Stella Roman (1904-1992)
Ave Maria
Otello
by Giuseppe Verdi
Stella Roman, née Florica Vierica Alma Stela Blasu, was born in Cluj, Romania. She studied in Rome with Giuseppina Baldassare-Tedeschi and made her Italian debut at Piacenza in 1932. After appearing successfully at the Rome Opera, she sang the role of the Empress in the La Scala premiere of Die Frau ohne Schatten in 1940. She made her Metropolitan debut as Aida in 1941. During the 1940s she alternated with Zinka Milanov in big Italian roles. She appeared at San Francisco during the same period, where her roles included Donna Anna, Mimi and the Marschallin, a role she repeated at the San Carlo in Naples in 1951.
According to one commentator, “An unorthodox and sometimes hectic technique prevented the singer and her warm, beautiful lirico-dramatic voice from achieving greatness, but she was a fascinating artist capable of effortless, high pianissimos and vibrant climaxes, as can be heard in off-the-air performances from the Metropolitan, notably her Amelia (Ballo in maschera) and Desdemona.”
This is from a recording of the Metropolitan Opera performance of January 18, 1941 with Roman as Desdemona under the baton of Ettore Panizza.
