- Tatiana Troyanos
Tatiana Troyanos (
September 12 ,1938 –August 21 ,1993 ) was an Americanmezzo-soprano .Born in
New York City , Troyanos went to Forest Hills High School inForest Hills, New York . Inhigh school , her nickname was "Totsie".Before making her operatic debut, Troyanos appeared as a chorus member in the original production of
The Sound of Music .In 1963, Troyanos made her professional operatic debut at the
New York City Opera asHippolyta inBenjamin Britten 's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The next year, she sang the role of Marina Mnichek in that company's first production of "Boris Godounov".A mainstay of the
Metropolitan Opera from 1976, she was internationally revered for her uniquely sensual, burnished sound, her versatility and beauty, as well as the thrilling intensity of all her performances. In the early 1980s, Troyanos appeared in several opening-night performances at that house including Adalgisa inVincenzo Bellini 's "Norma" (oppositeRenata Scotto ), Octavian inRichard Strauss 's "Der Rosenkavalier ", and Didon inHector Berlioz 's "Les Troyens ".Troyanos also enjoyed an equally versatile career as a recording artist, appearing in the title role of Sir Georg Solti's acclaimed recording of
Georges Bizet 's "Carmen ", Cherubino inKarl Böhm 's 1968 recording ofWolfgang Amadeus Mozart 's "Le nozze di Figaro ", and as Anita inLeonard Bernstein 's high-profile operatic recording of "West Side Story " among others.Troyanos died at the age of 54 in New York City from breast cancer, which had metastasized to her liver. She had successfully concealed her illness from the vast majority of her colleagues. She is buried in Pine Lawn Cemetery on Long Island. Troyanos was one of three female opera stars of international stature who succumbed to cancer in 1993 in or near their 54th year. The other singers were sopranos
Lucia Popp andArleen Augér . In 1994, the Metropolitan Opera performed a concert in memory of Troyanos, during which Music DirectorJames Levine remarked "The idea that we are gathered here ... to pay memorial tribute to Tatiana Troyanos is incomprehensible. What it means, of course, is that our Metropolitan Opera family has lost one of the most important, beloved artists and friends in its entire history."External links
* [http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/6754 Tatiana Troyanos Archives]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Troyanos Tatiana Troyanos bulletin board]
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