Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation & Carnegie Hall Celebrate the 75th Anniversary Ángeles’ Debut
By Afton MarkayThe Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation, in collaboration with Carnegie Hall, has paid tribute to the Catalan soprano on the 75th anniversary of her debut at the prestigious hall.
On March 20, Carnegie Hall dedicated a recital to the legacy of Victoria de los Ángeles, whom it considers “one of the great artists of the 20th century.” The recital featured soprano Fleur Barron and Pianist Kunal Lahiry, who will perform, among others, iconic works from Victoria’s career, such as Montsalvatge’s “Black Songs.”
At her Carnegie Hall premiere on Oct. 24, 1950, Victoria de los Ángeles concluded her lyrical recital with a series of Spanish songs, which she sang while accompanying herself on the guitar. The New York Herald Tribute wrote of this performance, “The voice is of rare natural beauty, the training is impeccable, and the artistry first-rate.” It was such a success that she would return to sing in this same hall on 27 other occasions, always including music by Spanish composers such as Xavier Montsalvatge, Enrique Granados, and Manuel de Falla.
Ángeles appeared regularly at the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall. Outside of the U.S. she performed in opera houses including Paris Opéra, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Teatro Colón, and Vienna State Opera. At age 68, she sang at the closing ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics. The government of France named her a Chevalier the Légion d’honneur in 1994.
The Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation’s mission is to “preserve and disseminate the soprano’s legacy so that her life and artistic testimony live on.” It also aims to train future generations of musicians by supporting competitions and prizes like the Teatro Real’s “Crescendo, We Create Opera.”
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