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Roberta Alexander

March 15, 2024

Roberta Alexander (born March 3, 1949) is an American operatic soprano. She began her career as a lyric soprano in 1975 and spent the next three decades performing principal roles with opera houses internationally. Particularly celebrated for her performances of Mozart heroines, she was a leading soprano at the Metropolitan Opera from 1983 to 1991. In addition to principal Mozart roles like Countess Almaviva, Elettra, Fiordiligi, and Donna Elvira, she had particular success with the parts of Mimì in Puccini's La bohème and the title role in Janáček's Jenůfa. More recently she has performed secondary character roles on stage, including performances at the Grand Théâtre de Provence in 2013, La Scala in 2014, and La Monnaie in 2015. She performed the Fifth Maid in Strauss's Elektra at the Met in 2016 and Curra in Verdi's La forza del destino at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 2019.

Roberta Alexander (1976)

Life and career edit

Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Alexander's parents both studied music at Virginia State College where they were pupils of Undine Smith Moore. Her mother was a soprano, and her father was a choral conductor. She grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio, after her family moved there when she was age two. Her father directed choirs as Wilberforce University. She studied music at Central State University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (with Herman Woltman).[1][2]

Alexander moved to the Netherlands at age 23.[2] She made her debut at the Netherlands Opera in 1975 as Fanny in La cambiale di matrimonio.[3] Later that year she created the role of Bubikopf in the world premiere of Viktor Ullmann's Der Kaiser von Atlantis. Other early roles with that house included Princess Ninetta in Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges, the Second Woodnymph in Rusalka, and the fifth maid in Strauss's Elektra. She made several guest appearances as Mozart heroines with the Berlin State Opera and the Zürich Opera, including the roles of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Elettra in Idomeneo, and Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro.[4]

In 1980 Alexander made her American debut as Pamina in The Magic Flute with the Houston Grand Opera. That same year she made her debut at the San Francisco Opera as the Witch/Anne Sexton in Conrad Susa's Transformations. She was an apprentice singer with Santa Fe Opera, and made her feature role debut with Santa Fe Opera under conductor John Crosby in the title role of Strauss's Daphne in 1981.[5] Her Metropolitan Opera debut was in 1983 as Zerlina in Don Giovanni.[6] She later returned to the Met as Bess in Porgy and Bess (1985), the title role in Jenůfa (1985, 1986), Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito (1987, 1991), Mimì in La bohème (1987), Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann (1987), Countess Almaviva (1988, 1989), Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (1990), and the Fifth Maid in Elektra (2016)[4]

In 1982 Alexander made her debut at the Komische Oper Berlin as Puccini's Mimì, a role she sang again for her debuts at The Royal Opera, London in 1984 and the English National Opera in 1992.[4] In 1985 she gave her first of several performances at the Theater an der Wien as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare, and sang Donna Elvira for her debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1986.[4] In 1989 she gave a lauded portrayal of the title role in Jenůfa at the Glyndebourne Festival, and returned there as Vitellia in 1995.[4] She performed and recorded several works with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus Wien, including the title role in Handel Theodora in 1990 and the role of Daphne in Handel's Apollo e Dafne in 1992.[7] In 1994 she portrayed the title role in Berthold Goldschmidt's Beatrice Cenci at the Opernfest in Berlin.[8] In 1997 she portrayed Donna Elvira at the Florida Grand Opera. In 2004 she portrayed Hannah Pitt and other characters in the world premiere of Péter Eötvös's Angels in America at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.[9]

Alexander has recorded for the Dutch label Etcetera Records, in addition to selected recordings for such labels as Philips. Orchestras she has performed with include the Vienna, London and Royal Philharmonics; Royal Concertgebouw, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Bavarian Radio Orchestras; and the Cincinnati, Atlanta, Boston, and Dallas Symphony Orchestras. Conductors she has worked with include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Andrew Litton, Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini, Leonard Slatkin, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, and David Zinman.

Alexander has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Edo de Waart in the early 1970s, and ended in divorce. She married her second husband, orchestral manager Siebe Riedstra, in 1975.[2]

Selected discography edit

Recitals edit

References edit

  1. ^ John Henken (April 3, 1988). "A Pair of Firsts for Roberta Alexander". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Ineke Jungschleger (October 3, 1997). "De Nederlandse badkamer is mij een raadsel Roberta Alexander, diva tussen twee continenten". De Volksrant. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  3. ^ The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music, p. 13, Michael Kennedy, Joyce Bourne – 2004 "Alexander, Roberta (b Lynchburg, Va., 1949). Amer. soprano. Eur. début Netherlands Opera 1975. CG début 1980; NY Met début 1983; Salzburg Fest. 1986 ..."
  4. ^ a b c d e Goodwin, Noël (2001). "Alexander, Roberta (Lee)". In Stanley Sadie; John Tyrrell (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan.
  5. ^ Donal Henahan (August 3, 1981). "Santa Fe Troupe Gives Strauss's Daphne". The New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Bernard Holland (November 5, 1983). "Mozart's Don Giovanni in an Old Met Production". The New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  7. ^ Shirley Fleming (June 1993). Handel: Apollo e Dafne. (Roberta Alexander, Thomas Hampson, Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt). Vol. 57. p. 43. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  8. ^ James Helme Sutcliffe (March 1995). In review: Berlin. Vol. 59. p. 42. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Matt Wolf (November 30, 2004). "Angels in America". Variety.

