Aage Haugland
(b Copenhagen, 1944; d Copenhagen, 2000).Danish bass‐baritone. Début Oslo 1968 in Martinů's Comedy on the Bridge. Member of Danish Royal Opera from 1973. CG début 1975. Sang Hagen in The Twilight of ...
Aaron
In Hebrew tradition Moses's brother. He was assigned to Moses as his assistant (Exod. 4: 14), and later he and his descendants were appointed priests (Exod. 28 f.). In Christian theology he is a type ...
Abaris
(Rameau: Les Boréades). Ten. Son of Apollo. Brought up by the High Priest Adamas, his identity has remained a secret. In love with Queen Alphise, he is only able to marry her when his royal blood is ...
Abigaille
(Verdi: Nabucco). Sop. Elder but illegitimate daughter of Nabucco. She is in love with the Hebrew Ismaele who rejects her in favour of her younger sister Fenena. She attempts to replace her father as ...
Abimélech
(Saint‐Saëns: Samson et Dalila). Bass. Satrap of Gaza. He taunts the subjugated Hebrews for praying to their God who is not helping them in their distress. Their leader, Samson, slays him. Created ...
Achilla
(Handel: Giulio Cesare). Bass. General and Counsellor to Tolomeo, who cheats him. Achilla defends Cleopatra against Tolomeo and is mortally wounded. Created (1724) by Giuseppe Boschi.
Acis
In Greek mythology, a young shepherd, lover of the sea nymph Galatea, who was killed out of jealousy by his rival Polyphemus; as he died, Galatea turned him into a river.
Acis and Galatea
(Handel). Lib. by John Gay and others; 2 acts; f.p. Cannons, Edgware, nr. London, 1718, possibly dir. by Johann Christoph Pepusch. Better defined as a masque or pastoral.Mythological times. Galatea, ...
Ada Adini
(b Boston, 1855; d Dieppe, Feb 1924).American soprano. She studied with Pauline Viardot and Giovanni Sbriglia in Paris. Her début role was Giacomo Meyerbeer's Dinorah, at Varese in 1876. ...
Adalgisa
(Bellini: Norma). Sop. (but often sung by mez.). An acolyte of the temple. Pollione's love for her makes him reject Norma, the High Priestess. Adalgisa is horrified to realize that Pollione was ...
Adamas
(Rameau: Les Boréades). Bass. High Priest of Apollo, entrusted with raising Apollo's son Abaris. Created (f. stage p. 1982) by Françoix Le Roux.
Adams, Rev. Horace
(Britten: Peter Grimes). Ten. Rector of the Borough. Suspecting Grimes of being responsible for the death of his apprentices, he leads the men as they march to Grimes's hut to investigate his ...
Adelaide Borghi-Mamo
(b Bologna, 9 Aug 1826; d Bologna, 29 Sept 1901).Italian mezzo-soprano. She studied in Milan and made her début in 1843 at Urbino in Saverio Mercadante's Il giuramento. She ...
Adelaide Malanotte
(b Verona, 1785; d Salò, 31 Dec 1832).Italian contralto. She made her début in 1806 at Verona, then sang in Turin and at the Teatro Valle, Rome, in the ...
Adele
1 (J. Strauss II: Die Fledermaus). Sop. The Eisensteins’ maid. With her sister Ida, she goes to Prince Orlofsky's party, wearing a dress she has ‘borrowed’ from her mistress. At the ball she meets ...
Adele Kern
(b Munich, 25 Nov 1901; d Munich, 6 May 1980).German soprano. She studied in Munich, making her début there in 1924 as Olympia in Les contes d᾽Hoffmann. She was ...
Adèle Leigh
(b London, 15 June 1928; d London, 23 May 2004).English soprano. After studying drama she went to the Juilliard School and was a pupil of maggie Teyte. From 1948 ...
Adelina Patti
(b Madrid, 1843; d Craig‐y‐Nos Castle, nr. Brecon, Wales, 1919).It. soprano. Daughter of singers. Taken to NY as child, touring USA as child prodigy for 3 years, accomp. by her brother‐in‐law Maurice ...
Adina
(Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore). Sop. Wealthy young lady who owns a farm. She finds the courting of the peasant Nemorino rather slow and in order to tease him she flirts with the soldier Belcore. When ...
Admetus
(Gluck: Alceste). Ten. Husband of Alceste. He is dying and can be saved only by somebody else being sacrificed in his place. Created (1767 vers.) by Giuseppe Tibaldi; (1776 vers.) by Joseph Legros.
