Her smiling face, her generosity and her simplicity have won the hearts of all those who have seen this great singer from afar or close up; a singer who could never be mistaken for a diva. No caprices, no bouts of rage, no outrageous demands: she simply sang. It was the Geneva International Music Competition, which she won with such great success in 1947, that propelled the young Spanish singer to the front of the world stage. Right away, she was enlisted to sing La Vida Breve by Manuel de Falla in London, and then Paris invited her to play Marguerite in Gounod's Faust at the Opéra, before becoming Mimi (La Bohème by Puccini), under the direction of Sir Thomas Beecham at Covent Garden. Salzburg, New York, Milan, Vienna and Buenos Aires followed. A coloratura soprano first and foremost, she sang roles from Rossini with agility. As the years went by, she expanded her voice and her repertoire, becoming a much sought-after lyric soprano. Thanks to her particular gift for languages, she has been Agathe in Weber's Freischütz, Desdemona in Verdi's Othello, Eva in Die Meistersinger by Wagner, or a touching Mélisande. She is a wily and spiteful Rosina (Barber of Seville), a simple and moving Mimi.

It is generally accepted that Victoria de Los Angeles possessed one of the most beautiful soprano voices of the 20th Century. Her musicality was supported by a vocal timbre suffused with the bright warmth of an Iberian summer. Her appearances in the concert hall and opera house, and her first recordings, drew the highest accolades from the musical establishment, critics and public. Her personality, excellent technique and dedicated approach would have secured her place as a great singer in any age.

After October 6th collection of Andalusian music, here is another homage by Victoria de los Ángeles to her musical roots. Born in Barcelona, the soprano has a deep connection with Catalan vocal music, whose richness of which she gives a splendid overview, from traditional songs accompanied at the guitar by Renata Tarragó to modern cycles by Mompou, Toldrà and Rodrigo arranged and conducted by Antoni Ros-Marbà, a great figure of music in Catalonia.

Her smiling face, her generosity and her simplicity have won the hearts of all those who have seen this great singer from afar or close up; a singer who could never be mistaken for a diva. No caprices, no bouts of rage, no outrageous demands: she simply sang. It was the Geneva International Music Competition, which she won with such great success in 1947, that propelled the young Spanish singer to the front of the world stage. Right away, she was enlisted to sing La Vida Breve by Manuel de Falla in London, and then Paris invited her to play Marguerite in Gounod's Faust at the Opéra, before becoming Mimi (La Bohème by Puccini), under the direction of Sir Thomas Beecham at Covent Garden. Salzburg, New York, Milan, Vienna and Buenos Aires followed. A coloratura soprano first and foremost, she sang roles from Rossini with agility. As the years went by, she expanded her voice and her repertoire, becoming a much sought-after lyric soprano. Thanks to her particular gift for languages, she has been Agathe in Weber's Freischütz, Desdemona in Verdi's Othello, Eva in Die Meistersinger by Wagner, or a touching Mélisande. She is a wily and spiteful Rosina (Barber of Seville), a simple and moving Mimi.

Her smiling face, her generosity and her simplicity have won the hearts of all those who have seen this great singer from afar or close up; a singer who could never be mistaken for a diva. No caprices, no bouts of rage, no outrageous demands: she simply sang. It was the Geneva International Music Competition, which she won with such great success in 1947, that propelled the young Spanish singer to the front of the world stage.

It is generally accepted that Victoria de Los Angeles possessed one of the most beautiful soprano voices of the 20th Century. Her musicality was supported by a vocal timbre suffused with the bright warmth of an Iberian summer. Her appearances in the concert hall and opera house, and her first recordings, drew the highest accolades from the musical establishment, critics and public. Her personality, excellent technique and dedicated approach would have secured her place as a great singer in any age.

May 23rd: centenary of the great pianist Alicia de Larrocha. Here is a live recording made in New York’s Hunter College in November 1971 with Larrocha’s close friend and the other great figure of Spanish classical music of 20th-century, Victoria de los Ángeles. A perfect communion between two artists at the height of their powers in a beautiful program including songs by Falla, Granados, and excerpts of zarzuelas.

There are three absolutely amazing performances on this set, and not because the voices are more or less beautiful than usual: those of Victoria de los Angeles, Marilyn Horne, and Sesto Bruscantini. The first-named sings here with dramatic expression, cleanly executed coloratura runs, and trills, none of which she was known for through most of her career. By dramatic expression I do not mean the generalized drama of her Butterfly, but word-painting and attention to text, of getting inside the character. Her coloratura runs here are far more cleanly executed than on her famous recording of Il Barbiere di Siviglia. As for trills, yes, she attempted a couple of imperfect ones on her recordings, but none in her Jewel Song from Faust, neither the mono recording from 1952 nor the stereo remake of 1957, neither in Nedda’s 1953 “Ballatella” nor in Antonia’s music in the 1965 Contes d’Hoffman.