "the most beautiful woman on the operatic stage."

Lisa Della Casa's Amazing Life

Her Early Life and Start in Opera

Lisa Della Casa was born in Burgdorf, Switzerland. Her father was Swiss-Italian, and her mother was German. When she was 15, she started taking singing lessons at the Zurich Conservatory.

In 1940, Lisa made her first opera appearance. She sang the main role in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. From 1943 to 1950, she was part of the Zurich Municipal Opera House. There, she sang many different parts. These included the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute.

In 1946, she sang the role of Zdenka in Richard Strauss's Arabella. Another famous singer, Maria Cebotari, noticed Lisa's talent. Maria helped Lisa get invited to the Salzburg Festival in 1947. After one show, Strauss himself said, "The little Della Casa will one day be Arabella!" This was a big compliment.

Later that year, Lisa made her debut at the Vienna State Opera House. She soon moved to Vienna and joined their opera company. In 1949, she performed at La Scala in Milan, Italy. This is one of the world's most famous opera houses. She chose to stay in Vienna, even though La Scala wanted her to move there.

In 1949, she married Dragan Debeljevic. They had a daughter named Vesna.

Becoming a Star Singer

Lisa Della Casa first performed in Britain at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. She sang the Countess in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. In 1951, she sang the main role in Arabella for the first time in Munich. This role became her most famous one. She also sang at the Bayreuth Festival in 1952, which was her only time there.

In 1953, Lisa Della Casa made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. This opera house is often called "the Met." She sang the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro. She performed at the Met 173 times until 1967. Some of her most frequent roles there included:

• Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro
• Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
• Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
• The Marschallin and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier
• Arabella in Arabella

In 1955, she sang the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier for the first time. This was for the opening of the newly restored Vienna State Opera House. She was special because she had sung all three main female roles in Der Rosenkavalier.

The Salzburg Festival was very important in her career. She sang many roles there, including Ariadne, Donna Elvira, and Arabella. Another singer, Inge Borkh, said, "She was THE Arabella!"

In 1960, a new opera house opened in Salzburg. Lisa sang the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier for the opening night. She was supposed to be in a film of the performance. However, another singer, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, took her place in the film. Lisa was very upset by this. Even though she kept singing her scheduled shows, she never performed at the Salzburg Festival again. She said, "No, sir, for me, Salzburg is dead."

In 1961, she surprised everyone by singing the main role in Salome. This role was very different from her usual parts.

Later Years and Retirement

Lisa Della Casa admitted that she didn't always like the "music business." She found it full of drama and competition.

In the mid-1960s, she started performing less often. In 1970, her daughter Vesna became very ill. Lisa began to limit her work to spend more time with her daughter. She even bought a house in Spain so her family could be together.

She gave fewer and fewer performances. Her very last performance was as Arabella at the Vienna State Opera on October 25, 1973. In 1974, she announced her retirement at age 55. She was still at the top of her career, so her fans were surprised. She didn't give explanations or interviews after retiring. Her daughter Vesna spoke about her mother's "endless, limitless love."

Lisa Della Casa died on December 10, 2012, in Münsterlingen, Switzerland. The Großes Festspielhaus in Salzburg flew a black flag to honor her.

Her Legacy in Music

Lisa Della Casa made several recordings of complete operas. Many of these were for the Decca label. Her recordings of the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro and the main role in Arabella are considered some of the best ever.

In 1953, she made the first commercial recording of Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs. Many classical music fans believe this is the best recording of these songs. Her performance as Elvira in Don Giovanni with Cesare Siepi is also very famous.

She also sang lieder, which are German art songs. She often performed with pianists Sebastian Peschko and Árpád Sándor. Lisa also appeared on American and Swiss television shows.

In 2008, a German documentary film called Liebe einer Diva (Loves of a Diva) was made about her life. It included interviews with Lisa, her family, and her colleagues. The film showed many rare clips from her career.

Awards and Honors

Lisa Della Casa received many awards for her amazing singing:

• Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class (1969)
• Gold Medal of the City of Vienna
• Hans Reinhart Ring
• Golden Opera Medal
• Austrian and Bavarian Chamber Singer (a special title for great singers)
• Honorary member of the Vienna State Opera
• Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters (France, 2012)

Sources

• Lisa Della Casa: Liebe einer Diva, Porträt der Sopranistin, German documentary film by Thomas Voigt and Wolfgang Wunderlich, 2008.
• Lisa Della Casa: Von der Arabella zur Arabellissima, by Gunna Wendt & Monika Faltermeier-Prestl, Huber, Zurich, Switzerland, 2008.
• Ich komm vom Theater nicht los ...: Erinnerungen und Einsichten by Inge Borkh, Books on Demand Gmbh, Stuttgart, 2002.
• The Last Prima Donnas, by Lanfranco Rasponi, Alfred A Knopf, 1982; ISBN: 0-394-52153-6.
• Ein Leben mit LISA DELLA CASA oder "In dem Schatten ihrer Locken", by Dragan Debeljevic, Atlantis Musikbuch-Verlag Zürich, 1975; ISBN: 3-7611-0474-X.

See also

In Spanish: Lisa Della Casa para niños