Waltraud Meier

Though she has achieved much acclaim for her Wagnerian roles -- and rightly so, mezzo-soprano Waltraud Meier possesses a vast repertory -- not to mention a consummate skill -- in Italian, French, and even Russian opera, from Bizet's Carmen and Tchaikovsky's Jeanne d'Arc to Verdi's Azucena (Il Trovatore) and Saint-Saëns' Dalila (Samson and Dalila). She has also sung a fair number of soprano roles, including Wagner's Isolde and Mascagni's Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana). Among other Wagner roles she has interpreted with distinction are Kundry (Parsifal), Waltraute (Götterdämmeru...