Carol Neblett made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in 1976 as Tosca with Luciano Pavarotti, and sang this role more than 400 times! Subsequently, she was invited to sing Minnie with Placido Domingo for Queen Elizabeth’s 25th Jubilee Celebration at Covent Garden, which was filmed live and recorded.
Since her 1969 debut with the New York City Opera as Musetta, Miss Neblett has sung many leading roles with the company, including La Traviata, Manon, Louise and Ariadne auf Naxos, Le Coq d’Or and Faust. Miss Neblett revealed her unique dancing, acting and singing skills with her performance of Korngold’s Die Tote StadtL which she subsequently recorded.
Impresarios and directors looked to Ms. Neblett as an artist who could bring life to operas which are rarely performed. She was heralded for her performances in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, La Wally, L’Amore dei Tre Re, Idomeneo Le Cid and La Vestale. In 1987, European critics hailed her performance in Palermo, Italy, in the title role of Respighi’s Semirama, and in 1989 she sang an equally acclaimed performance of Bellini’s La Straniera at the Spoleto Festival.
Carol Neblett’s extensive orchestral repertoire included more than one hundred oratorios and symphonic works, many of which have been documented. Her recordings include Musetta in La Boheme for Angel/EMI, James Levine conducting, La Fanciulla del West, with Placido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes, Zubin Mehta conducting (DGG); Marietta in Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt, Erich Leinsdorf conducting (RCA); Mahler’s Symphony No.2 with Claudio Abbado and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and a special recording with Roger Wagner on Angel/EMI entitled Magnificat. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a compact disc was issued of Miss Neblett singing Soprano #1 in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, James Levine conducting. Miss Neblett is featured in “James Levine’s 25th Anniversary with the Metropolitan Opera” recording singing the role of Alice Ford in Falstaff with Giuseppe Taddei.
Further triumphs included an international broadcast of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, under Maestro Carlo Maria Giulini. Miss Neblett performed in the television broadcast of a tribute to George London, featuring an illustrious group of singers at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. A recording of this performance, “A Tribute to George London,” has been released by RCA.