Elena Souliotis.(earlier Suliotis )
Greek Soprano.
28 May 1943 – 4 December 2004.
Elena Souliotis was born in Athens Greece , of Greek and Russian parents but moved with her family to Argentina at an early age. She studied with Mercedes Llopard in Rome, who also taught Renata Scotto. Anna Moffo ,Fiorenza Cosotto, Ivo Vinco and Alfredo Kraus.She made her debut in 1964 as Santuzza in Mascagini's " Cavalleria Rusticana" .Two years later she was singing in every top opera house of the world .Later she would sing "Norma", "Anna Bolena", "La Gioconda" and "La Forza del Destino" as well.
The opinion is that Souliotis's early assumption of difficult roles damaged her voice. After an absence from the stage that lasted several years, she began a second career in secondary roles, beginning in 1979. Toward the end of her career, she sang the role of the Comtesse in Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades" in several venues, and gave her farewell to the operatic stage in this role in Stuttgart in February 2000.
Verdi's "Nabucco " with Elena Souliotis.
In 1971 just before I went to Italy to study, I borrowed this recording of Verdi's "Nabucco" with Elena Suliotis (as the name was spelt then) and Titto Gobbi from a friend .The weeks before I left South Africa I could not get enough of this recording and I loved it .I played it over and over.
Elena Suliotis was an unknown soprano from Argentina and at 22 years old she recorded this very dramatic and difficult roles with another very famous singers.
Listen to the 22 year old soprano Elena Souliotis singing Abigail in Verdi's "Nabucco".
This is the entrance aria where she comes into the Israelis temple and catches the Israeli soldier Ismael, who she loves with another woman .Tenor Bruno Prevedi and soprano Dora Carral before Elena Souliotis enters.
In this aria she as a slave girl Abigail overthrows Nabucco and becomes Queen for a while.
She had a very short career and when I had to opportunity to see her in "Cavalleria Rusticana"at Covent Garden Garden in 1973, her voice was gone.
Elena Souliotis and Maria Callas.
Elena Souliotis died of heart failure in 2004 in Florence Italy aged 61.
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