Galina Vishnevskaya: Bellini - Norma, ’Casta Diva’

Galina Pavlovna Vishnevskaya (Russian: Гали́на Па́вловна Вишне́вская) (born 25 October 1926) is a Russian soprano opera singer and recitalist who was named a People’s Artist of the USSR in 1966. Vishnevskaya was born in Leningrad. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 singing operetta. After a year studying with Vera Nikolayevna Garina, she won a competition held by the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow (with Rachmaninoff’s song “O, Do Not Grieve“ and Verdi’s aria “O patria mia“ from Aida) in 1952. The next