Description

ROSE BAMPTON (LAKEWOOD, OHIO,  NOVEMBER 28, 1907 – BRYN MAWR, PENNSYLVANIA, AUGUST 21, 2007)

She spent her youth in Buffalo and studied singing at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia under Horatio Connell and Queena Mario, and later with Lotte Lehmann. She also studied music at Drake University, earning a doctorate. She debuted in 1928 at the Chautauqua Opera in Ascon as Siebel in Gounod’s Faust and sang smaller roles in Philadelphia from 1929 to 1932.

Her Metropolitan Opera debut came in November 1932 as Laura in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda. She transitioned from mezzo-soprano to soprano roles by 1935, achieving acclaim as a Wagnerian interpreter in roles like Sieglinde (Die Walküre) and Kundry (Parsifal). She remained at the Met until 1950, performing 14 roles in 68 appearances over 17 seasons.

She toured Europe from 1937 to 1939, appearing at Covent Garden as Amneris (Aida) and performing in Berlin, Dresden, and Munich. Her Chicago Opera career (1937–1946) included roles such as Maddalena (Andrea Chénier) and Elsa (Lohengrin). She performed annually at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1942–1947), notably as Agathe (Der Freischütz), the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier), and Daphne (Daphne). She also appeared in Rio de Janeiro in 1946 and the San Francisco Opera in 1949.

Renowned for her darkly rich, dramatic voice, she was a favored performer in operatic radio broadcasts under Arturo Toscanini. Her recordings include Fidelio and Gurrelieder, and live recordings from Teatro Colón and the Metropolitan Opera.

After retiring, she taught in New York and Montreal. She married conductor Wilfrid Pelletier in 1937 and remained celebrated for her dramatic expressiveness and vocal warmth.

TRACKLIST

1. Aida (Verdi) Qui Radames verrà!… O patria mia 18222 CS066301-2,2A Victor, 1941-06-17
2. Alceste (Gluck) Ah! Malgre moi 18218 CS066303-2,2A Victor, 1941-06-17
3. Alceste (Gluck) Où suis-je… Non, ce n’est point un sacrifice 18218 CS066304-1,1A Victor, 1941-06-17
4. Atalanta (Händel) Come beloved (Care selve) unpubl CS59005-3 Victor, 1932-09-22
5. Cenerentola (Rossini) Nacqui all’affanno… Non più mesta 18217 CS066302-1,1A Victor, 1941-06-17
6. Damnation de Faust (Berlioz) D’amour l’ardente flamme, pt 1 pt 2 12-0015, 12-0015, D6-RC-6627-1,1A, D6-RC-6628-1,1A Victor, 1946-12-06
7. Do not go, my love (Hageman) 10-1118 BS057698-2,2A Victor, 1940-11-30
8. Don Giovanni (Mozart) Era già alquanto… Or sai chi l’onore (w. Johnson) 11-8466 CS073230-2,2A Victor, 1942-03-24
9. Don Giovanni (Mozart) Non mi dir, bell’idol mio 11-8466 CS073232-3,3A Victor, 1942-03-24
10. Ernani (Verdi) Sorta è la notte… Ernani, involami… Tutto sprezzo che d’Ernani unpubl (LP) D6-RC-6626-1,1A Victor, 1946-12-06
11. Gitanjali (Carpenter) Light my light 1628 BS73081-4 Victor, 1932-09-29
12. Gitanjali (Carpenter) The sleep that fits on baby’s eyes 10-1118 BS057696-1,1A Victor, 1940-11-29
13. Gitanjali (Carpenter) When I bring you colour’d toys 1628 BS73084-2 Victor, 1932-09-29
14. Hérodiade (Massenet) Il est doux, il est bon 11-8237 CS073229-2,2A Victor, 1942-03-24
15. L’Enfant Prodigue (Debussy) L’année en vain chasse l’année… Azaël! Pourquoi m’as-tu (Air de Lia) unpubl CSHQ73083-2 Victor, 1932-07-08
16. Lohengrin (Wagner) Einsam in trüben Tagen (w. chorus) unpubl CS050339-1,1A Victor, 1940-05-28
17. Semiramide (Rossini) Bel raggio lusinghier 18217 CS066300-1,1A Victor, 1941-06-17
18. Simon Boccanegra (Verdi) Dinne, alcum la non vedesti… Figlia, tal nome palpita (w. Tibbett) 15642 CS036853-1,1A Victor, 1939-05-03
19. Simon Boccanegra (Verdi) Plebe! Patrizi!… Piango su voi (w. Tibbett, Bampton, Warren, Nicholson & chorus) 16542m CS036850-1,1A Victor, 1939-05-03
20. Sketches of Paris (Manning) In the Luxemburg gardens 1648 BS69469-4 Victor, 1933-09-27
21. Three Songs (Taylor) A song for lovers 1648 BS69470-1 Victor, 1933-01-06
22. Tosca (Puccini) Vissi d’arte 11-8237 CS073231-2,2A Victor, 1942-03-24
23. Tristan und Isolde (Wagner) Mild und leise CS050316-1,1A WGO SR-81 Victor, 1940-05-26
24. Vier Ernste Gesänge (Brahms) 2) Ich wandte mich und sehe an alle 1610 BS73086-3 Victor, 1932-09-22
25. Vier Ernste Gesänge (Brahms) 3) O Tod, wie bitter bist du Swans (Kramer) 1610 BS73087-4 Victor, 1932-09-29