Cesira Ferrani

Cesira Ferrani (May 8, 1863 in Turin – May 4, 1943 in Pollone) was an Italian operatic lyric soprano who is best known for debuting two of the most iconic roles in opera history, Mimì in the original 1896 production of Giacomo Puccini's La bohème and the title role in Puccini's Manon Lescaut in its 1893 world premiere. Ferrani sang a wide repertoire that encompassed not only verismo opera but the works of composers like Verdi, Gounod, Wagner, and Debussy.

Career Born Cesira Zanazzio, Ferrani studied with Antonietta Fricci in Turin before making her professional opera début in 1887 as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen at the Teatro Regio di Torino. That same year she sang Gilda from Verdi's Rigoletto and Marguerite in Gounod's Faust at the same theater. Over the next four years she appeared in numerous productions in Catania, Genoa, and Venice. She also sang in several productions in France. In 1892 she appeared at the Teatro Carlo Felice as Amelia into Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and as the title role in Alfredo Catalani's Loreley under Arturo Toscanini.

Following the success of La bohème, Ferrani embarked on performance tours of Russia and Spain, and appeared in productions in Cairo and Lisbon in addition to continuing to perform throughout Italy. In 1901 Ferrani sang in the world premiere of Mascagni's Le maschere at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.

In 1928 when the first recording of Puccini's Madama Butterfly was made, the Gramophone Company invited her out of retirement to sing Kate Pinkerton's handful of lines in Act 3.