Legends: Victoria de los Angeles

Once heard, never forgotten! Born in Barcelona in November 1923, a month before Callas, the Spanish soprano had a pure, very beautiful voice and delightful, modest personality that drew audiences to her like moths to a flame.

Uniquely equally distinguished as both an opera singer and recitalist, she was at her peak in the 1950’s and early ‘60’s but never really retired,  though officially she gave  no further operatic performances after 1979, in part so she could be with her family. She continued to do concerts and recitals and in 1992 closed the Barcelona Olympics with the famous Catalan folksong ‘Song of the birds’.

Perhaps you saw Victoria on one of her many long ABC tours (the first in 1956) or one of her last appearances in 1993 or 1995?  She loved Australia and found audiences here particularly warm.

The Porter’s Lodge

Christened Victoria Gómez Cima, (she chose de los Angeles later as her stage name) she was born in the porter’s lodge at Barcelona University where her father was the caretaker. The family was very poor but musical and from the age of 5, Victoria sang and played the guitar for her own pleasure and amusement. At school her constant singing delighted her friends but annoyed her teachers and her parents weren’t keen she pursue a musical career, but her sister dragged her off to the Barcelona Conservatory where she completed the 6-year course in half the usual time aged just 21, winning every prize available.

Operatic Trifecta

After her operatic debut as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Liceu in Barcelona, Victoria brought off one of the most spectacular hat-tricks in operatic history. In the single season of 1950-51 she made her debuts at Covent Garden as Mimi, at La Scala in the title-role of Ariadne auf Naxos, and at the Metropolitan in New York, as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust. Significantly, she gave recitals in all these cities before her operatic appearances, partly to let the public see her as herself before seeing her play a character, and partly because recitals were always her first love.

G’day Madame

Not only did Victoria have a broader repertoire than any other singer, she also travelled more widely too. Almost every year despite her high demand in Europe, she’d tour the Soviet Union, the Far East, South America or Australia.

She first came here in 1956 for an extended tour of 3 ½ months giving more than 40 recitals and concerts. She loved the "genuine and generous public. I find such warmth here. They throw flowers. I never forget this in my heart, Australian people."

On one of her last visits in 1993 she addressed the National Press Club confiding she’d had a sleepless night worrying about making a speech but she captivated the journalists with her sincerity and grace. "I pray, and I really ask always in my life and in my singing and music, for the better world to preserve our nature. We are part of the creation, we are together with nature. So I pray also for Australia to preserve the wonderful forests you have."

You can hear the whole address online via the NLA.

The First Spaniard at Bayreuth

Victoria’s favourite roles were Mimi and Butterfly. On the stage, the natural tenderness and radiance of her voice, made her an obvious choice for the more fragile heroines of Italian and French opera too including Debussy’s Mélisande, Massenet's Manon and Charlotte.

But her secret love from the age of 16, was Wagner! After her Spanish debut in 1944, she sang a lot of Wagner in Barcelona and was eventually invited by Wieland Wagner to sing Elisabeth in Tannhauser at Bayreuth. ‘To sing at the Bayreuth Festival in 1961 was a big thing for a Spanish person.No-one believed a Spaniard could sing on this SO German stage.’Together with Wieland she re-crafted a new Elisabeth.  ‘It was a mystic Spanish Elisabeth mixed with German.’

The Gift of Song

Victoria had an enormous song repertoire ranging from Lieder to French chanson, Italian classical arias and even British songs on her visits to the UK. She chose her recital programs (and her regular accompanists Gerald Moore and Geoffrey Parsons) instinctively. Songs that suited her voice and personality and would best communicate to her audience. She was never systematic in her selections. "A Spanish person takes it another way."

Her careful preparation meant the final impression was always one of absolute spontaneity. Her special study of the music of her native country extended to recordings of Spanish song stretching from the middle ages to the 20th century and she’d often end a recital seated at the front of the platform singing a Spanish or Catalan folksong as an encore, accompanying herself on the guitar.

"The work of recitals interested me much more than opera,  because it comes with more intimacy, the culture, the creativity; another kind of world and you’re in front of all these people who want to be with you and you’re so near to them. This pleasure never comes into opera where you are never in so much contact."

I am not a diva!

Victoria was every bit the embodiment of the jet-set diva of the 1960’s when photographed boarding a plane. Once in her seat though, she often took out her knitting! She fiercely guarded her private life and was a naturally shy person, eschewing cocktail parties and social events on tour.

As a child, family was hugely important and after she belatedly had a son at 39 though her doctor told her she’d never have a child, she described the experience as "a miracle. The best time in my life of joy and happiness." After this she put many operatic opportunities aside so she could be home with her child. Then came a 2^nd child at 44, a boy with downs syndrome. "He was a special person and he taught me so much. My life is ups and downs but I consider it’s better than everything good all the time."

Farewell - Adiós

Her 1995 tour to Australia was her last and an emotional one on many levels. The Australian pianist Geoffrey Parsons was scheduled to join her but died just a few months earlier and Victoria wrote an emotional tribute to him in her tour program and dedicated her concerts to him. In an interview she said their relationship was one of trust and intuition from day one. "I loved his elegance, his flexibility. We didn’t need to rehearse much."

At the start of the tour she also slipped going into the Sydney Town Hall but insisted she had only sprained her ankle and went ahead with the concert. The next day the doctor diagnosed a broken fibula in her left foot but she continued the tour hiding her plastered foot under her long gown. Offstage she had to use a wheelchair but she finished the tour in Darwin where she had a standing ovation, the audience showering her with streamers.

Vocally she was beyond her prime, but she chose her repertoire so carefully and used her voice so intelligently that the audience felt like she was sharing something she loved with a group of friends.

When Victoria de los Angeles died in Barcelona in January 2005, thousands of mourners turned out to farewell her. "We have a mission as artists" she once said "to put out our souls and unite souls in the audience, a mission we must do without pretension."

Mairi Nicolson