External links edit

March 15, 2024
roberta, alexander, born, march, 1949, american, operatic, soprano, began, career, lyric, soprano, 1975, spent, next, three, decades, performing, principal, roles, with, opera, houses, internationally, particularly, celebrated, performances, mozart, heroines, . Roberta Alexander born March 3 1949 is an American operatic soprano She began her career as a lyric soprano in 1975 and spent the next three decades performing principal roles with opera houses internationally Particularly celebrated for her performances of Mozart heroines she was a leading soprano at the Metropolitan Opera from 1983 to 1991 In addition to principal Mozart roles like Countess Almaviva Elettra Fiordiligi and Donna Elvira she had particular success with the parts of Mimi in Puccini s La boheme and the title role in Janacek s Jenufa More recently she has performed secondary character roles on stage including performances at the Grand Theatre de Provence in 2013 La Scala in 2014 and La Monnaie in 2015 She performed the Fifth Maid in Strauss s Elektra at the Met in 2016 and Curra in Verdi s La forza del destino at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2019 Roberta Alexander 1976 Contents 1 Life and career 2 Selected discography 2 1 Recitals 3 References 4 External linksLife and career editBorn in Lynchburg Virginia Alexander s parents both studied music at Virginia State College where they were pupils of Undine Smith Moore Her mother was a soprano and her father was a choral conductor She grew up in Yellow Springs Ohio after her family moved there when she was age two Her father directed choirs as Wilberforce University She studied music at Central State University the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Herman Woltman 1 2 Alexander moved to the Netherlands at age 23 2 She made her debut at the Netherlands Opera in 1975 as Fanny in La cambiale di matrimonio 3 Later that year she created the role of Bubikopf in the world premiere of Viktor Ullmann s Der Kaiser von Atlantis Other early roles with that house included Princess Ninetta in Prokofiev s The Love for Three Oranges the Second Woodnymph in Rusalka and the fifth maid in Strauss s Elektra She made several guest appearances as Mozart heroines with the Berlin State Opera and the Zurich Opera including the roles of Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte Elettra in Idomeneo and Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro 4 In 1980 Alexander made her American debut as Pamina in The Magic Flute with the Houston Grand Opera That same year she made her debut at the San Francisco Opera as the Witch Anne Sexton in Conrad Susa s Transformations She was an apprentice singer with Santa Fe Opera and made her feature role debut with Santa Fe Opera under conductor John Crosby in the title role of Strauss s Daphne in 1981 5 Her Metropolitan Opera debut was in 1983 as Zerlina in Don Giovanni 6 She later returned to the Met as Bess in Porgy and Bess 1985 the title role in Jenufa 1985 1986 Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito 1987 1991 Mimi in La boheme 1987 Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann 1987 Countess Almaviva 1988 1989 Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni 1990 and the Fifth Maid in Elektra 2016 4 In 1982 Alexander made her debut at the Komische Oper Berlin as Puccini s Mimi a role she sang again for her debuts at The Royal Opera London in 1984 and the English National Opera in 1992 4 In 1985 she gave her first of several performances at the Theater an der Wien as Cleopatra in Handel s Giulio Cesare and sang Donna Elvira for her debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1986 4 In 1989 she gave a lauded portrayal of the title role in Jenufa at the Glyndebourne Festival and returned there as Vitellia in 1995 4 She performed and recorded several works with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus Wien including the title role in Handel Theodora in 1990 and the role of Daphne in Handel s Apollo e Dafne in 1992 7 In 1994 she portrayed the title role in Berthold Goldschmidt s Beatrice Cenci at the Opernfest in Berlin 8 In 1997 she portrayed Donna Elvira at the Florida Grand Opera In 2004 she portrayed Hannah Pitt and other characters in the world premiere of Peter Eotvos s Angels in America at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris 9 Alexander has recorded for the Dutch label Etcetera Records in addition to selected recordings for such labels as Philips Orchestras she has performed with include the Vienna London and Royal Philharmonics Royal Concertgebouw Philadelphia Cleveland and Bavarian Radio Orchestras and the Cincinnati Atlanta Boston and Dallas Symphony Orchestras Conductors she has worked with include