Vice Chairperson
<i>favola</i> Verein
We organize discuss research
for new projects for you.
A childhood inspired by stories and magic
Fonoforum praises Maria’s voice for its “warm mellifluousness and lightness in the high register”, the Plattinger Zeitung notes her “sewing-machine-precise coloraturas and great presence”, the German radio broadcaster SWR extols her “clear, immaculately executed mezzosoprano”, the Kritische Journal Alter Musik calls Maria a “vocal and dramatic Gesamtkunstwerk”. More on her vocal and artistic career can be found here.
Growing up among forests and castles, being told fairytales by her grandfather, her childhood was elevated by stories and magic. Walks and rides to the forest-enveloped Frauenstein Castle in the company of a good book, a camera, a fountain pen and diary were part of her everyday life as a teenager.
Her connection to nature
was passed down to her by her father, a hunter, forester and forest-ranger of the old school. He could identify every woodland flower, birdsong or beetle, read every track in the forest. At the mere sight of a forest animal he would become enthusiastic, sometimes even with tears in his eyes. He could sit and wait for hours in the forest, observing and always finding exciting new things to discover. Being in the forest with him meant tasting such delights as fir tips, wood strawberries or blackberries, observing wood ants or, from a distance, stags, roe and capercaillies. He would patiently explain the connections within nature, its cycles and sometimes also his strictly upheld respect for forest and beast. Thanks to him, she spent her childhood summers on wooded mountainsides, in a forest hut, without electricity, gas or running water, under crystal-clear starry nights to the sound of the nearby mountain stream. You don’t need much to be happy: a pastry, a cold, fast-flowing brook, a sunrise or one of her mother’s sweet-scented Reindling cakes, freshly baked in a wood oven.
From the Poets' Club
to
favola in musica
Aged 14, Maria founded the poets’ club ‘Odeon’s Circle’ and, clad in romantic dresses, held exuberant spring and summer festivals at Castle Pöckstein (at that time her father’s office, today privately owned). Guests would philosophise, giggle and laugh, cast each other in plays and read out their own poems. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos and Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks boomed from an old record player; delicious food was served; friendship and dreams, both big and small, were celebrated.
After several years on concert and opera stages, and by now a citizen of the world speaking five languages, Maria decided to give voice to her own creativity and to weave the treasures of her childhood, her Alpine roots, her knowledge of musical and fairytale origins into cross-genre projects with favola in musica. As a singer, artist and organiser.
It was from these very sites of her youth and their stories that she drew inspiration – the mountains with their scent of pine and alpine rose, their glittering blue lakes, the enchanted castles and legend-steeped mountain churches – returning to them with the projects of the musical and cultural foundation favola in musica that she founded in 2012.
From these roots and the associated passion for original sound and for Early and New Music, from a deep groundedness in the earth and a love of beauty in all its facets, emerged the idea of a shining silver disc resonant with world-first recordings of Early and New Music and accompanied by a fairytale-like book with aspirations far beyond the conventional CD booklet.
IMPORTANT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS:
Empowered women, creativity and old knowledge
The musical and cultural association favola in musica is the centre and starting point of all our projects and artistic activities. Consciously founded as a charitable musical and cultural association that doesn’t seek to make a profit, its goal is to make something beautiful and lasting, while bringing enduring inspiration and pleasure to our listeners.
