Licia Albanese facts for kids
Licia Albanese (born July 22, 1909 – died August 15, 2014) was a famous opera singer. She was born in Italy and later became an American citizen. Licia Albanese was especially known for singing the main female roles in operas by Verdi and Puccini. She was a top singer at the Metropolitan Opera from 1940 to 1966. She also made many recordings and led The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, which helps young singers.
Life and career
Licia Albanese was born Felicia Albanese in July 1909 in Torre Pelosa, Italy. This town is a small part of Noicattaro. Later, she moved to Torre a Mare, a neighborhood in Bari.
She first sang on stage in Milan in 1934. She filled in for another singer in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. This role, Cio-Cio-San, became her most famous. Over 40 years, she sang this part more than 300 times!
Licia Albanese was praised for many roles. These included Mimì in La bohème, Violetta in La traviata, Liù in Turandot, and Manon Lescaut in Manon Lescaut. But her role as the geisha in Madama Butterfly was her best known. Her teacher, Giuseppina Baldassare-Tedeschi, had also been a famous Cio-Cio-San.
There is some debate about when she officially started her career. It might have been in 1934 in Bari, singing in La bohème. Or it could have been in Parma, or in Milan in 1935 in Madama Butterfly. By the end of 1935, she sang at La Scala in Milan. She performed as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. Soon, she became very successful around the world. She was especially loved for her performances in Carmen, L'amico Fritz, and Madama Butterfly.
Albanese made her Metropolitan Opera debut on February 9, 1940. She sang Madama Butterfly 72 times at the old Metropolitan Opera House. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, performances of Madama Butterfly were not allowed in the U.S. until World War II ended. Still, her success was instant.
She stayed at the Met for 26 seasons. She performed 427 times in 17 different roles across 16 operas. She left the company in 1966 after a disagreement with the manager, Sir Rudolf Bing. She did not have a big farewell performance.
The famous conductor Arturo Toscanini invited Albanese to sing. She joined his radio concerts of La bohème and La traviata in 1946. These performances were with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Later, these concerts were released as recordings.
In 1959, Albanese sang for thousands of radio listeners. She performed with Alfredo Antonini and Richard Tucker. They sang with the New York Philharmonic at Lewisohn Stadium in New York City. They performed songs from Puccini's operas like Tosca, La bohème, and Madama Butterfly.
She also sang often at the San Francisco Opera from 1941 to 1961. She performed 22 roles in 120 shows over 20 seasons. She stayed there partly because she admired the director, Gaetano Merola. Throughout her career, she gave many concerts and opera performances. She also had her own weekly radio show.
In 1972, Albanese went to San Francisco for a special concert. It celebrated the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco Opera. She sang a duet from Madama Butterfly with tenor Frederick Jagel.
Even after singing for seven decades, Albanese still performed sometimes. In 1985, she sang in a concert version of the musical Follies in New York. She also starred in a stage version of Follies in Houston, Texas, in 1987.
Licia Albanese died on August 15, 2014. She was 105 years old and passed away at her home in Manhattan.
Her performances in La traviata were so popular. She sang that opera more times at the Met and San Francisco Opera than any other singer.
Her voice was special, called a lirico spinto. This means it was powerful yet flexible. She sang with famous opera stars like Beniamino Gigli and Franco Corelli. She worked with top conductors, but her work with Toscanini is especially remembered.
Licia Albanese brought great passion to all her performances. Her rich soprano voice was strong and exciting. She never sang the same way twice. As she said in an interview, "I always changed every performance. I was never boring... the drama is in the music."
Recordings and legacy
Albanese was in the very first live TV broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera. It was Verdi's Otello, with Ramón Vinay and Leonard Warren. She was one of the first opera singers to appear widely on recordings and radio. Her performances are still available today on CDs and videos. These recordings help future generations understand her unique talent.
Arturo Toscanini asked Albanese to sing Mimì in the 1946 NBC Symphony Orchestra performance of La bohème. This broadcast celebrated 50 years since the opera first premiered. The next year, Toscanini chose her again. This time, she sang Violetta in a famous performance of La traviata. Both performances were released by RCA Victor and are still popular.
Albanese was known for how gracefully she sang La traviata under Toscanini's intense direction. She once recalled, "Maria Callas once asked me how I ever got through it, but Toscanini wanted it that way. 'It should be like champagne,' he said."
She recorded mostly for RCA Victor. Some of her recordings include Bizet's Carmen (1951) and Puccini's Manon Lescaut (1954). For a 1951 recording, she learned Russian to sing a part from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.
Soprano Teresa Stratas said that watching Albanese perform La traviata inspired her to become a singer.
Albanese was the leader of The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation. This foundation was started in 1974. It helps young artists and singers. She also worked with the Juilliard School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. She taught master classes around the world.
National and international honors
Albanese became a United States citizen in 1945. On October 5, 1995, President Bill Clinton gave her the National Medal of Honor for the Arts. This is a very high award for artists in the U.S.
She received many awards and honorary degrees from different colleges and universities.
In 2000, she received the Handel Medallion. This is the highest honor given by New York City for contributions to its culture. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said she was "one of the most loved and respected performers in the world."
See also
In Spanish: Licia Albanese para niños
