Carmen Melis
Encyclopedia
Carmen Melis was an Italian
opera
tic soprano
who had a major international career during the first four decades of the 20th century. She was known, above all, as a verismo
soprano, and was one of the most interesting singing actresses of the early 20th century. She made her debut in Novara in 1905 and her career rapidly developed in her native country over the next four years. From 1909-1916 she performed with important opera companies in the United States; after which she was busy performing at many of Europe's most important opera house
s. From 1917 until her retirement from the stage in 1935 she was particularly active at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome and at La Scala
in Milan. After her singing career ended, she embarked on a second career as a voice teacher
. Her most notable student was soprano Renata Tebaldi
.
, Melis began her voice studies with dramatic soprano
Teresina Singer in Florence. This was followed by further studies with baritone
Antonio Cotogni
in Rome and with Jean de Reszke
in Paris. She made her professional opera debut in 1905 in the title role of Jules Massenet
's Thaïs
at the Teatro Coccia in Novara
at the age of 20. She had her first major success in 1906 at the Teatro di San Carlo
as the title heroine in Pietro Mascagni
's Iris
.
In 1907 Melis toured Russia, notably giving performances at the Bolshoi Theatre
in Moscow and the Mariinsky Theatre
in Saint Petersburg. She sang Thaïs again for her debuts at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome (1907) and La Fenice
in Venice (1908). She returned to the Teatro Costanzi in 1908 to sing Desdemona in Giuseppe Verdi
's Otello
with Giuseppe De Luca
as Iago.
's Manhattan Opera Company
at the Manhattan Opera House in New York City as the title heroine in Giacomo Puccini
's Tosca
. She repeated the role with the company the following month on tour to Pittsburgh. In January 1910 she sang Mimi in Puccini's La Bohème
and Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana
with the company. This was followed by performances of Desdemona in February 2010, and in April 1910 she performed the title role in Massenet's Manon
opposite Enrico Caruso's Le Chevalier des Grieux at the Manhattan Opera House. She also performed all these roles at the Philadelphia Opera House
1910, which was also operated by Hammerstein.
In November 1910 Melis portrayed Cio-Cio-San in Puccini's Madama Butterfly
at the Manhattan Opera House in the presence of the composer. Her performance impressed Puccini and he became an admirer of her voice. Puccini went on to personally teach Melis the role of Minnie in his La Fanciulla del West
, which she performed for the first time in 1911 with the Boston Opera Company
. She had previously made her debut at the Boston Opera House
in 1910 in the title role of Verdi's Aida
. She sang several more roles in Boston through 1912, including Cio-Cio-San, Desdemona, and Mimi. She also sang the role of Aida with the Chicago Grand Opera Company
in Chicafo in 1911 and on tour with the company in Philadelphia in 1912.
From 1913-1915 Melis made several appearances in San Francisco, including portraying Cio-CIo-San, Tosca, and Fleana in the United States premiere of Ruggero Leoncavallo
's Gli zingari (1913). In 1915 she joined the newly formed Chicago Opera Association
where she performed roles in mainly operas by Verdi and Puccini for one season. She notably portrayed the title roles in the United States premieres of two operas with the company: Camille Saint-Saëns
' Déjanire
(1915) and Leoncavallo's Zazà
(1916). She was also successful as a concert singer in the United States.
as Puccini's Minnie with Caruso as DIck Johnson. Caruso also served as her partner for her debut at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo
as Minnie in 1912 and at Covent Garden
in London as Nedda in Pagliacci
in 1913. She also sang the role of Mussetta at Covent Garden that year. She returned to the Royal Opera House in London only one other time in her career, in 1929 as Tosca and Maliella in Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
's I gioielli della Madonna
. In 1916 she returned to the Paris Opera to portray the title role in Puccini's Manon Lescaut
with Amedeo Bassi as Des Grieux and Domenico Viglione-Borghese as Lescaut.
