Maura Moreira (Contralto)

Born: February 2, 1933 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The Brazilian contralto, Maura Moreira, got her first training at the Conservatório Mineiro de Musica and with Maximilian Hellmann. After she had won a national singing competition in Brazil, she could continue her training with the help of a scholarship of the Brazilian Board of Education at the Vienna’s Musikakademie.

Still during her studies Maura Moreira made her debut in 1959 at the City Theatre of Ulm as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. She won then the Verdi Concur in Vercelli and made guest appearances now in Western Europe on the stage as in the concert hall. Apart from her stage repertoire she specialised in the oratorio and in the Lieder. She had important successes in the centres of the German music life, in Austria, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and in Switzerland. Among her big stage roles ranked Amneris in Aida, Eboli in Don Carlos by Verdi, Azucena in Troubadour, and Venus in Tannhäuser. She was also an important interpreter of contemporary music. Since 1962 she was for long time member of the Opera House of Köln. There she appeared, among other things, in February 1965 in the premiere of the opera Die Soldaten by Bernd Alois Zimmermamm.

Maura Moreira’s darkly shining voice capable of passionate drama is to be heard on several record labels. On Fono-Vox she sings the Alto Rhapsody by Johannes Brahms, Wesendonck-Lieder by R. Wagner, works of J.S. Bach, J. Haydn and Gustav Mahler, in addition Brangäne in selection from Tristan, on Wergo the integral modern opera Die Soldaten by B.A. Zimmermann.

Source: Operissimo Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (June 2004)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (June 2004); Manfred Krugmann (Photos 01-03, July 2011)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

George Barati

Alto

BWV 246

Links to other Sites