Description

 MARIA LABIA (VERONA, ITALY, 14 FEBRUARY, 1880 – MALCESINE, LAKE GARDA, ITALY, 10 FEBRUARY, 1953)

 

 

 

 

Her sister was the famous soprano Fausta Labia, who was married to the tenor Emilio Perea. She studied with her mother, Cecilia Labia, and made her debut in 1905 as Mimì in La Bohème in Stockholm. In 1907, she appeared at the Komische Oper in Berlin as Tosca, later returning to perform as Carmen, Marta in Tiefland, Salome, and other roles. She sang at the Manhattan Opera House in New York (1908–1909), La Scala (1912), and the Paris Opéra (1913).

In 1916, she was imprisoned for a year in Ancona on suspicion of being a German agent. After the war, she resumed her career, performing as Giorgetta in the first European performance of Il tabarro (1919, Rome) and reprising the role later that year in Buenos Aires. In the first La Scala production of Wolf-Ferrari’s I quattro rusteghi (1922), she portrayed Felice, a role that became her favorite and which she continued to perform until 1936.

Her performances in verismo operas were characterized as impulsive and, for their time, “shamelessly sensual.” She used her warm, though not especially large, voice with a particular reliance on the chest register. Some early recordings of her Tosca and Carmen remain, offering a glimpse into her artistry.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1905 Stockholm Opera

1907 Berlin Komische Oper

1908 New York Manhattan Opera

1909 New York Manhattan Opera

1912 Milan La Scala

1913 Paris Opéra

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Odeon, Berlin 1908-05-01

Carmen (Bizet): Ja, die Liebe hat bunte Flügel 50481 xB 3632

Carmen (Bizet): Draußen am Wall von Sevilla 50482 xB 3633

 

Odeon, Berlin 1909-09-01

Carmen (Bizet): Bist du endlich da? with Hermann Jadlowker 50632 xB 4560

Carmen (Bizet): Ins Quartier, zum Appell? with Hermann Jadlowker 50633 xB 4561

Trovatore (Verdi): Hab’ Erbarmen, o Herr, mit einer Seele with Hermann Jadlowker 50631 xB 4575

Ballo in maschera (Verdi): Weißt du nicht, daß, wenn Schlangen der Reue with Hermann Jadlowker  50634 xB 4564mb

 

Edison

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Tu l’as dit oui, tu m’aimes with Valentin Jaume 3161-B Unpubl.

 

Edison 4-min cylinders, London 1911?

Otello (Verdi): Ave Maria 35021

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni): Voi lo sapete BA 28114

Tosca (Puccini): Non la sospiri BA 28153

 

Edison, London 1912?

Seconda mattinata (Leoncavallo) 82010