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Two Brazilian Charmers Part 2

By Joe Lopes Here is part 2 of Joe's article about two of Brazil's most famous characters. To read part 1 click the relevant link at the end of the article. Prima Donna Par Excellence Formally trained in Brazil and Europe, and deeply influenced by legendary Polish tenor Jean de Reszke and by her second husband, the Italian baritone Giuseppe Danise, Bidu Sayão was Brazil‘s most well known classical vocal export - and every inch an opera star of the first magnitude. Although christened Balduína de Oliveira Sayão after her paternal grandmother, she would forever be known by the simple nickname "Bidu." Indeed, simplicity and restraint, in matters both personal and professional, were to become the hallmarks of her fame. She was born on May 11, 1902 in Rio de Janeiro, to a socially prominent upper-class family, which relocated to the beachfront district of Botafogo when Bidu was five years old. Tragically, her father died shortly thereafter, thus depriving her of a masculine role model and leaving the poor girl to her own juvenile devices. Playful and tomboyish, with a unique flair for fun and mischief, the incorrigible Bidu was never to attend public school with other children of her age group; she was instead to receive private tutoring at her mother‘s home to the age of sixteen. But the independence and resourcefulness she first exhibited in her youth would later manifest themselves on the operatic stage in many of her most memorable comic parts, especially those of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Adina in The Elixir of Love, and Rosina in The Barber of Seville. Soon after her father‘s untimely demise, Bidu‘s older brother would assume his rightful place as the family patriarch, but the real seat of power would always remain with her mother, Maria José. Significantly, though, the absence of a strong male figure in her formative years may well have been one of the root causes of Bidu‘s early marriage to a man three times as old as herself. Yet even before this would come to pass, the choice of a theatrical profession for a society debutante from Rio was much frowned upon at the time by the privileged upper stratum. Recalling the event some years later, Bidu commented that, "going on the stage was absolutely out of the question for a girl born to a respectable family." This aspect of her early life struggles was charmingly captured in a 1940s comic-book depiction of her life entitled Boast of Brazil. In it, the young fourteen-year-old is shown being scolded by her parents (the father‘s death a decade before notwithstanding) about her "wrongheaded" career decision, and told, in no uncertain terms, how disgraceful it would be "for any well-brought up Brazilian girl even to consider such a thing." Not to be dissuaded, the typically resilient teenager pleaded with her lawyer uncle, Dr. Alberto Costa, to take up her cause. As a result, the musically inclined Costa became instrumental in swaying the mother‘s opinion about a potential singing career for her daughter, having earlier arranged for his niece to take private lessons from Romanian soprano Elena Theodorini, a former star of La Scala - who personally thought the girl too immature, and the voice too small, for such a serious undertaking. Nevertheless, Bidu persevered, and with patience, practice and stubborn persistence, managed to survive Madame Theodorini‘s rigid voice sessions. This led to her informal 1916 debut at Rio‘s Teatro Municipal in the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor, an appearance that would permanently put to rest the question of a career in the theater. Theodorini‘s resolute decision in 1918 to retire from teaching and return to her native country coincided with the end of the First World War. It also gave good cause for the adventurous Bidu to accompany her instructor back to the Continent, the first time the blossoming prima donna had ever been away from her close-knit family. The time she spent abroad, however, was indeed fruitful, as Bidu applied for and was admitted to Jean de Reszke‘s famed vocal school in Nice, France, where she was the only one of his personally handpicked pupils to have hailed from Latin America. The still elegant Polish tenor had been a leading man with New York‘s Metropolitan Opera long before Caruso‘s debut there, and was a fixture at the house for many years prior to his own retirement in 1904. He would be the next to take on the role of surrogate father to the Brazilian novice, helping to refine and perfect her diction, and instructing her in the long-lost tradition of French singing style and vocal technique: "De Reszke had an extraordinary ability to evaluate the text, integrating it to the music until they became one. This was to be of enormous help to me... [the score] became a real part of me, so many were the times he made me go over it, concentrating on the words‘ essence and producing sounds that would enhance them." - Bidu Sayão Part 3 next week... Copyright © 2006 by Josmar F. Lopes A naturalized American citizen born in Brazil, Joe Lopes was raised and educated in New York City, where he worked for many years in the financial sector. In 1996, he moved to Brazil with his wife and daughters. In 2001, he returned to the U.S. and now resides in North Carolina with his family. You can email your comments to JosmarLopes@msn.com. To read previous articles by Joe Lopes click below: Teaching English In Brazil Part 21 Teaching English In Brazil Part 20 Teaching English In Brazil Part 19 Teaching English In Brazil Part 18 Teaching English In Brazil Part 17 Teaching English In Brazil Part 16 Teaching English In Brazil Part 15 Teaching English In Brazil Part 14 Teaching English In Brazil Part 13 Teaching English In Brazil Part 12 Teaching English In Brazil Part 11 Brazil: Thrills, Spills, and... Oh Yes, No Ifs, Ands or Head-Butts, Please Teaching English In Brazil Part 10 Teaching English In Brazil Part 9 Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 4 Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 4 Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 3 Brazilian World Cup Debacle: Just Wait Till 2010! Part 2 Brazilian World Cup Debacle: Just Wait Till 2010! Part 1 Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 3 Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 2 Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia's Fragile Wings Part 2 Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 1 Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 1 Teaching English In Brazil Part 8 Teaching English In Brazil Part 7 Teaching English In Brazil Part 6 Teaching English In Brazil Part 5 Teaching English In Brazil Part 4 Teaching English In Brazil Part 3 Teaching English In Brazil Part 2 A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 4 A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 3 Teaching English In Brazil - Part I A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 2 A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 1 "Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 3 "Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 2 "Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 1 Brazil: A Candid Talk with Gerald Thomas Getting to the "bottom" of Brazil‘s Gerald Thomas A Brazilian Diva Torn Between Europe and Brazil The Enraged Genius of Brazil's Maestro Neschling A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Brazil‘s Musical Polyglots: What Was That You Were Singing? Did Bossa Nova Kill Opera in Brazil?

10/20/2006