A biography for Mirella Frenihasn’t been written yet.
“Naturally I made mistakes in my career.”
“I insist on two months' vacation each year and resting between performances, spending time with my family.”
“I know very well my limitations.”
“It is not easy to sing the way Karajan wants... because Karajan wants always piano, even pianissimo, but with tension. Legato with tension. This is beautiful, but it is harder, not easier to sing.”
“Luciano was like a brother to me. We grew up together in Modena - his mother and my mother worked in the same cigarette factory, like in 'Carmen.' He was always joking; always fantastic company.”
“I always paid attention to choosing the right roles for myself; that was the most important thing. I was very realistic, even severe, with myself.”
“We had a tiny little car that was always breaking down in the street. I couldn't drive, so Luciano would make me get out and push. I like to remember normal things like that about him, the stupid things that make me laugh.”
“When I was young, I kept a book about my performances. It was easier then, because I was not so very busy.”
“To be a great artist, you have to know yourself, set your sights high and work very hard.”
“When the music touches you, language is no barrier.”
“I built my career more by saying no than saying yes.”
“My specialty is singing long phrases with big legato and nice expression.”
“I enjoy singing, I enjoy creating something with my voice. But when it is finished, it is finished.”
“I have worked hard and with joy.”
“I like my privacy.”
“We singers are like boxers in that we have our own categories. If you go outside those categories you are in trouble. If I am a welterweight fighter, I am satisfied having a long career as a world-champion welterweight. But if I try to move up into the heavyweight category, then for sure I will take a knockout punch. And then it's finito!”
“With young singers, I try to give them the right technique, and when they are mature, we work on expression. Because if you are not sure technically, you can lose the way.”
“I made some mistakes, but not many. And I was always honest: 'OK, this role is not for you.' Sometimes you can do it with the voice but the mind and body are not in balance. So I took it slowly, step by step. I was very stubborn with this.”
“Maturity gives you greater possibilities, which I think instinctively come out.”
“It is important to have emotion, to live through the music onstage.”