Esther Jo Steiner
Esther has been involved with 'favola' since its inception as a consultant, director, editor, translator and, above all, as an encouraging fairy godmother. Most of the projects would not have been possible without her help. The Carinthian works as an editor and director in Vienna and Carinthia.Esther Jo Steiner is responsible for "film editing" at REDAKTIONSBUERO OST. She works as a freelance editor, English translator, script consultant and director (e.g. for REDAKTIONSBUERO OST, ORF-Kärnten, Pubbles Film, KGP...) She is managing director of Cinetop-Film and has a degree in film/screenwriting from London. (Research work: Initiation processes of rebellious girls in film, with a focus on: Psychoanalysis and feminism). Graduated with a PhD
N.N.tba
Musicological counselling
Honorary members
Thank you for the support of our honorary members
”Glenys
”Mezzosoprano”
Teresa Berganza, born in Madrid, was educated in piano studies, harmony, chamber music, composition, organ, and cello, and she achieved her goal of “bene fundada est domus iste”. With all this knowledge she worked in singing, an art that she defines as a “leafy tree seeded at the shore of the river of life”. And, in this complex and tough world, she got to mark the operatic interpretation of the XX century, “recovering musics, and inventing new ways of seeing it”. Alumna de Lola Rodríguez de Aragón, se vinculó definitivamente al canto, disciplina en la que se graduó con el premio fin de carrera y el Lucrecia Arana. Pupil of Lola Rodríguez de Aragón, definitely linked to singing, discipline where she graduated with the end of degree award and the “Lucrecia Arana”. Distinguished representative of the denominated Generation of the ’51 and, because of it, member of the generation that since 1958 started to move the spanish music from the lethargy that the post-war circumstances had plunged it into, Teresa Berganza is the tangible demonstration that that was not a passing adventure, and that this generation did not just act in the creation, but also in the interpretation. The ins and outs sometimes unknown of this interpreter, take us to remember that she took part in several movies from her childhood, participated in multiple zarzuela recordings since the fifties and she was also an exceptional case that from her youth dedicated effort and time to recital, with the inclusion of the German lied and the French song. A lot of time has passed since the Teresa Berganza’s official debut, at the Madrid Athenaeum, February 16th of 1957, with the first of a serial of recital in where she interpreted the Shumann Amor cycle and life of woman. Her scenic debut was done with the part of Trujamán for “El retablo” of master Pedro de Falla at the RAI Auditorium in 1957. But her real debut happened in 1957 at the Aix en Provence Festival with the part of Così fan tutte’s Dorabella.<br />
In 1958 would be her famous appearance as Cherubino in Glyndenbourne, and her presentation in America at the Dallas Opera with the Medea de Cherubinin, with María Callas and Jon Vickers. The next years are a succession of successes and debuts at the more important operatic centers worldwide. Her presence at the Vienna Opera in 1969 with “The Marriage of Figaro”, under Karajan’s directions. With this piece she participated at the Royal Festival Hall directed by Giuliani. In the Sixties, the Aix en Provence Festival, opened its doors again to debut as Dido in “Dido and the Aeneas” by Purcell staring her main contribution to the baroque opera, lately other pieces as “The Orontea” by Cesti in Milan, “Alcina” by Haendel, taken to the disc, or “La incoronazione di Poppea” by Monteverdi at Aix en Provence.<br />
Teresa debuted at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1962 as Cherubino. She also seduced New York the same year. A year later she would debut at the Covent Garden with Solti in Cherubino. In November, she participated in a “The Barber of Seville” with Kraus and Boris Christoff.<br />
The Sixties are full of events. The Metropolitan opened its doors with “The Marriage of Figaro” and the Scala surrended to her with “The Barber of Seville” by Abbado. From this succed, came a bit lately her record, transformed in one of the Rossinians’ icons.<br />
Other especial moments were her meeting with Rafael Kubelik in 1970, her debut at the Lyceum in 1971 with “Cenerentola”, the reunion with Karajan at the Salzburg Festival of 1972 in “The Marriage of Figaro”; the presentation in 1976 at the Vienna Opera with “The Cenerentola”; her debut as Carmen in 1977 at the Edinburgh Festival under the direction of Claudio Abbado and the “Charlotte” debut at Werther in 1979, the record of the “Don Giovanni” for Losey with Maazel, the inauguration of the National Auditorium with the Atlantic and the return to the Zarzuela in 1991.<br />
Teresa Berganza gets to singing supported in her exceptional natural skills but considering her job as another way to know the world, and of course, a battle from the heart and the intelligence, two essential elements to guide an artist. The diva has not just limited to sing good; but she has also found her favorite authors, two above the others, Rossini and Mozart, but also with Handel, Bizet, García or Toldrá, Granados, Turina, Falla and García Abril, convinced of the transcendence of her mission, or her demiurgical power and, because of it, from a radical requirement; from there have emerged without any doubt her exquisite musicality and her high sense of interpretation. She understands her function from this position; “Lying, -she says- no override, means disrespect to oneself and also to the public and to the ineffable art reality. No override also means the overvaluation of oneself, lack of humility, reckless disregard to the divine gift in the delivery to the idols of a subtle vocal technique, or to an always insufficient medical science” From this meeting and the requirerments the miracle of her versions the miracle of her songs emerged, and taking interpretation as a cause. Every single part is studied and developed with extreme precision, with that wonderful ductility, with those supreme gifts (naturally gotten, but also developed by personal effort) for bound song, and above all, to those agilities for “fiorito singing”, almost miraculous. This miracle happened this way, because her voice gathers the most demanding requirements for the lyrical contemporary art, but also the essence of a perfect voice apart of times and trends.
