Pia Tassinari

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}} {{Infobox person | name = Pia Tassinari | image = Pia Tassinari - collezione Tino Barindelli.tif | alt = A black and white photograph of a woman | caption = Pia Tassinari (photo with dedication) | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = opera soprano singer | years_active = 1927-1950s | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Pia Tassinari''' (15 September 1903, Modigliana, near Forlì – 15 May 1995, Faenza) was an Italian soprano and later mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertories.<ref name="Grove">{{Cite Grove |author=J.B. Steane|title=Tassinari, Pia|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.41631|date=15 May 2009}}</ref>

==Life and career== Born Domenica Tassinari, she studied in Bologna with Cesare Vezzani and in Milan with Marcantoni.<ref name="Grove"/><ref name="Mancini">''Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique'', R. Mancini & J-J. Rouvereux, (Fayard, 1986), {{ISBN|2-213-01563-5}}</ref> She made her debut in 1927 as Mimi, in Casale Monferrato.<ref name="Grove"/> She sang widely in Italy before making her debut at La Scala in Milan in 1932 in the première of Veretti’s ''Il favorito del re''.<ref name="Grove"/> She also appeared in Russia and South America, and made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1947, as ''Tosca''. She appeared in Naples in a notable revival of Saverio Mercadante's ''Il giuramento'' in 1955.

She sang a wide range of roles, including: Marguerite, Manon, Elisabeth, Elsa, Fedora, etc. She was also much admired in contemporary works by Zandonai, Wolf-Ferrari, and Respighi.

In the 1950s, as her voice darkened, she tackled successfully mezzo-soprano roles, notably Carmen, Charlotte, Amneris and Ulrica.

She was married to tenor Ferruccio Tagliavini with whom she often appeared on stage and on disc. They can be heard together in a number of complete opera recordings: ''Un ballo in maschera'', ''Martha'', ''Werther'', ''L'arlesiana'', and most notably ''L'amico Fritz'', conducted by Pietro Mascagni himself.<ref name="Mancini"/>

==Sources== {{reflist}}

== External links == * [http://www.operavivra.com/artists/sopranos/pia-tassinari/ Pia Tassinari's biography at Opera Vivrà]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tassinari, Pia}} Category:1903 births Category:1995 deaths Category:People from Modigliana Category:Italian operatic mezzo-sopranos Category:Italian operatic sopranos Category:20th-century Italian women opera singers