"Opera-lovers should not be without this disc." Ritmo Magazine, Spain "Anyone who hasn't yet made acquaintance with this extraordinary singer is in for a unique pleasure." Gramophone Claudia Muzio was one of those exceptional singers for whom the possession of one of the most beautiful voices in the world was not enough. For her, every word, every note of music and every physical gesture had to contain an emotional motive and meaning. Muzio dedicated her career to the achievement of these artistic aims. She was born on 7th February 1889 in Pavia, near Milan. Her father was a stage manager often involved in opera, and he worked both at Covent Garden and the Metropolitan. Her mother was a professional singer. Claudia's operatic début took place on 15th January 1910 as Massenet's Manon, and within two years she was in demand throughout Italy. La Scala invited her to perform the role of Desdemona in 1913 and this was followed by her Covent Garden début in 1914 as Puccini's Manon Lescaut. Other roles that same season included Marguerite in Boïto's Mefistofele and Mimì in La Bohème, with Caruso. Sadly, she never returned to Covent Garden. The Met. received her in 1916 as Tosca and she appeared there for the next seven seasons. She was also one of the most admired singers at the Chicago Opera from 1922 to 1932. Like most of the great Italian opera stars of the period, she frequently performed in South America where she enjoyed enormous success. She returned to Italy in the early 1930's, performing at the Rome Opera. After a short illness she died on 24th May 1936. The selection of Muzio's recordings on this compilation covers her entire career. Her first record made for the Gramophone Company in 1911 is included here; it shows a young, immature soprano voice but gives an indication of what was to come. By the time that Muzio recorded for Columbia in 1934/35 she had lost the youthful freshness of voice but had gained enormous qualities of colour and inflection. On these recordings we are treated to an experience in human terms almost unequalled in the history of recorded sound. The pathos of the dying Violetta in La Traviata, the heart- rending Marguerite in Mefistofele, the poignancy of the Refice song Ombra di Nube, and the tenderness of Mimì's Addio, are all vividly caught. We can see the lighter side of her character in her performances of Colombetta and Bonjour Suzon. © 1990 Norman White