TANTI AUGURI! Happy Birthday to the great Antonietta Stella, who turns 90 today. She made her operatic debut at age twenty one in Spoleto and across a 25 years career, she sang a wide range of roles. She had a big, slightly brassy voice, not so opulent as Tebaldi nor as fleet as Callas and in consequence in the soprano wars of the 50s and 60s, she was relegated to also-ran status. One waggish record reviewer once described her as "Nobody's favorite soprano". Harsh words for a good singer with a fine voice. Today, she would be a superstar. But even back then she forged a solid and sometimes memorable career. A memorable appearance as Madame Butterfly in the Met's new production of 1958 and La Scala's Minnie in La Fanciulla del West on tour in Tokyo in 1963 are just two highlights. In 1951, she was Maria Boccanegra on the first complete recording of Simon Boccanegra for Cetra. Twenty years later, she still had the voice to sing Odabella in Verdi's Attila, conducted by Riccardo Muti for RAI. So tanti auguri and brava to one of MY favorite sopranos, Antonietta Stella. As her name says, truly a star. (photo

from my collection)