Renata Tebaldi (February 1, 1922 - December 19, 2004) was one of the most famous sopranos of the post-war period. She was greatly admired for the beauty and purity of her voice, and her elegant stage presence. Tebaldi was born Renata Ersilia Clotilde Tebaldi in Pesaro. Stricken with polio at the age of three, Tebaldi was unable to partake in strenuous activities and instead became interested in music. In her early teens, she began studying music at the Conservatory of Parma. At age 22, Tebaldi made her debut as Elena in Boito's Mefistofele in Rovigo.
Her major breakthrough came in 1946, when she auditioned in Milan for Arturo Toscanini. Toscanini was favorably impressed, calling her "voce d'angelo" (angel voice). Tebaldi made her La Scala debut that year at the concert which marked the reopening of the theater after World War II. She sang the "Prayer" ("Dal tuo stellato soglio") from Rossini's biblical opera, Mosè in Egitto, as well as the soprano part in Verdi's Te Deum.
Tebaldi made her American debut as Aïda at the San Francisco Opera, followed soon after by her Metropolitan Opera debut on January 31, 1955, as Desdemona opposite Mario del Monaco's Otello. She then began appearing regularly at the Met as Mimi in La bohème, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Desdemona, Manon, and Violetta in a production of La Traviata created specially for her.
For the 1962/1963 season, Tebaldi convinced the director of the Met, Rudolf Bing, to stage a revival of Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur. The opera had not been staged since the turn of the century, but Bing was convinced that it would be a great success for Tebaldi, and for Franco Corelli, who sang the role of Maurizio. Unfortunately, Tebaldi was not in top vocal form. Alarmed, she took a thirteen-month hiatus from the stage. She later returned as Mimi to great acclaim.
Tebaldi retired from the stage in 1973 and from the concert hall in 1976. She spent the majority of her last days in Milan, but it was at her home, in San Marino, where she died at age 82.
Much has been made of a supposed rivalry between Tebaldi and Maria Callas, who was also active in Italy in the 1950s, but it appears to have been above all a rivalry between the highly partisan fans of the two divas. Callas may have fed the impression with untimely remarks to the press ("Comparing Tebaldi with me is just like comparing coke with champagne," she said once). While both were active at the same time, the two singers had very different voices, repertoires and temperaments. In any case, on September 16, 1968, Callas went backstage after a performance of Adriana Lecouvreur to warmly congratulate Tebaldi, thereby dispelling any bad blood once and for all.
