The 1940 debut of Lisa Della Casa in the title role of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Solothurn-Biel Municipal Theater marked the emergence of a soprano who would become defined by her refined interpretations of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Strauss. Her career spanned seven decades, balancing major international opera houses with a notable dedication to German lieder.
Early Career and Viennese Success
Born in 1919 in Burgdorf, Della Casa began vocal training at 15 at the Zurich Conservatory under Margarete Haeser. She joined the Zurich Municipal Opera House in 1943, performing roles ranging from the Queen of the Night to Fiordiligi. Her career gained momentum after the 1946 production of Richard Strauss's Arabella, where her performance as Zdenka drew praise from the composer himself. By 1947, she had joined the Vienna State Opera, an institution that remained a cornerstone of her artistic life despite invitations to move to La Scala.
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Della Casa made her Metropolitan Opera debut on 20 November 1953 as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro. Over the next 14 years, she completed 173 performances at the house, with the Countess being her most frequent role at 47 appearances. She was also recognized for her portrayal of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and her work in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which she performed at the Bayreuth Festival in 1952.
Salzburg and Later Performances
The Salzburg Festival served as a primary venue for her work in Ariadne auf Naxos and various Mozart operas. She famously stepped away from the festival after 1960 following a dispute regarding her replacement in a filmed production of Der Rosenkavalier. In her later years, she took on challenging roles such as the title character in Salome in 1961 and continued to perform lyric parts in works by Mozart and Strauss until her eventual retirement from the professional stage.
Fast facts
- Born: 1919, Burgdorf, Switzerland
- Died: 2012, Münsterlingen, Switzerland
- Debut: 1940, Solothurn-Biel Municipal Theater
- Metropolitan Opera performances: 173
- Primary Fields: Opera, Lieder
- Awards: Hans Reinhart Ring (1967), Österreichischer Kammersänger
- Citizenship: Swiss
Questions readers ask
What was Lisa Della Casa's most notable signature role?
She was widely acclaimed for her performance as the title character in Richard Strauss's Arabella, a role she performed at the Bavarian State Opera in 1951.
Why did she stop performing at the Salzburg Festival?
She ceased her involvement after 1960, stating that Salzburg was dead to her after being replaced by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in a filmed performance of Der Rosenkavalier.
Achievements
- Instruments: voice
