Description

MARIA GAY (BARCELONA, 12 JUNE, 1879 – NEW YORK, 29 JULY, 1943)

 

 

 

 

Her real name was Maria Pichot. She originally aspired to become a sculptor, but at the same time, she autodidactically studied singing. Supposedly, her voice was discovered at the age of 16 in a prison, where she had been arrested for singing revolutionary or nationalist songs. She became a pupil of Juan Gay in Barcelona, whom she married, but they soon divorced.

In 1902, she appeared for the first time in Brussels in a concert alongside pianist Raoul Pugno and violinist Eugène Ysa e. That same year, she made her stage debut at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels, as Carmen. She furthered her studies under Ada Adini in Paris and achieved significant success on stages in France and Italy. From 1906 onward, she frequently appeared at London’s Covent Garden, where she debuted as Carmen.

In 1907, she performed at La Scala, also debuting as Carmen, and was very successful in roles like Orpheus in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Amneris in Aida under Arturo Toscanini. During the 1908-09 season, she was active at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, once again debuting as Carmen opposite Enrico Caruso. At the Met, she also appeared in Cavalleria Rusticana, Il Trovatore, Aida, and Falstaff, again under Toscanini’s direction.

From 1910-12 and 1915-16, she sang at the Boston Opera. In 1913, she married the renowned tenor Giovanni Zenatello (1876-1949). At the first festival of the Arena di Verona, which was made possible through the couple’s efforts, she performed as Amneris in Aida in 1913 and as Carmen, her signature role, in 1914. She also returned to La Scala in 1913 as Amneris, and she performed at both of Paris’s major opera houses, the Grand Opéra and the Opéra-Comique.

On April 22, 1915, she sang as Amneris during the opening season of the Teatro Nacional in Havana, and she reprised her role as Carmen there in 1924. Throughout her career, she guested in major theaters across Spain, Italy, and South America, and she was a regular member of the Chicago Opera with interruptions from 1913-27. In 1927, she gave her final performance in Rome, again as Carmen. After retiring from the stage, she worked as a pedagogue in New York.

 

 

TRACKLIST 

 

 

L’ hereu Riera Favorite 1-46008E 1392f

La Brise (Saint-Saëns) (accompanied by Raoul Pugno) 33384 2515F G&T, Paris 1903

Laissez-vous (Gluck) Excelsior 424

L’hereu Riera 1-46008E 1392f Favorite, Paris

Malagueña (-) 12001 Pathé cylinders & discs, Barcelona 1903

Malagueña qui bailan y cantan en la huerta (-) 12007 Pathé cylinders & discs, Barcelona 1903

Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) Che farò senza Euridice H1101 36374 Columbia, between 1912 and 1916 New York, New York

Orfeo ed Eurydice (Gluck) Che farò 053140 2156f Gramophone, London 1907-12

Page d’amour (Pugno) Raoul Pugnon (piano) 33386 2518F G&T, 1903

Page d’amour (Pugno) 33386 2518F G&T, 1903

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Aria A5280 30669 Columbia

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Mon coeur s’ouvre a te voix A5280 30664 Columbia

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Mon coeur s’ouvre a te voix 033041 2154f Gramophone, London 1907-12

Tosca (Puccini) Tu di tua man… O dolci mani with Giovanni Zenatello 1399 BVE49808 Victor, Camden NJ 1929-01-29

Trovatore (Verdi) Ai nostri monti with Giovanni Zenatello A5370 30892 Columbia, New York 1911-11-17

Trovatore (Verdi) Giorni poveri vivea 2-053011 3804f HMV, London 1909-11-08

Trovatore (Verdi) Perigliarti ancor languente with with Giovanni Zenatello A5370 30895 Columbia

Trovatore (Verdi) Stride la vampa 2-053018 3803f HMV, London 1909-11-08