About
Lisa della Casa studied with Margarete Häser in Zürich and made her debut as Cio-Cio-San (!) in Solothurn-Biel in 1941. She was engaged by the Stadttheater Zurich where she appeared in a variety of roles: As Serena in Porgy and Bess, Pamina and Gilda. She created the Young Woman in Burkhard’s Die schwarze Spinne in 1949. In 1947 she was invited to Salzburg for the first time where she appeared as Zdenka in Arabella. The following summer she returned to sing the Countess in Capriccio. In 1951 she made her British debut as the Countess at Glyndebourne. Later that year she sang Arabella in Munich, the role she became most closely associated with. Concentrating her repertory on Strauss and Mozart roles, she sang with great success at all major opera houses. She became a member of the Vienna Staatsoper in 1947. In 1952 she appeared as Eva at the Bayreuther Festspiele, but she did not like the atmosphere of intrigues and never returned. She was also engaged to the Met from 1953 to 1968, making her debut as the Countess Almaviva. Probably best known as a superb Strauss singer, Lisa Della Casa graduated from Sophie through Octavian to Marschallin and from Zdenka to Arabella. She also sang Ariadne, Chrysothemis and Salome. In the Mozart repertory she was an admired Donna Elvira, Donna Anna, Pamina, Countess and Fiordiligi. She worked with all great conductors of her time. Lisa della Casa was a critical and reflective person admitting that she did not like “music business” with its intrigues and vanities. Explaining more than once, that serious work in a real ensemble had become very rare, she finished her career to everyone’s surprise in 1974. |
