The French soprano Mady Mesplé died yesterday at the age of 89 in Toulouse, where she was also born in 1931. She studied in Paris with French soprano Janine Micheau and made her professional debut in Liège in January 1953, as Lakmé, one of the major roles in her career. She was a leading high coloratura soprano specialized in the French opera repertoire.
From the French opera houses she went on into a successful career abroad, appearing at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She was also recognized for her commitment to the contemporary composer’s.
Mady Mesplé retired from the stage in 1985 and turned to teaching at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and at the Music Conservatory of Lyon.
She left a lot of recordings for several labels.
