The legendary ‘mezzo’ received this Thursday, at the age of 85, the Gold Medal of the Círculo de Bellas Artes for a career marked by the delivery.
Teresa Berganza (Madrid, 1933) retains the gestures of vigorous who has been Carmen in scene many times. Five years ago the Royal Theatre I rode him a tribute for his 80th birthday that the most important moments of Spanish music sang to her. This Thursday another institution, reputation of their city, the Circle of Fine Arts, took delivery of his Gold Medal, in recognition of a career marked by his mastery vocal and their presence is breathtaking.
“I start to get tired, not created, which before was tireless. But I carry it well”, explains before receiving the recognition. What it doesn’t carry as well is that another part of a birthday: “I have died so many friends… When you get to an age like mine, you die older, naturally, but young people also go missing”, it regrets. Also you are missing “that life living in Oceania today, and the next day in Paris. The plane, the hotel, the theatre, the children… Because, above all, always, the family.”
“Whenever I could, I took it with me,” recalls his travels with his offspring. “Told tales at the school, said: ‘This child is depressed, you need to be with your mother. Give me all the homework,” between risillas. “Because when I decided to have children, I told myself that I was not going to have to leave them at home. Me abusing me and I enjoy them.” Also had the luck to have her father and her mother with her, “which also I took; I was like the gypsies: he went out and took me to the family.”
The awarding of the medal of the Circle serves to confirm what bears watching all life. “I’ve always felt very loved. Everything else doesn’t matter to me. That is to say, I have a medal more. But what I carry with me is not so much the prize as to what that means,” he explains. “I sang for 55 years, from 20 to 75. Yes, decreasing progressively. But there was a moment in which I said: ‘This is over'”.
Considered to be “great” the recognition of a life, a delivery, a job. “But I always say that since life has given me a huge prize, which has been able to sing in the whole world what I’ve wanted, what more I have loved you.” For her, “the love, the friendship, the love… that is all that matters really. They are awards that I’m receiving. Because I have been carrying”.
“I’ve Never sung for me; I’ve always done for others,” he stresses. “The delivery is the generosity of the artist. Even if you leave me, I do it for that specific audience that is listening to me now” impact. “You have to make them feel something, because you’re giving yourself. If you save a little, wrong.”
Berganza, even if showing proud of being a bit of a black sheep among the flock opera, says that she has never been taken in by the pretensions or the divismo. “There is one word that is ‘humility'”, sentence. “I remember that I had a few years ago and I did a recital at the Ateneo of Madrid, and I had a lot of success. And my mother told me: ‘we don’t know what is going to be your life, but remains humble, which is the most important'”.
For her, “the singing was a pleasure in itself”. A unique sensation. “That inside of me, with my breathing and my whole being comes a voice, and out the most beautiful possible. That voice is accompanied by words, that those words of the interpreter, and that to reach 2,000 people in one afternoon”.
– what is the thing that misses most of the singing?
-Sing
Because 10 years have passed from the one end point that was put. “I am very extremist, like all artists. And from that I decided I did not sing more, not I’ve done it again. I’m not interested. Some days in my house I say: ‘To see how you’re the voice’. And if it is ok, because I’m so happy. But nothing more. Because I have sung a lot. A lot.”
All the roles that he has done, he says you have accepted them because she loved, “because he knew that they were going well for my voice and my personality: the Cherubino in The marriage of Figaro, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, the operas of Monteverdi, all the rossinis, Carmen, Werther… I have sung a repertoire is pretty limited, but it has been my repertoire. I have done mine and I have wanted to be the best in it. And for that we have to surrender,” he insists,
But, without going over, because, “there are ambitions that do not serve for nothing”. Then, he warns, “what happens happens: that there are voices so beautiful that the six or the ten years are finished”. Hence his advice: “you have to have the head very well put to not to lose it. Even if you see a theater on foot clapping after a representation does not fall into the: ‘see how I am, what great'”.
Berganza look out the windows of the Circle while outside of the room, it grows the excitement of the guests at the event. Then he starts to remember: “I Sang at 58, to 25 years, with Maria Callas. Since the day I met her, to say buon giorno, signora maria Callas, was to faint. But then I was lucky that I took a lot of care and took me everywhere with her.” And paints the scene: “one side bore your puppy and the other I wore to me. And always said: ‘Maria, wow, wow, I’m here'”. He laughs and continues: “I wanted so much. And I wanted to would have made a Rule with her, Adalgisa. And I felt that my voice was not for this character, that he was going to force and I was going to do damage. Look, which is to say no to Maria. And it’s been a few years, I was singing at La Scala and we saw. I told that maybe you could do the Adalgisa. But she told me that she no longer sang as Standard. That day I cried the unimaginable. Because it was already…” [makes a gesture down the slope with his hand]
For the things you feel so happy to have shared the stage with giants such as Alfredo Kraus. “When you’re with a good artist is not difficult, because every day it jumps a spark different. This is art”.
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