Licia Albanese live at the Metropolitan Opera in 1953 - Un bel di vedremo

Licia Albanese singing "Un bel di vedremo" from Puccini's "Madama Butterfly." This was a Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast of January 17, 1953. Other cast members include Eugene Conley as Pinkerton, Frank Valentino as Sharpless, and Margaret Roggero as Suzuki. Fausto Cleva is conducting. Albanese was regarded as the foremost Cio-Cio-San at the Met between 1940 and 1966.

Ratings allowed as of September 14, 2011.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Licia
• Albanese
• Eugene
• Conley
• Frank
• Valentino
• Margaret
• Roggero
• Puccini
• Madama
• Butterfly
• Un
• bel
• di
• vedremo
• Metropolitan
• Opera
• yt:quality=high

[Amadeuswolfie]

for me her greatest single recording is L'altra notte from Boito's Mefistofeles, very different but on par with the 1954 recording of the same arias by Callas. The RCA highlights from La Boheme with di Stefano is equally legendary. A pity it was not the whole opera. Albanese and di Stefano is ideally matched in their lyrical Italianate timbre and passion, whereas Callas, in terms of vocal weight, sounds more comfortable with Franco Corelli... personal opinion from a fan of all four.

[VinylToVideo]

@Amadeuswolfie Studio recordings are overrated anyhow. There's always the full recording of "Boheme" with Albanese and Di Stefano live at New Orleans in 1958. Unfortunately it is missing Warren.

[RusSoprano]

she's great. just saw her .She looks gorgeous in her 90's.

[VinylToVideo]

Saw her where?

[paulostroff99]

Lovely! Brava! TY.

[31122051]

SUBLIME voce pucciniana : nitida, limpida e azzurra come i cieli della Puglia.

SPLENDIDA INTERPRETAZIONE !!!

Grazie !

[einherzundeineseele]

Lieber Edmund lange nicht mehr die Albanese gehört - aber unvergessen. Wer 25 lange Jahre an der MET gastierte, musste schon was können. Du hast mir einen großen Gefallen getan, mich nochmals an sie zu erinnern.

GrußAlfred

[librarybob1958]

@Amadeuswolfie And, in the mid-40's, she also recorded an album of highlights, under Frieder Weissman, with one of her most frequent Pinkertons, the tragic James Melton, and her frequent Suzuki, Lucielle Browning. My dad had those on 45 RPM for years, and they were great.

In the mid-70's, as a bonus for a donation of $100 (translates to about $1000 today), the Met issued a 1946 broadcast recording with Melton, Browning, and John Brownlee, Cesare Sodero conducting.

[Miauriceful]

@librarybob1958

Magda Olivero is 101 now.

[librarybob1958]

Albanese and Rise Stevens are probably the last two members of their operatic generation alive. Happily, they are still healthy and active in their 90's, with Stevens, in particular, having been a mover and shaker in the Metropolitan Opera Guild for decades. God grant them both many more years.

[arcot9]

God bless the Licia.......Brava Diva!

[classicalgalNYC]

Wow she is amazing!!! =D

[SHICOFF1]

Albanese and Kirsten both did it very well. I saw and heard Kirsten do it in California on stage and I would imagine Albanese was the greatest Butterfly in her time, she studied it with a Japanese woman and she was so emotional in the role. I know Tucker who recorded it twice in 1949 and later in 1962 really did not especially like singing it because after act 1 he didn't have much to sing and he loved to work, so it was not a favorite with him.