Mirella

Beginnings and training

He was born in Modena on 27 February 1935; he received his first musical education in his family and already at the age of five he announced his determination to become an ‘opera singer’ when he grew up.

She won her first singing competition when she was just ten years old, but her official debut (after studying with maestros Luigi Bertazzoni, Ettore Campogalliani and Leone Magiera) took place at the Teatro Comunale di Modena on 3 February 1955, in the role of Micaela in Carmen.

The rise to fame

Winning first prize at the prestigious ‘Concorso internazionale Giovanni Battista Viotti’ (Vercelli 1957) paved the way for her great career, also internationally: first Mimì, in Vercelli and at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan, then her debut in the Mozart roles of Susanna and Zerlina at the Glyndebourne Festival and in Falstaff as Nannetta at London’s Covent Garden and at the Amsterdam Opera, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini and directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

Success at La Scala and collaboration with Karajan

His debut at La Scala in Falstaff in 1962 marked the beginning of his collaboration with the great Milanese theatre, which lasted over thirty years, and his participation in the most successful productions, including eight season openings and numerous tours abroad.

And it was precisely at La Scala that she had perhaps the most decisive meeting for her career with Maestro Herbert von Karajan, in the historic edition of Bohème directed by Franco Zeffirelli (1963); the artistic union with the illustrious conductor would last thirty years, during which the Maestro would follow the young soprano’s evolution, pushing her towards lyrical-dramatic roles.

The artistic evolution and the last years of his career

In the 1990s, Mirella expanded her repertoire to include verismo, also moving into the area of Russian opera. She ended her career in Washington in 2005 to devote herself to teaching singing.

Mirella has always shunned stardom, despite being a leading figure in the history of opera music. She trod the boards of the world’s most famous theatres, conducted by the most important conductors and directors of her time, such as: Karajan, Giulini, Pretre, Kleiber, Solti, Gavazzeni, Abbado, Sinopoli, Muti, Levine, Osawa, Visconti, Strehler, Zeffirelli, Ronconi, Barrault, Ponnelle, Konchalowsky, Squarzina, Puggelli… Impossible to list them all.

In his long career, spanning more than 50 years, he has brought more than forty roles to the stage, almost all of which have been consigned to the history of performance; he boasts a vast record production and numerous radio, television and film recordings, and has received numerous national and international awards and prizes.

Private life and inheritance

She died in Modena on 9 February 2020.

In 2021, her city added her name to the dedication of the Teatro Comunale, now the ‘Pavarotti-Freni Theatre’. Her city and her family have always been Mirella’s safe haven, where she can return after hard work to regain her strength.

She had two important emotional ties at a very young age with pianist Leone Magiera, whom she met at the age of 12 during a parish concert where she sang and he accompanied her on the piano. Leone was a decisive figure in the early years of Mirella’s musical training. The two married in 1955 and had a daughter Micaela.

After 24 years of marriage the separation and the beginning of a new relationship with the prestigious Bulgarian bass Nicolaj Ghiaurov, with whom Mirella shared life and stage for over 30 years until his death in 2004. She had two beloved grandchildren Gaia and Mattia.