Charles Hackett (1889-1942)
Rosa Ponselle (1897-1981)

O terra addio
Aïda Giuseppe Verdi

Charles Hackett was born in Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) and died in New York. On the recommendation of Lillian Nordica, he studied at the New England Conservatory with Arthur J. Hubbard and later with Vincenzo Lombardi in Florence. Hackett made his début in Genoa as Wilhelm Meister. He first appeared at La Scala in 1916 and at the Paris Opéra in 1917. After performing during the 1917-1918 season at Buenos Aires, he made his Metropolitan début as Almaviva. He was closely associated with the Chicago Opera from 1922-1935 and performed in the major houses in Europe, including Covent Garden as Romeo in Melba’s farewell performance. According to some writers, Hackett’s recordings “document a secure technique and a certain elegance, though there is also a sense of routine about them. That sense is completely dispelled by the sweep and finesse of his style in a recording of a Metroplitan Opera broadcast of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette from 1935.”

For a biographical sketch of Rosa Ponselle, see her page on this site.

The recording featured here is a Columbia acoustic from 1920.