Lydia Lipkowska "Je veux vivre"

From His Master's Voice Catalogue 1919

"Lydia Lipkowska received her musical education in Petrograd and made her debut in that capital where the fame of her beauty and her accomplishments soon brought her offers of engagements from various parts of Europe and America. In New York Mme Lipkovskaya established herself as a strong favourite.

She appeared at Covent Garden in July 1911 where she was first heard in the role of Susanna in Wolf-Ferrari's "Il segreto di Susanna", and proved herself not only a delightful singer but a clever and vivacious comedienne. Later on she appeared as Mimi in "La Boheme" and by her youthfulness, grace and sincere feeling gave unusual conviction to the role of the frail heroine.

Violetta and Manon are among her favourite parts and she has also had great success as Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin."

Lipkowska was a pupil of the great mezzo soprano Pauline Viardot Garcia who was the sister of Maria Malibran and the daughter of Manuel Garcia, one of Rossini's favourite tenors.

She displays all the attributes of a high coloratura soprano, with firm staccati, trills and accuti, but in addition, having a substantial middle voice, she is equally at ease in the lyric soprano repertoire.

She is now remembered principally as being the teacher of Virginia Zeani; but these rare recordings show that she deserves unreservedly to be recgnised in her own right.

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• Lydia
• Lipkowska
• Je
• veux
• vivre
• Virginia
• Zeani
• Opera
• Soprano
• Russian
• French
• Charles
• Gounod
• Ambroise
• Thomas
• Tchaikovsky
• Rossini
• Donizetti

[pslogge]

very touching and justified choices!

[basenjidiva]

Absolutely beautiful! Her fioratura, agility and control remind me of her protege, the celebrated Virginia Zeani, who has contributed enormously to opera, both by performing and teaching. Brava!