In 1917 Melis made her debut at La Scala
in the world premiere of Victor de Sabata
's Il macigno. She returned with some frequency to La Scala up into the 1930s, often portraying roles from the operas of Puccini and Verdi. At La Scala she notably created the role of Ginevra in the world premiere of Umberto Giordano
's La cena delle beffe
under conductor Arturo Toscanini
. In 1926 she performed again , whith great success , at La Fenice in Venice with italian tenor Armando Bini , in Madame Butterfly . In 1929 she made a complete recording of the role of Tosca with Apollo Granforte
as Cavaradossi, La Scala's orchestra, and conductor Carlo Sabajno
. She was also highly active with the Teatro Costanzi in Rome during the 1920s and made numerous appearances as a guest artist in major Italian theatres up until her retirement from the stage in 1935.
. She began her teaching career on the faculty of the Pesaro Conservatory, and later taught out of a private studio in Milan. Her most notable pupil was soprano Renata Tebaldi
, whom credits Mellis as a great influence. Tebaldi stated,, "Everything I needed to learn for the stage, I learnt from her." She was also the teacher of Rita Orlandi-Malaspina
, Adriana Maliponte
, and Orianna Santunione.
Melis died in Longone al Segrino
in 1967 at the age of 82.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
who had a major international career during the first four decades of the 20th century. She was known, above all, as a verismo
Verismo
Verismo was an Italian literary movement which peaked between approximately 1875 and the early 1900s....
soprano, and was one of the most interesting singing actresses of the early 20th century. She made her debut in Novara in 1905 and her career rapidly developed in her native country over the next four years. From 1909-1916 she performed with important opera companies in the United States; after which she was busy performing at many of Europe's most important opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
s. From 1917 until her retirement from the stage in 1935 she was particularly active at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome and at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan. After her singing career ended, she embarked on a second career as a voice teacher
Voice teacher
A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who trains adults and children in the art of singing. This generally involves training in breath control and support, proper tone production, pitch control and musical intonation, proper formation of vowels and consonants as well as...
. Her most notable student was soprano Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period...
.
Education and early career in Europe
Born in CagliariCagliari
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
, Melis began her voice studies with dramatic soprano
Dramatic soprano
A dramatic soprano is an 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 mean less agility than lighter voices but a sustained, fuller sound. Usually this voice has a lower tessitura than...
Teresina Singer in Florence. This was followed by further studies with baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Antonio Cotogni
Antonio Cotogni
Antonio Cotogni was an Italian baritone of the first magnitude. Regarded internationally as being one of the greatest male opera singers of the 19th century, he was particularly admired by the composer Giuseppe Verdi...
in Rome and with Jean de Reszke
Jean de Reszke
Jean de Reszke, born Jan Mieczyslaw, , was a Polish tenor. Renowned internationally for the high quality of his singing and the elegance of his bearing, he became the biggest male opera star of the late 19th century....
in Paris. She made her professional opera debut in 1905 in the title role of Jules Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
's Thaïs
Thaïs (opera)
Thaïs is an opera in three acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet based on the novel Thaïs by Anatole France. It was first performed at the Opéra Garnier in Paris on 16 March 1894, starring the American soprano Sybil Sanderson, for whom Massenet had written the title role...
at the Teatro Coccia in Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
at the age of 20. She had her first major success in 1906 at the Teatro di San Carlo
Teatro di San Carlo
The Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...
as the title heroine in Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
's Iris
Iris (opera)
Iris is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni to an original Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. Its first performance was at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 22 November 1898.The opera is through-composed and set in Japan during legendary times...
.
In 1907 Melis toured Russia, notably giving performances at the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
in Moscow and the Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
in Saint Petersburg. She sang Thaïs again for her debuts at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome (1907) and La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
in Venice (1908). She returned to the Teatro Costanzi in 1908 to sing Desdemona in Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
with Giuseppe De Luca
Giuseppe de Luca
Giuseppe De Luca , was a famous Italian baritone who achieved his greatest triumphs at the New York Metropolitan Opera...
as Iago.
Performing in the United States
In November 1909 Melis made her United States debut with Oscar Hammerstein IOscar Hammerstein I
Oscar Hammerstein I was a businessman, theater impresario and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America...
