“I want to leave quietly. I don’t want public announcements, or wakes, or anything. I came into the world and nobody found out, so I want the same thing when I leave.” This is what he left mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza saying before she died. And she chose a particular piece for her farewell: Rossini’s Addio performed by herself singing, in the fullness of her coloratura.
His daughter Cecilia Lavilla, also a soprano, has released a statement this Friday with these last wishes. Her whole family respects her wish, so “their tribute to her will be to remember her in all her fullness and continue to enjoy her through her performances to always remember her.”
And along with these words, the family has sent a video in which while images of her performances throughout her life follow one another, she is heard singing the Addio by Rossini, a composer who was instrumental in the worldwide launch of his fame. The Madrilenian born in 1933 has died at the age of 89.
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