NBC radio broadcast
December 1 & 8, 1946
Arturo Toscanini conducting
Jan Peerce (Jacob Pincus Perelmuth) biographical sketch. (The bio page will open in a new window; simply close that browser window to return to this page.)
Licia Albanese, sometimes regarded as a Puccini specialist, made her debut in Parma in 1935 and joined the Met in 1940. She arrived on the scene after the departure of Ponselle and Muzio, filling the void left by the great Italian sopranos. From what I have read, she is highly regarded both as artist and human being. Schuyler Chapin describes her as "a splendid former prima donna of the Italian repertoire, remembered by old-timers as the frailest Mimi, the tenderest Butterfly, and perhaps the most haunting of modern Violettas." He continues:
Unlike many prima donnas, however, Licia is as bouncy and energetic as ever, deeply committed to an active life... Licia Albanese has never deliberately hurt anyone in her entire life, even while active in a profession known both for its beauty and its bitchiness. She rises above all the nonsense, bringing a lot of pleasure to the people she knows.
One point of interest regarding this recording: it was originally available on 45 rpm records as well as the LP. Victor continued, even after the “invention” of the LP, to issue sets on 78 rpm disks and later on the 45 rpm disks.
One other thing: If you listen carefully, you can hear Toscanini humming along in a couple of places during the orchestral introduction.