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Artist
Bidu Sayão
12+ albums
brazilianoperasoprano
about
Bidu Sayão (born Balduína "Bidú" de Oliveira Sayão; 11 May 1902 – 12 March 1999) was a legendary Brazilian opera soprano. One of Brazil's most famous performers, Sayão was a leading artist of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1937 to 1952. Known for her ethereal, silvery tone and a stage presence of delicacy and refinement, she remains one of the most beloved sopranos in the history of opera. Life and Career Bidu Sayão was born to a cultured, upper-class family in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro. Her father, Pedro Luiz de Oliveira Sayão, died when she was five years old, leaving her mother, Maria José, to support Bidu's musical ambitions. Though she initially dreamed of being an actress, such a career was considered unsuitable for a girl from a "respectable family" at the time. Turning to music, she studied under Elena Teodorini and later traveled to Nice to become a pupil of the renowned Polish tenor Jean de Reszke. At age eighteen, she made her major debut in Rio de Janeiro. By the mid-1920s and early 1930s, she was performing in the world’s great houses, including the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Paris Opera, and the Opéra Comique, where she gained fame as Lakmé. Her repertoire included roles such as Lucia di Lammermoor, Amina in La sonnambula, and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Metropolitan Opera and International Fame Sayão made her U.S. debut at Town Hall in New York City in 1935. Her performances soon caught the attention of Arturo Toscanini, who became her
top songs
1
Canto da Saudade (Song of Longing) - 1940
1682Aria - Cantilena from Bachiana brasileira No. 5
1263"Lundú da Marqueza de Santos" - 1 October, 1945
684Ah, non credea mirati (La Sonnambula)
345O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi)
346Bachiana nº 5 - Cantilena
347Batti, batti, o bel Masetto (Don Giovanni)
318Bachianas Brasileiras No 5 [Parte]
309La Bohème: "Musetta’s Waltz" - 9/8/1947
3010Rigoletto: "Caro nome" (Dearest Name) - 1938
29albums
Hommage a Bidu Sayao, Vol. 4: The Unrivaled Lyric Soprano in Rare Live Performances and Long Out-of-Print Studio Recordings
Lebendige Vergangenheit - Bidu Sayao
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Sony Classical - Great Performances, 1903-1998
Hommage a Bidu Sayao: The Unrivaled Lyric Soprano in Never-Before-Published Live Radio Performances, Vol. 1
Hommage a Bidu Sayao: The Unrivaled Lyric-Soprano in Never-Before-Published and Rare Live Performances, Vol. 3
La damoiselle élue - Opera Arias
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Bidú Sayão
Hommage a Bidu Sayao: The Unrivaled Lyric-Soprano in Rare Live Radio Performances, Vol. 2
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Escape Through Opera
Opera Arias & Brazilian Folksongs
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Villa-Lobos
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O Luar da Minha Terra