With sadness and sorrow, Jaume Aragall has received the news of the death of Teresa Berganza this Friday, at the age of 89. He united them a great friendship that, according to the Catalan tenor, led them to communicate regularly by phone. And although they did not coincide in a staged opera, they sang together in Barcelona on the occasion of the ’92 Olympics, along with other prominent Spanish singers.
“I just got back from Vienna and I didn’t know anything,” the tenor answers questions from La Vanguardia. “It’s a terrible surprise. I spoke to her a few weeks ago. We called each other often. ‘Do you have classes? Where are you going?’ “Let’s meet”… We met in master classes until she got sick. My condolences to her entire family and to the people who loved Teresita.”
Aragall emphasizes the importance of Berganza in the history of music. “She was one of the most important mezzo-sopranos of the 20th century, very emblematic, Teresa is history… I’m so sorry.” If they did not coincide in the opera houses it was because they did not do the same repertoire and she had left the scene many years ago, she explains.
And even though she is famous for her perfectionism – “her interpretations were all perfect, all of them”, analyzes the music critic for La Vanguardia Roger Alier – now more importantly Aragall who sometimes commented to her: “When I hear one of my albums I think… ‘ how well he did! But why was he so afraid?'”
“Although we had not sung together, she was a colleague of mine, and I had great admiration for her. She was a very happy and fun person. Everyone had a lot of respect for Teresita, but she did not play the diva. But yes, she was also afraid That fear and respect for what you do that… well, it makes you suffer,” he concludes.
Josep Carreras has also reacted “very sorry” to “this very sad news”. “It has always been a pleasure to be able to share the stage with her in different parts of the world, both in Spain and abroad, singing operas like Carmen or Werther. My condolences and my best wishes to her family and her millions of followers around the world.” whole”.
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