Magda Olivero; "Io son l'umile ancella"; ADRIANA LECOUVREUR; (1973); Francesco Cilea

This channel is the re-establishment of previous channels that have been sadly terminated.
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Magda Olivero--Adriana
Alfredo Silipigni---conductor
Opera Theater of New Jersey
5 November 1973
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"NEWARK, Nov. 5-Magda Olivero at last seems to have found a niche in American operatic life with the Opera Theatre of New Jersey. This very special singer, who appeals to very specialized tastes, opened the company's 1973-74 four‐opera series last night at Newark's Symphony Hall in the title role of Cilea's “Adriana Lecouvreur.”
Last year, she appeared there as Fedora, the year before as Tosca, and each performance was received with tumultuous rapture by her fans.
Her Adriana was equally successful, and such ovations are usually reserved for superstars at the Met, a house in which Miss Olivero is unlikely to appear. She is, after all, celebrating the 40th anniversary of her professional debut this year, and has reached an age when most opera singers have long since retired. This was, in fact, rumored to be her last American appearance.
Secret of Success
The secret of Magda Olivero's success with certain segments of the operatic public and her longevity is complex. Her voice will not appeal to those with conventional standards of vocal beauty: its reedy timbre often turns hollow and strident, although she can float a bewitching pianissimo and unfurl a full voice that is still powerful and secure. The actual sound has remained astonishingly unchanged over the years, judging from the few records she male before 1940.
After adjustina to the singular instrument, one hears an extraordinarily shrewd singer deploying some extraordinary expressive effects, all of them calculated to wrench a maximum of melodrama from the vocal lines. Her acting is also judged to a hair-occasionally studied and mannered perhaps, but executed with an intensity and sin cerity that experts an immediate impact.
Aside from her unusual voice, Miss Olivero's relative obscurity can be traced to her own diffidence about seeking out a major career and her specialization in currently unfashionable turn‐ofthe‐century Italian verismo opera.
She would probably never have sung in America at all were it not for her discovery here via pirated live performances taped in Italy and the strong appeal she exercises for homosexual opera fans who have always been her most loyal and vociferous admirers in this country. In some quarters she is considered to be the operatic equivalent of Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich and Bette Midler, although like those heroines of homosexuals her art goes well beyond mere cult worship.
The audience in Symphony Hall Sunday night was rather less flamboyant than that usually in attendance at an Olivero performance, but the reception was no less warm for that. Miss Olivero gave her sui generis portrayal of Adriana, the fabled French actress poisoned by her rival in love, and it was a gripping one, with every carefully conceived nuance polished to perfection - she was, after all, the composer's preferred interpreter of the role. Furthermore, the other members of the cast measured up to her achievement, making this “Adriana” one of the Opera Theatre's finest productions to date.
Placido Domingo sang Maurizio, and he was in spectacularly good voice, pouring out volumes of full‐bodied tone yet always in excellent musical taste. Maria Luia Nave as the jealous Princess of Buillon rejoices in a mezzo‐soprano of considerable amplitude, and she was unstintingly generous in giving .t full play.
Enzo Sordello was a rather dry ‐ voiced Michonnet, but he created a most sympathetic figure. Alfredo Silipigni gave a fine account of the score, and Anthony Stivaliello's direction was direct and effective.
A worthy performance from all concerned unquesnonably, but the evening clearly belonged to Miss Olivero."; nyt Peter Davis; 11/6/1973

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Wonderful singing! Adriana was her signature role. Thank you.