Biography

Bidu Sayão was a Brazilian soprano who was the most famous opera singer of the 1940s. She was known for her ethereal voice, masterful phrasing, and vibrant acting. She was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1902 to a wealthy family, and her talents for singing were obvious from a young age. However, her parents did not approve because they believed that a career in music would not be a respectable choice for someone of her financial and social status. When she was 13 years old, her uncle arranged for her to study with Elena Theodorini, the famous Romanian soprano. Sayão proceeded as Theodorini's protégé and followed her to Romania where she continued her studies. In 1920 she returned to Brazil and made her opera debut in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at the Teatro Municipal. The performance was a success, and it convinced Sayão's family to support her in her career as a singer. Two years later, she travelled to France to study recital repertoire with Jean de Reszke, the retired Polish tenor. Reszke was known for his pure vocal timbre, and he passed this knowledge on to Sayão who also became known for similar vocal characteristics. After Reszke's death, Sayão returned to Rio in 1926 for a production of Il barbiere di Siviglia, in the role of Rosina and she remained in high demand thereafter. She sang in South America, Paris, Rome, and also at La Scala. It was during this period when Toscanini heard her sing the role of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata. He was so impressed that he invited her to sing in New York. This led to her U.S. debut in 1935 with the New York Philharmonic. She sang in Brazil for the next two years and then returned to New York in 1937 for a sensational performance of Massenet's Manon conducted by Toscanini. For the next 15 years, she sang over 200 performances with the Met and became the most famous soprano in opera. She also collaborated with composer Heitor Villa-Locos, and convinced him to arrange Bachiana Brasileiras No. 5 for wordless soprano. This became his most popular piece, and Sayão's 1945 recording of the vocalise was her most famous release. Shortly before her 50th birthday in 1952, she stopped working with the Met, and retired from opera two years later. Villa-Lobos persuaded her to come out of retirement a few years later to record his work Forest of the Amazon. She sang on other occasions too before her final farewell performance in Rio in 1958. Then she retired with her husband Giuseppe Danise in Lincolnville, Maine. After Danise's death in 1963, Sayão enjoyed her cats, playing cards with her friends, and she traveled to New York for concerts and special events. She suffered an almost fatal stroke in 1993 and made a successful recovery. In 1995 she returned to Rio and was honored by the Beija-Flor Samba School, that portrayed her life story as the subject of its presentation in the Carnival parade. She died of pneumonia four years later at the age of 96 at the Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Maine. Since then, many of her recordings have been reissued by the Sony Classical, Cembal d'amour, and Cantus Classics labels. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi