Catherine Malfitano - Soprano
Biography
New York born Catherine Malfitano is acclaimed for her commanding vocalism, superb musicianship, elegant stage presence and riveting dramatic abilities. Renowned as a unique music theater performer, Ms. Malfitano has appeared in all the world's leading opera houses.
Her Emmy-award winning portrayal of Tosca, broadcast live from the actual Roman settings of the opera, was seen by more than one billion viewers worldwide.
Ms. Malfitano's stage repertoire of more than sixty roles spans the entirety of operatic history. Her interpretations extend from Monteverdi’s Poppea and Erisbe in Cavalli’s L'Ormindo to Annina in Menotti’s Saint of Bleecker Street; from Gluck’s Euridice to Polly Peachum in Weill’s Three Penny Opera; from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor to Humperdinck’s Gretel; from Marzelline and Leonore in Betthoven’s Fidelio to Poulenc’s Thérèse in Les Mamelles de Tirésias: from Konstanze in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and both Zerlina and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni to Cleopatra in Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra; from Fiorilla in Rossini’s Turco in Italia to Emilia Marty in Janacek’s Makropulos Case; from the three heroines in Offenbach’s Les Contes d'Hoffmann to the three heroines in Puccini’s Trittico; from Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata and Lady Macbeth to Rose and Anna Maurrant in Weill’s Street Scene; from the title roles in Massenet’s Manon and Thaïs to Puccini’s Tosca, Cio-Cio-San, Mimi and Liu.
A champion of twentieth century music, she has sung in the world premieres of Carlisle Floyd’s Bilby's Doll, Conrad Susa’s Transformations, Thomas Pasatieri’s Washington Square and William Bolcom's A view from the bridge, McTeague and Medusa. She has also sung Berg's Lulu and Marie in Wozzeck, Schreker's Der ferne Klang, Strauss’ Daphne and Salome and Weill’s Mahagonny.
Ms. Malfitano's 2000-2001 season began with the opening night performances as Tosca at the Royal Opera Covent Carden. She returned to Houston Grand Opera for her celebrated Katja Kabanova and sang her first Senta in Der fliegende Holländer at Lyric Opera of Chicago. She then returned to the Metropolitan Opera to revive her famed Elena Makropulos and her season concluded with Tosca in Los Angeles. In recital, she appeared in Washington, D.C., at London's Wigmore Hall and in Vienna, Munich, Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva and Toulouse. She also made a special set of appearances at Joe's Pub, part of the New York Public Theater, in a cabaret recital.
Other highlights of recent seasons include her first performances of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mzensk at the Metropolitan Opera, her first Kundry in Parsifal in a highly acclaimed new production at San Francisco Opera, Janacek's Katja Kabanova at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as a new production at the Bavarian State Opera; Weill's Jenny in Mahagonny in new productions at the Salzburg Festival and Lyric Opera of Chicago; Verdi's Lady Macbeth i n a new production at the Houston Grand Opera and at Lyric Opera of Chicago; Makropulos Case at the Metropolitan Opera; a new production of Tosca at the Netherlands Opera, Madame Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, La Scala, and in Berlin, London, Vienna, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Florence and Barcelona; Salome in Tokyo, Brussels, Berlin, Florence, Paris, Chicago, London, Vienna and at the Salzburg Festival and the Metropolitan Opera; Stiffelio and Eugen Onegin at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Marie in Wozzeck at the Vienna State Opera and in a new production at La Scala; Donna Elvira at the Salzburg Festival; and Leonore in Fidelioin Geneva, Berlin, Paris and Jerusalem.
In recital, she has appeared in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Houston, Zurich, Vienna, Bonn and at the Salzburg Festival and London's Wigmore Hall.
Recent orchestral appearances include performances with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival, the Royal Philharmonic, the Bayerische Rundfunk and the RAI Orchestra.
Among her audio recordings are Salome (Decca/London), Romeo et Juliette (EMI), Rossini's Stabat Mater conducted by Riccardo Muti, and Monteverdi's Poppea. On video Ms. Malfitano can be seen in Salome from Deutsche Oper Berlin, as well as in the celebrated Luc Bondy production from Covent Garden, in the renowned Ponnelle film of La Clemenza di Tito, as Lina in Stiffelio from Covent Garden opposite José Carreras, and in the Metropolitan Opera galas celebrating the company's centennial in 1983 and James Levine's 25th anniversary in 1996. Her Emmy-award winning portrayal of Tosca, broadcast live from the actual Roman settings of the opera and seen by more than one billion viewers worldwide, was recorded by Teldec on video and compact disc.
Future engagements include (amongst others): Minnie in Puccini's Fanciulla del West in Los Angeles, View from the bridge at the Metropolitan Opera, two creations by Bolcom, i.e. Medusa (in concert) and A wedding (opera) as well as Blitzstein’s Regina in Chicago, Jenufa/Kostelnicka at Houston Grand Opera and double-bill concerts with La voix humaine (Poulenc) and Die sieben Todsünden (Weill) in Cincinnati.
The operatic plans will be increasingly interspersed with recitals and orchestral engagements throughout the world.
Last updated: 17.05.2007© We kindly ask you to seek our approval for any alteration or abbreviation of the biography. Thank you for your kind understanding.