In 1958 would be her famous appearance as Cherubino in Glyndenbourne, and her presentation in America at the Dallas Opera with the Medea de Cherubinin, with María Callas and Jon Vickers. The next years are a succession of successes and debuts at the more important operatic centers worldwide. Her presence at the Vienna Opera in 1969 with “The Marriage of Figaro”, under Karajan’s directions. With this piece she participated at the Royal Festival Hall directed by Giuliani. In the Sixties, the Aix en Provence Festival, opened its doors again to debut as Dido in “Dido and the Aeneas” by Purcell staring her main contribution to the baroque opera, lately other pieces as “The Orontea” by Cesti in Milan, “Alcina” by Haendel, taken to the disc, or “La incoronazione di Poppea” by Monteverdi at Aix en Provence.<br />
Teresa debuted at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1962 as Cherubino. She also seduced New York the same year. A year later she would debut at the Covent Garden with Solti in Cherubino. In November, she participated in a “The Barber of Seville” with Kraus and Boris Christoff.<br />
The Sixties are full of events. The Metropolitan opened its doors with “The Marriage of Figaro” and the Scala surrended to her with “The Barber of Seville” by Abbado. From this succed, came a bit lately her record, transformed in one of the Rossinians’ icons.<br />
Other especial moments were her meeting with Rafael Kubelik in 1970, her debut at the Lyceum in 1971 with “Cenerentola”, the reunion with Karajan at the Salzburg Festival of 1972 in “The Marriage of Figaro”; the presentation in 1976 at the Vienna Opera with “The Cenerentola”; her debut as Carmen in 1977 at the Edinburgh Festival under the direction of Claudio Abbado and the “Charlotte” debut at Werther in 1979, the record of the “Don Giovanni” for Losey with Maazel, the inauguration of the National Auditorium with the Atlantic and the return to the Zarzuela in 1991.<br />
Teresa Berganza gets to singing supported in her exceptional natural skills but considering her job as another way to know the world, and of course, a battle from the heart and the intelligence, two essential elements to guide an artist. The diva has not just limited to sing good; but she has also found her favorite authors, two above the others, Rossini and Mozart, but also with Handel, Bizet, García or Toldrá, Granados, Turina, Falla and García Abril, convinced of the transcendence of her mission, or her demiurgical power and, because of it, from a radical requirement; from there have emerged without any doubt her exquisite musicality and her high sense of interpretation. She understands her function from this position; “Lying, -she says- no override, means disrespect to oneself and also to the public and to the ineffable art reality. No override also means the overvaluation of oneself, lack of humility, reckless disregard to the divine gift in the delivery to the idols of a subtle vocal technique, or to an always insufficient medical science” From this meeting and the requirerments the miracle of her versions the miracle of her songs emerged, and taking interpretation as a cause. Every single part is studied and developed with extreme precision, with that wonderful ductility, with those supreme gifts (naturally gotten, but also developed by personal effort) for bound song, and above all, to those agilities for “fiorito singing”, almost miraculous. This miracle happened this way, because her voice gathers the most demanding requirements for the lyrical contemporary art, but also the essence of a perfect voice apart of times and trends.
