Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Arrigo Boito, Jules Massenet :: Lebendige Vergangenheit: Licia Albanese

A singer with a HEART!

Charlus | NYC | 01/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The expected arias and duets from Traviata, Mefistofele, Manon Lescaut, La bohème, Butterfly, La Wally, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Adriana Lecouvreur, Hérodiade and Louise, recorded between 1945 and 1950.





Licia Albanese, born at Bari, Italy, in 1913, was a Metropolitan Opera popular favourite between 1941 and 1966. She had a light lyric voice of full, dark timbre, which made her sound matronly in the lighter repertoire and less than dominant in the more spinto rôles. Yet she became a prominent singer because of the intensity, conviction and utter sincerity of her interpretations. The voice itself was rather work-a-day, but she had magic in her heart.



RCA Victor did not help her any by consistently miking her much too closely, overamplifying her flaws (a thuddy attack, an occasional bleat) and making her voice rather breathy and opaque. But you don't listen to Albanese's recordings for the splendour of her sound: get Tebaldi for that. One listens to Albanese in order to be moved-moved to tears.



Listen carefully to the famous solo from La Wally, or any of the remarkable Butterfly items: her identification with the music and characters is TOTAL.



These are fine souvenirs of a beloved interpreter."