Opera Scotland

Victoria de Los Angeles Suggest updates

Victoria Lopez Cima.

Born Barcelona, 1 November 1923.

Died Barcelona, 15 January 2005.

Spanish soprano.

Victoria de Los Angeles had a beautiful lyric soprano voice and a charming stage presence that made her one of the most popular singers in the decades following the war.  She was particularly noted for some of her Puccini parts, but her repertoire ranged from Mozart and Rossini to Wagner, Verdi and Debussy.  She was a recognized exponent in the Spanish repertoire.

She studied at the Barcelona Conservatory.  In 1947 she gained first prize at the Geneva International Competition.  She had already made her professional debut in 1941 as Mimì  (Barcelona Teatro Victoria).

She came to Britain in 1949 to record Salud La vida breve for the BBC.  She soon made her debut at Covent Garden, where, between 1950 and 1961 her parts included Wagner (Elsa);  Massenet (Manon);  Leoncavallo (Nedda);  Mascagni (Santuzza) and  Puccini (Mimì, Cio-Cio-San)

She appeared at the New York Met (1950-61);  Bayreuth 1961-2 (Elisabeth);  Milan, Paris, Vienna.

Her recordings include Verdi (Amelia Simon Boccanegra);  Bizet (Carmen);  Massenet (Manon); Puccini (Mimi,  Cio-Cio-San, Lauretta); Mascagni (Santuzza);   Debussy (Mélisande);  Falla (Salud).