Fidel Campina

Fidela Campiña Ontiveros (Tíjola, Almería, Spain, January 28, 1894 - Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 28, 1983) was a Spanish soprano, probably one of the most versatile voices of the Spanish opera of the XX century.

Biography

His birth certificate has the number 18 in the parish register. On it they say the names of Fidela, Ana and Josefa. Her last name was Campiña Ontiveros. Her parents were from Lúcar. Her father, Antonio Campiña Caparrós, moved to Tíjola to work as a tax collector for the City Council. Fidel was born there. Her mother was Josefa Ontiveros Galera, her maternal grandparents Antonio Ontiveros García and Antonia Galera García, both born in the XIX century ; Her maternal grandfather's parents were Gregorio Ontiveros and Inés García Fernández, all from Lúcar.

According to Francisco Hernández Girbal in his article that appeared in Ritmo Magazine, at the age of six he began his solfeggio and piano studies at the Madrid Conservatory with Professor José Tragó and singing studies with the prestigious maestro Tabuyo, obtaining in 1913 Diploma of honor; grades that are not kept in the student record books.

Her presentation was at the Teatro Real in Madrid, in 1913, playing Margarita in Arrigo Boito's opera: Mefistófeles (a work that would later take to the Teatro Costanzi in Rome). Her success was such that she remained on the bill at the Real until its closure due to ruin in 1925. From then on she traveled through the main cities of art.

Already in 1919, Barcelona had surrendered at his feet at the premiere of La Morisca, an opera by the Catalan composer Jaime Pahissa. She married the Basque tenor Jesús de Gaviria, a disciple of the also tenor from Almería, Luís Iribarne. In 1926 she made her debut at the New York Metropolitan with Otello, by Giuseppe Verdi. Her only daughter, Mirentxu, would be born there. In Milan, eight years later, she won La Scala with the works Tristan and Isolde , by Richard Wagner and Nero , by Pietro Mascagni. But her achievements went further, they reached Paris, London and Monte Carlo, as well as Argentina (at the Teatro Avenida in Buenos Aires her voice of Wagnerian breadth surprised her; there she triumphed during the 40s in various genres, including zarzuela).. She would intervene in 1940 at the Universal Exhibition in New York with an outstanding response and impact. Her last performance was in Trieste in 1948, she did it with the opera The Twilight of the Gods , by Wagner.

She would later marry Argentine baritone Carlos Guichandut.

The qualities of her voice allowed her to interpret the mezzo-soprano parts, as well as the lyrical-dramatic soprano parts. In the words of critic Girbal: "She had four aces that she saved for big occasions: a broad voice, impeccable diction, captivating temperament and interpretive talent."

When he was at the height of his artistic career, he was in Tíjola and they say that after visiting the hermitage of the Patron Saint, he sang at the door of the same, and such was his voice that it was heard on the Wall, that is, on the other end of town.

He retired at the age of 54 and died in Buenos Aires (capital of the country that he considered his second homeland) on December 28, 1983 at the age of 89, being buried in the La Chacarita cemetery.

In his hometown there is a cultural center that bears his name.