Anita Rachvelishvili

Anita Rachvelishvili (ანიტა რაჭველიშვილი, rotch-VELL-esh-VEEL-ee, born Tbilisi 1984) is a Georgian operatic mezzo-soprano.She is especially known for singing Verdi; conductor Riccardo Muti said in 2018: "She is without doubt the best Verdi mezzo-soprano today on the planet. Without. Doubt."She is also well known for singing Bizet's Carmen.Opera News magazine has stated that "Rachvelishvili is a unique dramatic presence. Her dark, smoldering eyes and cascading black curls are striking, but what is unusual is the juxtaposition of fiery surface and an inward-focused quality, seeming to draw power from some secret space." Earlier in her career she became the youngest singer ever to open a season at La Scala.A New York Times portrayal in late 2018 said that she had achieved the highest echelon of her profession during that year.American critic Alex Ross has said of her abilities: "The [opera house] should let her do whatever she wants: artists of this calibre are the reason opera exists."