Cesira Ferrani
Cesira Ferrani (born Cesira Zanazzio; May 8, 1863 in Turin – May 4, 1943 in Pollone) was an Italian lyric soprano known for two famous Puccini roles: Mimì in the original 1896 Turin production of La bohème and the title role in the 1893 world premiere of Manon Lescaut. She sang a wide range of works, including pieces by Verdi, Gounod, Wagner, and Debussy.
She studied with Antonietta Fricci in Turin and made her professional debut in 1887 as Micaëla in Carmen at the Teatro Regio di Torino. In the same year she also sang Gilda in Rigoletto and Marguerite in Faust at the same theater. Over the following years she performed in Catania, Genoa, Venice, and other Italian cities, as well as in France.
In 1892 she appeared at the Teatro Carlo Felice as Amelia in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and as the title role in Loreley, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. On February 1, 1893, she sang the title role in the world premiere of Puccini's Manon Lescaut at the Teatro Regio di Torino, often opposite Giuseppe Cremonini as Des Grieux.
In 1894 Ferrani and Cremonini sang Manon Lescaut in its La Scala premiere and also performed together in the world premiere of Alberto Franchetti's Il fior d'Alpe as Maria and Paolo. She later reprised Manon in Buenos Aires and other cities in Italy and beyond. In 1895 she sang Suzel in L'amico Fritz at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and created the title role in the world premiere of Giacomo Orefice's Consuelo in Bologna.
The following year she performed Mimì in the original Turin production of Puccini's La bohème (1896). Puccini gave her his photograph with the dedication: "To my true and splendid Mimì, signorina Cesira Ferrani, with gratitude." After La bohème, she toured Russia and Spain and performed in Cairo and Lisbon as well as throughout Italy. In 1901 she sang in the world premiere of Mascagni's Le maschere at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.
At La Scala she sang Mélisande in the first Milan performance of Pelléas et Mélisande under Toscanini in 1908. Her other roles included Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Fanny in Sapho, Charlotte in Werther, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, and Elsa in Lohengrin and Eva in Die Meistersinger, among others. Her final stage appearance was in 1909 as Mélisande.
In 1928, when the first recording of Puccini's Madama Butterfly was made, the Gramophone Company invited her out of retirement to record Kate Pinkerton's lines in Act 3.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:41 (CET).