Renata Scotto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Renata Scotto
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Scotto in Milan in 1967
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| Born | 24 February 1934 Savona, Kingdom of Italy
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| Died | 16 August 2023 (aged 89) Savona, Italy
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Renata Scotto (born February 24, 1934 – died August 16, 2023) was a famous Italian opera singer. She was known as a soprano, which is a female singer with a high voice. Renata Scotto was also an opera director and a teacher who helped other singers.
People remembered her for her amazing singing style and how well she acted in operas. Many thought she was one of the best opera singers of her time. For over 40 years, she performed in about 45 different opera roles. Some of her most famous roles were in La traviata, Madama Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Adriana Lecouvreur. She even appeared in the very first opera shown on TV from the Metropolitan Opera in 1977. In that show, she sang as Mimi in La bohème with the famous singer Luciano Pavarotti.
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Renata Scotto's Early Life and Career
Renata Scotto was born in Savona, Italy, a town by the sea, on February 24, 1934. Her dad was a police officer, and her mom was a seamstress. During World War II, her mom took Renata and her sister to the mountains to stay safe. Her mom earned money by sewing clothes for different groups of people during the war.
Discovering Opera
After the war, when Renata was twelve, she saw her first opera in her hometown. It was Rigoletto by Verdi. She loved it so much that she decided right then to become an opera singer!
Becoming a Singer
At 16, Renata started studying music at the Milan Conservatory in Milan. She lived in a convent with nuns and worked sewing and cleaning to pay for her studies. She first trained as a mezzo-soprano (a lower female voice) but then became a soprano. In 1952, she won a singing contest. The prize was to perform at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan.
Her first big performance was as the main character in Verdi's La traviata in her hometown on Christmas Eve. The next day, she made her official debut at the Teatro Nuovo. Soon after, she sang the main role in Puccini's Madama Butterfly in Savona. These two roles became very important in her career.
Singing at La Scala
In 1953, Renata Scotto tried out for a role at La Scala, a very famous opera house. After her audition, a conductor named Victor de Sabata was heard saying, "Forget about the rest," meaning she was the best! When the opera La Wally opened, Renata Scotto received 15 curtain calls (when the audience claps for the performers). The main stars only got seven! She was offered smaller roles at La Scala, but she wanted to sing bigger parts in other Italian opera houses.
Her Big Break
Renata Scotto's career really took off in 1957. She was performing at the Edinburgh Festival with La Scala. The famous singer Maria Callas was supposed to sing in five shows, but she only did four. Renata Scotto stepped in to sing the main role in La Sonnambula on September 3, 1957. She was only 23 years old, and this performance made her an international opera star!
A Leading Singer
During the 1960s, Renata Scotto became one of the top singers in a style called bel canto. This style focuses on beautiful, smooth singing. She sang in many rare operas. In 1964, she performed with La Scala in Moscow, which was a big deal because it was the first time an opera company from Italy toured the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
American Debut
Renata Scotto first sang in America in 1960. She performed as Mimì in Puccini's La bohème at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. On October 13, 1965, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York City as Madama Butterfly. She sang more than 300 times in 26 different roles at the Met until 1987. She even moved to live near the Met with her family. Her last role there in 1987 was again Madama Butterfly.
Opera on TV
Renata Scotto was part of the first "Live from the Met" TV broadcasts in 1977. She sang in La bohème with Luciano Pavarotti. She also starred in TV shows of other operas like Manon Lescaut, Il trittico, Luisa Miller, and Don Carlo.
Famous Roles and Performances
For over 40 years, Renata Scotto sang in operas by 18 different composers, taking on about 45 roles. She was especially known for her performances in La traviata, Rigoletto, Madama Butterfly, La bohème, L'elisir d'amore, Turandot, and Adriana Lecouvreur.
In 1981, during a performance of Bellini's Norma at the Met, some people in the audience compared her to Maria Callas. A critic named Peter G. Davis wrote that Scotto showed her great musical talent and how well she could use her voice to express emotions.
Renata Scotto as a Director and Teacher
As she got older, Renata Scotto also became a successful opera director. She directed her last production of Madama Butterfly at the Met. This made her the first woman to both direct and star in an opera at that famous house!
Directing Operas
She directed many other operas, including Madama Butterfly in different cities. She also directed Il pirata, La sonnambula, and an Emmy Award-winning TV broadcast of La traviata. She directed Norma, Adriana Lecouvreur, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Wally, La bohème, Turandot, and Un ballo in maschera.
Teaching New Singers
Renata Scotto also taught singing in Italy and America. She held teaching jobs at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Juilliard School in New York City. She coached many famous singers, including Renée Fleming and Anna Netrebko.
Personal Life
Renata Scotto married Lorenzo Anselmi in 1960. He was a lead violinist at La Scala and later became her manager. They had a daughter and a son. Her husband passed away in 2021. Renata Scotto died in her hometown of Savona on August 16, 2023, when she was 89 years old.
Awards and Honors
Renata Scotto received many awards for her amazing work:
- 1992 – She won an award from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper for her role in Der Rosenkavalier.
- 2007 – She received the Opera News Award from the Metropolitan Opera Guild.
- 2009 – She won the Anton Coppola Award for Excellence in the Arts.
- 2009 – The Juilliard School gave her an Honorary doctorate, which is a special degree.
- She won two Emmy Awards for a TV show of La Gioconda and for directing La traviata.
- She also won the Franco Albiatti della Critica Italiana award.
Recordings
Renata Scotto recorded many operas and songs. Here are some of her famous recordings:
- Bellini: Norma
- Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur
- Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
- Giordano: Andrea Chénier
- Puccini: La bohème
- Puccini: Madama Butterfly
- Puccini: Tosca
- Verdi: Otello
- Verdi: Rigoletto
- Verdi: La traviata
Videos
You can watch Renata Scotto perform in these opera videos:
- Massenet: Werther
- Puccini: La bohème (as Mimì and Musetta)
- Puccini: Manon Lescaut
- Puccini: Il trittico
- Verdi: Don Carlos
- Verdi: Luisa Miller
- Verdi: Otello
- Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini
Books About Renata Scotto
Renata Scotto also wrote a book about her life:
- Scotto: More Than a Diva (a memoir) by Renata Scotto and Octavio Roca, published in 1984.
See also
In Spanish: Renata Scotto para niños