Vladimir Ashkenazy Andrew Litton Bernard Haitink Sir Colin Davis Nikolaus Harnoncourt James Levine Zubin Mehta Carlo Maria Giulini Leonard Slatkin Jesus Lopez Cobos Seiji Ozawa Andre Previn Sir Simon Rattle and David Zinman Alexander has been married twice Her first marriage was to Edo de Waart in the early 1970s and ended in divorce She married her second husband orchestral manager Siebe Riedstra in 1975 2 Selected discography editJohann Sebastian Bach St John Passion with the Staatskapelle Dresden conducted Peter Schreier on Philips Johann Sebastian Bach Mass in B minor with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini on Sony Classical Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony no 9 Royal Philharmonic conducted by Andre Previn RCA Willem de Fesch Oratorio Joseph with Claron McFadden and Musica ad Rhenum conducted by Jed Wentz NM Classics Brilliant Classics George Gershwin Porgy and Bess selections with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta Teldec 46318 George Gershwin Porgy and Bess conducted by Leonard Slatkin Philips Christoph Willibald Gluck Paride ed Elena conducted by Michael Schneider conductor Berthold Goldschmidt Beatrice Cenci conducted by Lothar Zagrosek Sony Classical George Frideric Handel Theodora Roberta Alexander Jochen Kowalski Hans Peter Blochwitz Concentus Musicus Wien conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt Teldec Handel Samson Anthony Rolfe Johnson Roberta Alexander Jochen Kowalski Christoph Pregardien Alastair Miles Maria Venuti Arnold Schoenberg Chor Concentus Musicus Wien conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt Teldec Janacek Jenufa conducted by Andrew Davis Glyndebourne DVD Gustav Mahler Symphony No 4 Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam conducted by Bernard Haitink Philips 412 119 2 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt Teldec Antonio Salieri Prima La Musica Poi Le Parole conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt Teldec Georg Philipp Telemann Ino conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt Teldec 44633 Recitals edit Hendrik Andriessen Miroir de Peine Magna res est amor Fiat Domine with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra led by David Porcelijn NM Classics 1992 winner of the Edison Award Roberta Alexander sings Samuel Barber arias from Vanessa and Antony and Cleopatra plus Andromache s Farewell Knoxville Summer of 1915 Songs with orchestra Edo de Waart conductor Roberta Alexander Broadway Songs David Triestram Roberta Alexander Songs my Mother taught me Brain Masuda Leonard Bernstein Songs Roberta Alexander Tan Crone Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra Op 207 Roberta Alexander Dick Hoogeveen Giacomo Puccini Songs Roberta Alexander Tan Crone Raphael String Quartet Richard Strauss Lieder Roberta Alexander Tan Crone Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lieder Roberta Alexander Glen Wilson Charles Ives Songs Volumes 1 and 2 Roberta Alexander Tan Crone Aaron Copland Songs Roberta Alexander Roger Vignoles Samuel Barber Songs Roberta Alexander Tan Crone Heitor Villa Lobos Songs Volumes 1 and 2 Roberta Alexander Alfred Heller Diane ChaplinReferences edit John Henken April 3 1988 A Pair of Firsts for Roberta Alexander Los Angeles Times Retrieved April 4 2015 a b c Ineke Jungschleger October 3 1997 De Nederlandse badkamer is mij een raadsel Roberta Alexander diva tussen twee continenten De Volksrant Retrieved April 4 2015 The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music p 13 Michael Kennedy Joyce Bourne 2004 Alexander Roberta b Lynchburg Va 1949 Amer soprano Eur debut Netherlands Opera 1975 CG debut 1980 NY Met debut 1983 Salzburg Fest 1986 a b c d e Goodwin Noel 2001 Alexander Roberta Lee In Stanley Sadie John Tyrrell eds The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd ed London Macmillan Donal Henahan August 3 1981 Santa Fe Troupe Gives Strauss s Daphne The New York Times Retrieved April 4 2015 Bernard Holland November 5 1983 Mozart s Don Giovanni in an Old Met Production The New York Times Retrieved April 4 2015 Shirley Fleming June 1993 Handel Apollo e Dafne Roberta Alexander Thomas Hampson Concentus Musicus Wien Nikolaus Harnoncourt Vol 57 p 43 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help James Helme Sutcliffe March 1995 In review Berlin Vol 59 p 42 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Matt Wolf November 30 2004 Angels in America Variety External links editOfficial website Gershwin medley on YouTube Alexander with Jerry Hadley and Thomas Hampson 1998 ConcertgebouwPortals nbsp Biography nbsp Opera Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Roberta Alexander amp oldid 1210484935, 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