Soprano Benita Valente has passed away at the age of 91. A native of Delano, California, she studied singing with two renowned prima donnas: Lotte Lehmann and Margaret Harshaw.
A winner of the Met Auditions in 1960, she debuted at the Met as Pamina in 1973 and went on to give 75 performances with the Company, in NYC and on tour; I saw both her Pamina and her Nannetta in FALSTAFF in the great house. She also sang Gilda in RIGOLETTO, Susanna in NOZZE DI FIGARO (and she later took on the Contessa in the same opera), and Ilia in IDOMENEO at The Met. In 1984, she sang the role of Almirena in the Met’s premiere of Handel’s RINALDO. Her interpretation of that character’s great aria, “Lascia ch’io pianga” is much admired: listen here. Ms. Valente gave her last Met performance in 1992.
In addition to her opera performances, Benita Valente was a beloved singer of lieder and oratorio. Such composers as William Bolcom, Albeto Ginastera, John Harbison, and Libby Larsen wrote music specially for her. Her recital and concert appearances took her to music centers around the world, and she made several recordings, among them Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony and Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock. One of my favorites in her discography is a collection of arias and duets with Tatiana Troyanos.
Retiring from singing in 2000, Benita Valente taught and gave master classes at Marlboro, Ravinia, Ottowa, and Temple University. She also worked with singers from the Met’s Young Artists Program; I met her in that capacity in 2007, when Lisette Oropesa was in the program:
As a parting song, listen to Benita Valente singing Schubert’s “Nacht und Träume“, with Richard Goode at the piano, here.
Oberon's Glade 