Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rather than an agricultural economy,
though smuggling was long the most lucra-
tive occupation. In more recent times the
promotion of tourism, linked to a free trade
zone, has been responsible for most of the
country's economic activity. Within Andor-
ra's 180 square miles, the capital, Andorra
la Vella, and the half-dozen other small
towns provide venues for limited, special-
ized industrial activity. Since altering her
relationship with the neighboring states,
Andorra has joined the United Nations and
maintains a representative at that body's
headquarters in New York City.
Italian, French, and German songs and
arias, her repertoire always included Span-
ish songs, reflecting not only her wide
knowledge of the music of her native land
but her intense patriotism. During inter-
views she often spoke feelingly of Spanish
character and tradition and how it was nec-
essary to understand a role such as Carmen
in the social context of the individual's place
and time.
Throughout her long life, de los Ángeles
was noted for the personal charm that she
brought to all of her performances, particu-
larly those in the concert hall, where she
could “be herself” rather than an operatic
character. At her first concert in New York
City's Carnegie Hall in 1950, after the for-
mal program ended, she sat on the closed
lid of the stage piano and performed a
number of Spanish songs while playing the
guitar. The
Herald Tribune
's critic, Virgil
Thomson, praised her artistry and her
beautiful voice, but it was clear that the
woman herself had won the hearts of all
the audience.
Ángeles, Victoria de los (Victòria
dels Àngels)
(1923-2005)
Spanish singer
Born in B
ARCELONA
as Victòria Gómez
Cima, the future diva was trained there at
the conservatory. She began her career in a
choral group, moved on to individual recit-
als, and then began a series of operatic
debuts: 1949 (Paris), 1950 (Salzburg, Lon-
don's Covent Garden and Milan's La Scala),
1951 (New York's Metropolitan Opera),
1957 (Vienna State Opera), and 1961
(Bayreuth Festival). During the 1950s and
'60s, in addition to these debuts, she was a
performer during each season or a regular
visitor at all of these venues as well as a
guest artist at many others. Her most fre-
quent roles included Mimi in
La Bohème,
Carmen, Cio-Cio-San in
Madama Butterfly,
Desdemona in
Otello,
Violetta in
La Traviata,
Marguerite in
Faust,
and Elisabeth in
Tannhauser.
After taking time off to raise her
two sons, she brought her much admired
lyric soprano voice chiefly to the concert
stage, where she performed for several
decades. In addition to a wide variety of
Angola
This West African territory became known
to Portugal during the 15th-century voy-
ages that led to the creation of Portugal's
Asian empire. By the 1480s Portuguese
outposts had been established along the
coast, and relations with local chiefs led to
alliances and missionary activity. During
the 16th century the transatlantic slave
trade had its base in Angola and remained
a Portuguese monopoly thereafter. The
interior was not, however, explored or mas-
tered until the 19th century, when Portugal
was obliged to formalize her sovereignty
over a vast dominion ultimately amounting
Search WWH ::
Custom Search