Soprano Mara Zampieri is yet another Italian soprano who enjoyed a tremendous career in the 20^th century.

Zampieri received her education at the Padua Conservatory and would go on to win a number of prestigious Awards, including the Beniamino Gigli of Macerata and the Giuseppe Verdi of Parma. She made her debut in 1972 at the Fraschini Theatre.

From there she traveled around Italy, making prominent debuts in Milan, Bologna, Naples, and Palermo, among other major cities. She would go on to an international career around Europe, North America, and South America.

In 1990, she started performing more chamber music, and in 1995, she even started a piano trio with cello.

Among her many accolades are the Gold Medal from the Italian Red Cross and the Medalha de Mérito Cultural from Portugal. She is also a Kammersängerin from the Vienna State Opera and was even made an honorary member of the company.

Signature Roles

Zampieri performed a whopping 50 works in her repertory, of which 21 were by Verdi. While she undeniably favored the bel canto repertory throughout her career, there is no doubt that her most iconic interpretation to date is her Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Shakespeare adaptation. It is this role that she famously recorded with Renato Bruson under the baton of Sinopoli.

“When Lady Macbeth challenges her husband with ‘E un uomo voi siete (‘Are you a man?’)?’ and later ‘Voi siete demente (‘Are you mad?’)?’ when he responds to the ghost, the thread of sound produced by Mara Zampieri is spine-chilling,” said a review from Gramophone of the recording.

Read More on Zampieri

A Look At An Underrated Interpretation By Zampieri

Watch and Listen

 Here is what she does with the role of Lady Macbeth.

And here is an album of Verismo hits.