On And Off The Record

“A mezzo in a class by herself.”

– The New York Times

Great Interpreters: Dolora Zajick
Broadcast on Fine Music Radio on 3 January 2014.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:59:38 — 109.5MB)

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Widely regarded by her fans and by critics as THE Verdi mezzo soprano of our time, Dolora Zajick’s voice is an extraordinary instrument of tremendous power and range. Marilyn Horne, herself one of the greatest mezzos of all time, famously referred to Zajick’s voice as a “force of nature”, whilst Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, stated that Zajick has “one of the greatest voices in the history of opera.” Even the legendary Birgit Nilsson, in 1991, declared Zajick’s voice “the only one existing today without any competition in the world.”

But what is it, apart from its range and power, which makes Zajick’s voice so special, and what of the artist and person behind the voice? In this On And Off The Record podcast, featuring recorded highlights from her career, both studio and “live”, as well as extracts from interviews with Zajick, we take a closer look at the artistry of the remarkable Dolora Zajick.

In this On And Off The Record podcast, Adriaan Fuchs explores the phenomenal voice and artistry of Fiorenza Cossotto.

Podcast Track List

1) “O don fatale” from Don Carlo (Verdi)
Dolora Zajick (Eboli)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

2) “Ah! Quel giorno ognor rammento” from Semiramide (Rossini)
Dolora Zajick (Arsace)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

3) “Acerba volutta” from Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea)
Dolora Zajick (Princess de Bouillon)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

4) “Divinites du Styx” from Alceste (Gluck)
Dolora Zajick (Alceste)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

5) “Condotta ell’era in ceppi” from Il trovatore (Verdi)
Dolora Zajick (Azucena)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

6) Judgement Scene from Act IV, Scene 1 Part 3 from Aida (Verdi)
Dolora Zajick (Amneris)
Conductor: James Levine
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Recorded “live” on October 7, 1989 at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

7) “O mon Fernand” from La Favorite (Donizetti)
Dolora Zajick (Léonor de Guzman)

8) “Mira, o Norma” from Norma (Bellini)
Dolora Zajick (Adalgisa)
Ana Maria Sanchez (Norma)
Conductor: Daniele Callegari
Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu
Recorded “live” in 2003 at the Teatro del Liceo, Barcelona.

9) “La luce langue” from Macbeth (Verdi)
Dolora Zajick (Lady Macbeth)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

10) “Voi lo sapete” from Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni)
Dolora Zajick (Santuzza)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

11) “Una macchia e qui tuttora” from Macbeth (Verdi)
Dolora Zajick (Lady Macbeth)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

12) “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix” from Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns)
Dolora Zajick (Dalila)
Conductor: Charles Rosekrans
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded: 2000

13) Canzone del velo (“Nel giardin del bello”) from Don Carlo (Verdi)
Dolora Zajick (Eboli)
Conductor: James Levine
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Recorded: 1992

Videos

“O don fatale” from Don Carlo (Verdi)
Dolora Zajick (Eboli)
Conductor: James Conlon
Concert celebrating the 70th Birthday of Plácido Domingo.
Recorded “live” on January 21, 2011 at the Teatro Real de Madrid.

“Sacerdoti, compiste un delitto!” from Judgement Scene (Act IV, Scene 1 Part 3) from Aida (Verdi)
Dolora Zajick (Amneris)
Conductor: James Levine
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Recorded “live” on October 7, 1989 at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

iCadenza interview with Dolora Zajick
With Julia Torgovitskaya, iCadenza

Making Connections: Cultivating the Dramatic Voice with Dolora Zajick
With Marc Scorca, CEO: Opera America
Opera America