Régine Crespin

Lore & Background

Régine Crespin possessed a commanding stage presence and a voice of remarkable warmth, elegance, and subtlety, qualities that made her especially admired in the French and German operatic repertories. She was a tall woman, and early in her career her physique was criticized by a Paris Opéra director who deemed her "too fat," a factor that contributed to her initial lack of success in the capital. Her vocal instrument was initially that of a dramatic and spinto soprano, and she drew particular acclaim for her portrayals of Wagner and Strauss heroines. Her range and repertoire later expanded to encompass Italian, French, German, and Russian opera from various periods. In the early 1970s, she began to experience vocal difficulties for the first time, which ultimately led her to transition to mezzo-soprano roles. Born in Marseille, she spent her childhood in Nîmes, where her family ran a shoe store. Her early life was marked by the hardships of World War II and her mother's alcoholism. She initially intended to study pharmacy but failed her Baccalauréat at sixteen, after which her father permitted her to study singing. She won first prize in a singing competition and, at nineteen, entered the Conservatoire de Paris, where she earned top honors in opera and opéra comique competitions by 1950. Her career began in the French provinces in the early 1950s, where she found her first critical successes, before she became a fixture at the Paris Opéra. Her international breakthrough came in 1958 when she sang Kundry in *Parsifal* at the Bayreuth Festival, a role she learned in German with coaching from a professor who later became her husband. She subsequently appeared at major opera houses across the United States and Europe, as well as in South America, and enjoyed a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she performed over 125 times between 1962 and 1987. She retired from the stage in 1989 and taught singing for many years at the Conservatoire de Paris, also giving acclaimed master classes internationally.

Reader's Guide

Régine Crespin was a French soprano whose international career spanned from 1950 to 1989. She initially performed dramatic and spinto soprano roles, earning particular acclaim for her portrayals of heroines in operas by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Her voice was widely admired for its elegance, warmth, and subtlety, especially in French and German repertoire. In the early 1970s, she encountered vocal difficulties for the first time and subsequently began performing mezzo-soprano roles. Her career began in France, where she achieved early critical successes in provincial houses during the early 1950s before becoming a regular performer at the Opéra National de Paris in the mid-1950s. Her international breakthrough came in 1958 with a highly praised performance as Kundry in Wagner’s *Parsifal* at the Bayreuth Festival. She went on to appear at major opera houses across the United States and Europe, as well as in South America. She had a particularly long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she performed over 125 times between 1962 and 1987. After retiring from the stage in 1989, she taught singing for many years at the Conservatoire de Paris, her alma mater, and gave acclaimed master classes internationally. In recognition of her artistry, the Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud Competition, previously limited to pianists and violinists, was expanded in 2011 to include singers and renamed the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition.

Did You Know?

• Régine Crespin gave a Boston/Cambridge debut recital as part of the Peabody Mason Concerts.
• She is listed among the sopranos who appeared in the Peabody Mason series between 1950 and 1985.
• The source pairs her with Elly Ameling as two sopranos who performed in the series.