Description

LUELLA PAIKIN (WARRINGTON, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND, 1896 – NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, 1969)

 

 

 

 

Her real name was Luella Bernham. She first studied under Marie Brema in Manchester and later continued her training in Italy. She began her stage career in 1920 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, where she appeared in 1922 in the premiere of Alberto Franchetti’s opera Glauco. In 1923, she made her debut at La Scala under Toscanini, performing as the First Boy in Die Zauberflöte. Performing under the name Olga Paikin, she also sang the role of Cupid in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice at La Scala.

After performing at various prominent provincial opera houses in Italy, she moved to England and became a member of both the British National Opera Company and the Carl Rosa Opera Company, where she was a true prima donna. In 1928, she briefly transitioned to musical comedies.

In 1938, she made a single appearance at Covent Garden in London as Gilda in Rigoletto. She frequently performed on BBC radio and in concerts, though her stage activity became more limited, focusing on guest performances in English theaters. She also made international appearances, singing the title role in Lakmé at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1927 and performing at the Düsseldorf Opera House during the 1932-1933 season.

Her husband was the renowned Italian tenor Angelo Minghetti.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1920 Napoli Teatro San Carlo

1922 Napoli Teatro San Carlo

1923 Milano La Scala

1927 Paris Opéra-Comique

1932 Dusseldorf Opera House

1938 London Covent Garden

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Ballo in maschera (Verdi) Saper vorreste A-0267 Vocalion, London 1926
2. Berceuse (Gretchaninov) A-0250 Vocalion, London 1925
3. Falstaff (Verdi) Nanetta’s aria A-0267 Vocalion, London 1926
4. La Capinera (Benedict) A-0236 Vocalion, London 1925
5. Lo here the gentle lark (Bishop) A-0236 Vocalion, London 1925
6. Phoebus and Pan (Bach) Air of Momus A-0250 Vocalion, London 1925
7. Rigoletto (Verdi) E il sol dell’anima (w. Minghetti) DB952 (2-054163) HMV, London 1926-06-16