Here is my tale of woe with respect to this mezzo. There are very few recordings of her on youtube. Pulling excerpts off of youtube makes my life much easier. But because I was determined to post this singer, I bought some of her recordings from ebay. When I received the recordings, they were shellac and 78 rpm. This meant buying turntable that could play 78rpm. Then, of course, one has to make an audio recording from the turntable, and then remaster the audio files. Whew! I will not run to do this again anytime soon.
I have three audio files that will be attached to the posting. When Besanzoni sings arias in languages that are not the originals, I will not translate these.
Why did I go to all of this trouble? Because this is one of best mezzo voices that I have ever heard. The style of singing and the guideposts by which to sing are completely different from anything and anyone we have today. If you listen to today’s “top” mezzos and then to Bensanzoni, I think that you will hear the difference.