Elvira Casazza
also Elvira Mari
Birthplace: Ferrara, Kingdom of Italy
An Italian mezzo-soprano, one of the finest singing actresses in Italy between the wars and a celebrated Mistress Quickly. Born Elvira Mari, she studied in Milan and toured the United States in 1911 with the Lombardi Opera Company. She first appeared at La Scala in the 1915–16 season, as Amneris, and sang at the Teatro Colón in 1916. At La Scala she created the Princess in the revised Suor Angelica in 1922, going on to create Debora in Pizzetti's Debora e Jaele and La Comandante in Zandonai's I cavalieri di Ekebù. She was one of Toscanini's favourite singers.
Creations
- La zia principessa — Suor Angelica (Milan, 1922)
Written from
- Rosenthal, H. (1992) 'Casazza [née Mari], Elvira', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 751-752.
- Wikipedia (2026) Elvira Casazza. (Accessed: 22 September 2026).
- Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'Casazza, Elvira', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 478.