Spanish Soprano Lucrezia Bori ~ La primavera d'or (1925)

Spanish soprano Lucrezia Bori (1887-1960) / La primavera d'or (Glazunov) / Recorded: December 2, 1925 --

LUCREZIA BORI (via wikipedia) Lucrezia Bori (born Valencia, 24 December 1887 died New York, 14 May 1960) was a celebrated Spanish operatic singer, a lyric soprano. Her real name was Lucrecia Borja y González de Riancho, her family reputed to be descended from the Borgias. Her voice had a unique timbre and transparent quality unlike any present-day singer. She studied in Milan with Vidal and made her debut at the Teatro Adriano in Rome as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen in 1908. in 1911 she sang Octavian in the Italian premiere of Der Rosenkavalier at La Scala. Her career at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, where she became one of the great and unforgotten favourites, began during the Met's first visit to Paris, in 1910 (June 9; Manon Lescaut). It would last until 1936, although from 1915 to 1921 she stopped singing due to nodes on her vocal cords. She appeared a total of 654 times. She was famous for her portrayals of Manon in Massenet's opera; Mimì in La bohème; Fiora in L' amore dei trè rè; Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande; and Violetta in La Traviata. Her farewell gala on 29 March 1936 was one of the great events at the Metropolitan. Bori sang scenes from Manon and La traviata, with contributions from Flagstad, Melchior, Rethberg, Pinza, Ponselle, Martinelli, Tibbett and Richard Crooks. Ever the Grande Dame, after her retirement from singing she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Opera Association and became chairman of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Bori was a supremely elegant and finished practitioner of the lyric art. Neither a great tragedienne nor the owner of a particularly rich voice, she was memorable because of the exquisite individuality of her style. Her manner on stage was uniquely detailed and evocative.

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Spanish
• Soprano
• Lucrezia
• Bori
• Primavera
• Glazunov
• 78
• rpm
• CurzonRoad

[Kittynez]

Would anyone know the lyrics to La primavera d'or?

[CurzonRoad]

@Kittynez

Sorry... wish I knew... thanks!

[AulicExclusiva]

In everything she did, Bori remained the reserved and chaste señorita (she was a life-long spinster and an arch-devout parishioner of the Dominican church in New York City, from which she was buried.) Rasponi in his book says she was "always on her guard"—i.e., she was extremely secretive, not to say unscrutable, about her real thoughts and emotions. This is absolutely typical of the Spanish haute bourgeoisie then and now, and is a constant in her recorded interpretations, elegant but bland.

[CurzonRoad]

Yes, recall reading the same about Ms. Bori in the book you've mentioned, with perhaps similar references elsewhere. Her devout sense of privacy contrasts dramatically with the ever-present gossip that too often seems to make the world go round (which most of us enjoy). If her singing is as you say at times bland, what compensates are elegance and joy. Thanks, AE!

[AulicExclusiva]

Elegance and joy, and an almost mystical inner delicacy, as in the Finale from La bohème that you posted, or the Ore dolci e divine from Rondine. Some of her disks from Traviata also have that luminous quality.

[CurzonRoad]

Very, very well said ("almost mystical inner delicacy"). Many thanks!

[SuperLuckydream]

Her art is unique and refined. Ms. Bori really deserved a long and glorious career.

[mayatatyana1]

Doug, exquisite voice! Lovely photo. Thank you. Maya

[coloraturasopran0154]

A voice to fall in love with. Thanks so much for posting her recordings. A true example of bel canto singing.

[Kievest]

Bori sounds as if the material is new and

fresh...as if she is singing it for the first

time. Listening, I feel as if I am hearing

it for the first time! She is effervescent,

luminous and grace itself! A dainty

fiesta. Thank you, Doug!

[65attila]

Doug

Charm. warmth and joy wrapped in a delicious voice so well produced it comes out with the ease of speech. What a great artist.

Thanks-John