's Manhattan Opera Company
Manhattan Opera Company
The Manhattan Opera Company was an opera company based in New York City. Active from 1906 until 1910, it was founded by Oscar Hammerstein I.The company began operations in 1906 at the Manhattan Opera House on 34th Street in New York City...
at the Manhattan Opera House in New York City as the title heroine in Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
. She repeated the role with the company the following month on tour to Pittsburgh. In January 1910 she sang Mimi in Puccini's La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
and Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
with the company. This was followed by performances of Desdemona in February 2010, and in April 1910 she performed the title role in Massenet's Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
opposite Enrico Caruso's Le Chevalier des Grieux at the Manhattan Opera House. She also performed all these roles at the Philadelphia Opera House
Metropolitan Opera House (Philadelphia)
The Metropolitan Opera House is a historic opera house located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 858 North Broad Street. Built over the course of just a few months in 1908, it was the ninth opera house built by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I. It was initially the home of Hammerstein's Philadelphia...
1910, which was also operated by Hammerstein.
In November 1910 Melis portrayed Cio-Cio-San in Puccini's Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
at the Manhattan Opera House in the presence of the composer. Her performance impressed Puccini and he became an admirer of her voice. Puccini went on to personally teach Melis the role of Minnie in his La Fanciulla del West
La fanciulla del West
La fanciulla del West is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by the American author David Belasco. Its highly-publicised premiere occurred in New York City in 1910...
, which she performed for the first time in 1911 with the Boston Opera Company
Boston Opera Company
The Boston Opera Company was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active from 1909 to 1915.-History:The company was founded in 1908 by Bostonian millionaire Eben Dyer Jordan, Jr. and impresario Henry Russell...
. She had previously made her debut at the Boston Opera House
Boston Opera House (1909)
The Boston Opera House was an opera house located on Huntington Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. It opened in 1909 as the home of the Boston Opera Company and was demolished in 1958 after years of disuse....
in 1910 in the title role of Verdi's Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
. She sang several more roles in Boston through 1912, including Cio-Cio-San, Desdemona, and Mimi. She also sang the role of Aida with the Chicago Grand Opera Company
Chicago Grand Opera Company
Two grand opera companies in Chicago have gone by the name Chicago Grand Opera CompanyThe first Chicago Grand Opera Company produced four seasons of opera in Chicago’s Auditorium Theater from the Fall of 1910 through November 1915. It was the first resident Chicago opera company...
in Chicafo in 1911 and on tour with the company in Philadelphia in 1912.
From 1913-1915 Melis made several appearances in San Francisco, including portraying Cio-CIo-San, Tosca, and Fleana in the United States premiere of Ruggero Leoncavallo
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Ruggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer. His two-act work Pagliacci remains one of the most popular works in the repertory, appearing as number 20 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.-Biography:...
's Gli zingari (1913). In 1915 she joined the newly formed Chicago Opera Association
Chicago Opera Association
The Chicago Opera Association was a company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in Chicago’s Auditorium Theater from 1915 to 1921. The founding artistic director and principal conductor was Cleofonte Campanini, while the general manager and chief underwriter was Harold F. McCormick...
where she performed roles in mainly operas by Verdi and Puccini for one season. She notably portrayed the title roles in the United States premieres of two operas with the company: Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
' Déjanire
Déjanire
Déjanire is an opera in 4 acts composed by Camille Saint-Saëns to a libretto in French by Louis Gallet and Camille Saint-Saëns. The last of Saint-Saëns' operas, it premiered on 14 March 1911 at the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo...
(1915) and Leoncavallo's Zazà
Zazà
Zazà is an opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo, with the libretto by the composer. Its première at the Teatro Lirico di Milano on November 10, 1900, starring Rosina Storchio as Zazà, Edoardo Garbin as Milio, Mario Sammarco as Cascart and Clorinda Pini-Corsi as Anaïde, and conducted by Arturo Toscanini,...
(1916). She was also successful as a concert singer in the United States.
Later performance career in Europe
In 1912 Melis made her debut at the Paris OperaParis Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
as Puccini's Minnie with Caruso as DIck Johnson. Caruso also served as her partner for her debut at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Opéra de Monte-Carlo
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house located in the principality of Monaco.With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, along with the Société des Bains de Mer, decided on the construction of an opera house. Initially, it was Charles III's...
as Minnie in 1912 and at Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London as Nedda in Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
in 1913. She also sang the role of Mussetta at Covent Garden that year. She returned to the Royal Opera House in London only one other time in her career, in 1929 as Tosca and Maliella in Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari was an Italian composer and teacher. He is best known for his comic operas such as Il segreto di Susanna...
