Toti Dal Monte was one of the great sopranos of the nineteen twenties and thirties. Miss Dal Monte, whose real name was Antonietta Meneghelli, sang at the Metropolitan Opera in...
Read MoreShirley Verrett was one of the great sopranos of the last century. She began as a mezzo soprano and also sang heavy soprano roles. She was born in New Orleans...
Read MoreOda Slobodskaya was a singer who was never properly appreciated. She left Russia and lived abroad at a time when knowledge of and demand for Russian music were far less...
Read MoreZinka Milanov was a marvel. In her prime she was considered the most significant spinto soprano of her day, a singer who possessed an instrument capable of pristine top tones...
Read MoreThis week, I have decided to focus on French Art Song, or mélodie in French. Teyte, the spelling of whose name she changed from the original "Tate" to "Teyte" so...
Read MoreAs I have mentioned in other posts, writing this blog affords me the opportunity to encounter wonderful singers whom I didn't know before. Martha Angelici is one of those. The...
Read MoreLeonie Rysanek was one of the most well-know high dramatic sopranos of the post-WWII period. She had an enormous voice that she used badly. By this, I mean that she...
Read MoreAlfred Cortot, French Pianist Alfred Cortot is widely considered to be one of France's greatest pianists, if not the greatest. He was also a conductor and a teacher. Additionally, he...
Read MoreI have hesitated in the past to post something sung by Birgit Nilsson. This is because she had an enormous voice, and enormous voices are notoriously difficult to record. However,...
Read MoreToday, I am posting someone who could be called a "forgotten singer". In most writing about her, Gabrielle Ritter-Ciampi is referred to as a light lyric soprano, and from her...
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