Giuditta Pasta

Giuditta Pasta is the most representative character of our town. In few years she reached the highest edges of the vocal aristocracy and became a “diva”. She was never too bold and even her private life was out of the spotlight though she deserved the title of “historical singer”.

Giuditta Pasta was born in Saronno in 1797. She learnt to sing very with no intention to engage a theatrical career. One of her teachers spurned her to make her debut in theatre with “Le Tre Eleonore” of Giuseppe Scappa. She moved to Paris in 1816 where she started as “Clorina” in “Il Principe Di Taranto”. In 1817 she performed at the King’s theatre of London. English public gradually showed his growing affections for her. She interpreted works by Mozart, Rossini, Paisiello and Stendhal with great success in the more prestigious theatres all over Europe. She gave a great support to the Romanticism, opening new ways of interpretation.
We consider Pasta as one of the earliest singers of the modern time; she was the greatest and the most relevant soprano as she could give to the composers new and interesting meanings but still perfectly fitted into her time. She introduced an unknown dramatic realism related to the situation, to the character and his sex. In this sense she is the first singer who gave a historical plausibility to the opera. We can’t help quoting Stendhal, a famous French writer, who dedicated to Giuditta Pasta a whole chapter of his “Life Of Rossini”.He says: ”This voice has not an extraordinary timbre [...] it hasn’t an usual extension, it’s only and simply a voice that comes from her heart”.

Giuditta Pasta in a painting by Alfred Edward Chalon

Her marvellous career brought her all over the most important theatres of Europe; also because of her important social status she met some important characters of her age, like Gioacchino Rossini. Her relationship with him was very deep; she was the performer of his major success!

THEATRE “GIUDITTA PASTA”

Our town's theatre, dedicated to Giuditta Pasta, was inaugurated in April 1990. In ten years of activity many popular actors have performed on its stage. Every autumn, schools, libraries, cultural associations and season ticket holders wait for the play bill. The theatre houses also school's performances, and our school too is involved. The students' involvement is rewarded by appreciation and warmth of the audience, mainly made of their classmates.

If you want to see the program of the season 1999/2000 click on the above image

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