's I gioielli della Madonna
I gioielli della Madonna
I gioielli della Madonna is an opera in three acts by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari to an Italian libretto by Carlo Zangarini and Enrico Golisciani, based on news accounts of a real event....
. In 1916 she returned to the Paris Opera to portray the title role in Puccini's Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
with Amedeo Bassi as Des Grieux and Domenico Viglione-Borghese as Lescaut.
In 1917 Melis made her debut at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in the world premiere of Victor de Sabata
Victor de Sabata
Victor de Sabata was an Italian conductor and composer. He is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished operatic conductors of the twentieth century, especially for his Verdi, Puccini and Wagner. He is also acclaimed for his interpretations of orchestral music...
's Il macigno. She returned with some frequency to La Scala up into the 1930s, often portraying roles from the operas of Puccini and Verdi. At La Scala she notably created the role of Ginevra in the world premiere of Umberto Giordano
Umberto Giordano
Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas.He was born in Foggia in Puglia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Serrao at the Conservatoire of Naples...
's La cena delle beffe
La cena delle beffe
La cena delle beffe is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Sem Benelli adapted from his play of the same name...
under conductor Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
. In 1926 she performed again , whith great success , at La Fenice in Venice with italian tenor Armando Bini , in Madame Butterfly . In 1929 she made a complete recording of the role of Tosca with Apollo Granforte
Apollo Granforte
Apollo Granforte was an Italian opera singer and one of the leading baritones active during the inter-war period of the 20th century.-Life and career:...
as Cavaradossi, La Scala's orchestra, and conductor Carlo Sabajno
Carlo Sabajno
Carlo Sabajno was an Italian conductor. From 1904 to 1932 he was the Gramophone Company's chief conductor and artistic director in Italy...
. She was also highly active with the Teatro Costanzi in Rome during the 1920s and made numerous appearances as a guest artist in major Italian theatres up until her retirement from the stage in 1935.
Work as a voice teacher and later life
Around her performance career ceased in 1935, Melis began a second career as a voice teacherVoice teacher
A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who trains adults and children in the art of singing. This generally involves training in breath control and support, proper tone production, pitch control and musical intonation, proper formation of vowels and consonants as well as...
. She began her teaching career on the faculty of the Pesaro Conservatory, and later taught out of a private studio in Milan. Her most notable pupil was soprano Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period...
, whom credits Mellis as a great influence. Tebaldi stated,, "Everything I needed to learn for the stage, I learnt from her." She was also the teacher of Rita Orlandi-Malaspina
Rita Orlandi-Malaspina
Rita Orlandi-Malaspina is an Italian operatic soprano who had a major international career from the 1960s through the 1980s. She drew particular acclaim for her portrayals of Verdi heroines. She has also had a successful career as a concert soprano, particularly in performance of Verdi's Requiem...
, Adriana Maliponte
Adriana Maliponte
Adriana Maliponte is an Italian operatic soprano.Born Adriana Macchiaioli, she moved with her family to France a the age of 14. She studied first at the Mulhouse Conservatory and later in Como with Carmen Melis and made her stage debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan in 1958...
, and Orianna Santunione.
Melis died in Longone al Segrino
Longone al Segrino
Longone al Segrino is a small village between Como and Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy. It is located about north of Milan and about east of Como.It is famous for its beautiful lake, an unusual case of an intact ecosystem....
in 1967 at the age of 82.
Recordings
- Whilst recordings by Melis are rare, there is a complete 1929 ToscaToscaTosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
from La Scala with Piero Pauli and Apollo Granforte, cond. Carlo Sabajno, available on CD, VAI AUDIO, 1076-2. - The Pupil and the Teacher is a CD of arias by Melis and Tebaldi, on the Russian Fono Enterprise FONO 1055.
- There are more extensive collections of Carmen Melis' non-Tosca recordings on Tima Club 34 (two LPs) and Rococo 5259 (one LP).