Here's a little more diva Thursdays loveliness for ya... and yes, I know it's Saturday.
Agnes Baltsa is a fabulously gifted Greek mezzo-soprano whose career took off in the 1980s with superlative performances as Carmen. The photo above shows Baltsa in the role at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She's noted for her fiery performances, with reviewers describing her as "so defiant that she was almost certain to die a violent death".
Also known for her fantastic interpretation of Mozart and Bellini roles (Cosi fan Tutte, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, and L'Italiana in Algeri, specifically). Currently she's performing recitals of Greek songs in Vienna, Athens, Linz, and Graz (April to December 2009), and is scheduled to play Klytaemnestra in Strauss' Elektra in Zurich in January and February 2010.
My friend David met her once, at a Pittsburgh Opera performance of Carmen where he was s supernumerary ("extra"). He also met Dame Joan Sutherland during that show (she was in the audience, while Baltsa was playing the title role). During the performance, La Baltsa was overheard dressing down the costume designer with a classic diva smackdown: "Green? I'm not wearing that dress. I don't sing in green." Maestro Tito Capobianco apparently conceded... the dress was rebuilt in another color.
What a beautiful voice. Enjoy the clip from Carmen below, featuring the Habanera aria that is so closely identified with Bizet's masterpiece.
