Farewell, Daniela Dessi!

Daniela Dessì (May 14, 1957 – August 20, 2016)

I first heard Italian soprano Daniela Dessi at some point around 1988, when a CD set of an obscure Donizetti opera called Alina arrived at Tower Records and I picked up a copy on one of my weekly excursions to the store at Columbus and Bay in San Francisco. At that time, all sorts of obscure and largely forgotten operas were being released on CD, usually derived from live performances featuring young casts of singers, mostly names I was unfamiliar with. I had seen Daniela Dessi’s name mentioned in the opera journals I read in those pre-internet days, trying to keep abreast of what happened in the opera world outside of San Francisco. But I had not heard her sing a note. She looked attractive on the cover photo – it was just her on the original release that I have. I got around to putting the first CD and the opera itself was fairly forgettable early Donizetti. Pleasant enough, but certainly nothing I would return to often. But then Dessi came on for her opening aria. The aria itself has faded from memory, but the voice made me sit up and listen. A solid, attractive Italian soprano with a nice lyric voice and some bite to the sound. A voice that made me want to hear more.

And more I heard. CDs came in – there must have been a Verdi/Puccini disc not too long afterwards. I wished for more interesting repertoire – how many recordings of “Si, mi chiamano Mimi” or “O mio babbino caro” do I actually own? Dozens? No, I would bet it is over a hundred. But along with that there was an interesting, half successful Rigoletto, with Muti conducting, and she was singing some Rossini in Europe. A recording of “Ciro in Babilonia” showed up on Bongiovanni in which she was featured.  She sounded like she had the kind of voice I really liked in Rossini, Italian or Italianate, with a little cutting edge, capable in florid music and with clear diction. Please Daniela, more Rossini, less Puccini… No disrespect intended to Puccini lovers. And the sound was almost always attractive. There was more to it than just run of the mill. Beautiful tone, and an expressive performer. At least on recordings. I really wanted to see her in person.

I FINALLY got to hear her in person in February of 1995. Later in the year, she was scheduled to sing Mathilde in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, one of my very favorite operas, at the Rossini Opera Festival. Pesaro was a little out of my budget. But she made her Met debut while I was living in New York. Not Rossini, but Leoncavallo – how many Pagliaccis have I seen? A few, to be sure! But I do like the opera and I had eagerly purchased my ticket in advance – a double bill with Dessi and Nicola Martinucci in Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana with Maria Guleghina. I was eager to finally hear Dessi in person and was glad to see Martinucci again after many years. The date arrived – a Saturday matinee, and…

Snowstorm!    Crap!

Well, I was not about to let the weather stop me, so I bundled up, trudged out into the cold and made my way to the Opera House. The Cavalleria was mostly forgettable. The Pagliacci opened with Nucci gargling his way through the Prologue, but the opera itself was better. Martinucci’s tone had dried out a lot since I had first heard him but he was enjoyable in a generalized way.  Dessi’s voice was fairly substantial in person, some weight – audible in the Met auditorium with a bright, attractive top and good dramatic instincts. It was an enjoyable performance. I would have preferred to hear Guillaume Tell, but I was glad I saw it and was certain it would be the first of multiple encounters with Dessi. It was not.

She has had an interesting and varied career since then, plenty of CD releases, often with her partner tenor Fabio Armiliato, but never an appearance where I happened to be and I never managed to travel to where she was. That Met Pagliacci would prove to be the only time I encountered her artistry in person. I kept up with her career, followed her on Twitter, watched Operabase, hoping that someday I would get another chance to see her in person. This summer she was scheduled to sing the title role in Cherubini’s Medea, one of the pinnacles of the soprano repertoire, in Macerata. A month ago, she posted to Facebook,

“Dear friends,
Unfortunately after a health problem I've been forced to cancel all my events for this summer
I'll see you on October 8th for a great concert in the Loreto's Basilica.
A big hug to everybody.
DD.”

I was sitting here in my office yesterday, pouring over some work, when my friend and fellow opera lover Father Cornelius Mattei sent me a message, “Apparently Daniela Dessi died today. No details.” I checked the news. Nothing at that moment. But a little while later, the first wire story appeared. More followed. Then the tributes and appreciations, all across the internet.

Daniela Dessi had died shortly after midnight, at only fifty-nine years old.                  

As always the Norns are stingy with the time allotted to us mortals, great artists included. My condolences to the family and friends of this splendid artist. I am spending my day watching that Pesaro Guillaume Tell from the Summer of 1995, grateful that this, among many souvenirs, is there to remind us what a wonderful artist we have lost.