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Renata Tebaldi

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Vocalist

The Resume

    (February 1, 1922-December 19, 2004)
    Born in Pesaro, Italy
    Lyric soprano
    Performed in 'La Boheme,' 'Tosaca,' 'Madama Butterfly,' 'Manon Lescault,' 'Otello' and 'Falstaff'

Why she might be annoying:

    She refused to sing in any language but Italian, even when performing in operas by Richard Wagner.
    She had a long-running feud with Maria Callas, which forced opera houses to hire one or the other, but never both.
    She had a limited repertoire and rarely put much emotion into her performances.
    As a result, Callas allegedly said that comparing her and Tebaldi was like comparing 'champagne and Coca-Cola.'
    When Elsa Maxwell suggested that she and Callas appear together at a charity concert, she replied, 'Not even God would approve such an event.'

Why she might not be annoying:

    She suffered polio as a child and was unable to walk until age six.
    Arturo Toscanini aksed her to perform at the reopening of La Scala in Milan after WWII and said she had 'the voice of an angel.'
    She was beloved by audiences at New York's Metropolitan Opera, where she was nicnknamed 'Miss Sold Out.'
    She got off a good riposte to Callas, noting 'Champagne easily goes sour.'
    Other than her feud with Callas, she rarely exhibited diva behavior and was known to spend hours backstage after a performance signing autographs for fans.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 64.29% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 126 Votes: 52.38% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 118 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 36 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 56 Votes: 53.57% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 66 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 56 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 624 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 73 Votes: 61.64% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 241 Votes: 71.78% Annoying