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Fiorenza
Cossotto was an Italian mezzo-soprano who, according to Enzo
Bordello, "represents a paradoxical disparity between the public and
private personas of any artist." On stage, Cossotto was an
immense powerhouse with a stunning voice, but in person she was known to
scream at costume ladies "for not hiding her flabby arms," not
stopping once they burst into tears. She and her husband, the bass
Ivo Vinco, were a legendary couple who had sung Norma with Callas,
and although there were rumors that the great soprano and mezzo did not
get along, Vinco later insisted that Franco Zeffirelli made up stories. "Fiorenza
would do anything for Maria, she worshipped her," he would explain. Cossotto
was often considered to be La Scala's Queen Mezzo and in her day was the
reigning Dalila, Amneris, and Princess Eboli, beloved by maestros
like Georges Prêtre, Riccardo Muti, James Levine, and Herbert von Karajan.
Her attack on the high B in "Lache!" near the end of Samson
and Dalila's second act is still unforgotten by her fans lucky enough
to have heard it live. According to Bordello, "it was ringing,
rock-solid and massive. My eardrums vibrated for hours afterwards.
It's hard for the junior queens to understand what the impact of
such a voice is like. But once experienced, you never forget
it." |
