The MetOpera House in New York dedicates a ‘Madama Butterfly’ to Victoria dels Àngels

Victoria de los Ángeles’ debut at The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City took place on March 17, 1951. She took part in Faust by Gounod. Sixty-five years later, The MetOpera joins in the celebration of that anniversary by dedicating a performance of Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly to the Catalan soprano on the very same day of her debut, March 17, 2016.

Victoria de los Ángeles was one of the greatest opera legends of the 20th century. She was one of the most acclaimed sopranos in the best opera houses in the world, and one of the favorite voices of the Gran Teatre del Liceu where she made her debut, as of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where the public enjoyed her performances for a decade. She was furthermore one of the most admired singers of the European and Spanish venues, where she offered historic recitals, many of which are immortalized in anthology recordings.

Victoria de los Ángeles performed at The Metropolitan Opera uninterruptedly for a decade, from 1951 to 1961. She held the leading role in various operas such as Manon, Martha, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Le nozze di Figaro, Otello or Pelléas et Melisande, among others. She performed more than 150 times with the New York cast around the US (Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Boston, Baltimore, etc.). Starting 1961, she refocused her career in Europe. Although she did return to the US in later years, she never performed at The Met again.

The role of Madama Butterfly was one of the most important ones in Victoria de los Ángeles’ career. The March 17, 2016 performance at The Metropolitan Opera in New York features Kristine Opolais and Roberto Alagna in a mythical production by Anthony Minghella.