Virginia Zeani: Massenet - Thais, ’Ah! je suis seule... Dis-moi que je suis belle’

Virginia Zeani (born 21 October 1925) is a Romanian soprano, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, especially the role of (Violetta) in La traviata. In her early career she won considerable success in bel canto roles such as Lucia di Lammermoor, (Gilda) in Rigoletto, (Elvira) in I Puritani, and the title role in Linda di Chamounix, and lighter lyric roles such as Massenet’s (“Manon“) and (Marguerite) in Gounod’s Faust. As her voice matured she gradually turned to more dramatic roles including Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly and Tosca, and verismo operas including “Fedora“ and Adriana Lecouvreur. She tackled more Verdi roles including (Aida), (Desdemona), (Elisabetta), (Alzira) and (Lina) in Stiffelio, as well as two Wagnerian heroines, (Elsa) in Lohengrin and (Senta) in “The Flying Dutchman“. She created the role of (Blanche) in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites in 1957 at La Scala, later performing his solo masterpiece for soprano La