Carelli, Emma

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Carelli, Emma

Carelli, Emma, esteemed Italian soprano; b. Naples, May 12, 1877; d. in an automobile accident in Montefiascone, near Rome, Aug. 17, 1928. She was a pupil of her father, the composer B. Carelli, at the Cons. San Pietro a Majella in Naples. In 1895 she made her operatic debut in Altamura in Mercadante’s La Vestale. After singing in various Italian opera houses, she made her debut at Milan’s La Scala in 1899 as Desdemona; in 1901 she was the first to sing the role of Tatiana in Italy. She then sang throughout Europe, and also appeared at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and in Rio de Janeiro. In 1910 she married Walter Mocchi, the director of Rome’s Teatro Costanzi, where she was the first to sing Elektra in Italy in 1912. She succeeded her husband as its director (1912–26). Among her most acclaimed roles were Iris and Zaza.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire