KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Golden Voices: Interview with Ina Souez: Program One
Analog Audio
Event Type
Interview and MusicOrigin
KPFAIdentifier
GV.1960.06.28Program Series
Golden VoicesProgram Length
59 minsDates
1960-06-28 | broadcast| 402 | created
Description
In the first of two self-contained one hour programs originally recorded in 1960, Anthony Boucher interviews soprano Ina Souez, about her career as an opera singer. Although Souez spent much of her time performing in the great European opera houses during the 1920s and 30s, she was in fact born to a family of Cherokee decent in Colorado in 1903. Souez initially studied with the Canadian singer Florence Hinman, before moving to Milan at the age of 18, where she quickly made an impression and was soon performing across Europe. She married an English diplomat in the 1930s, moving to the U.K. where she became a regular performer at the influential Glyndebourne Festival and Covent Garden. After World War II, she largely gave up opera and instead toured extensively as a jazz singer performing with Spike Jones’ band the City Slickers, before retiring from the stage and working as a vocal coach. In this interview she reminisces about many of the opera singers that she worked with and admired, and Boucher intersperses her remarks with a number of early recording recordings by these very same singers. Unlike many of her contemporary prima donnas, Ms. Souez has nothing but good things to say about her colleagues, and she is perfectly delightful as she answers Boucher’s insightful questions.Genres
OperasMusical Selections
Per pietà, ben mio, perdona [rondo from “Così Fan Tutte,” libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte] (ca. 1790) (7:37) / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- Vicino a te s'acqueta [duet from “Andrea Chenier,” libretto by Luigi Illica) (ca. 1896) (3:04) / Umberto Giordano -- Quando le sere al placido [aria from “Luisa Miller,” libretto by Salvadore Cammarano) (ca. 1849) (3:36) / Giuseppe Verdi -- In questa reggia [aria from “Turandot.” libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni] (1920-26) (5:37) / Giacomo Puccini [completed by Franco Alfano] -- Oh! Che muso, che figura! [duet from “L'italiana in Algeri,” libretto by Angelo Anelli] (1813) (4:20) / Gioacchino Rossini -- Ingemisco [from “Messa da Requiem”] (ca. 1874) (3:59) / Giuseppe VerdiPerformers
Ina Souez, soprano (Per)Glyndebourne Festival Orchestra (Per)
Fritz Busch, conductor (Per)
Margaret Sheridan, soprano (Vicino)
Aureliano Pertile, tenor (Vicino ; Quando)
Eva Turner, soprano (In questa)
Conchita Supervía, soprano (Oh!)
Vincenzo Bettoni, baritone (Oh!)
Jussi Björling, (Ingemisco)
Subjects
Operas -- ExcerptsRequiems -- Excerpts
Related places
Berkeley (Calif.) (was recorded at)Berkeley (Calif.) (was broadcast at)
Related Entities
Glyndebourne Festival OrchestraBoucher, Anthony, 1911-1968
Souez, Ina
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791
Da Ponte, Lorenzo, 1749-1838
Giordano, Umberto, 1867-1948
Illica, Luigi, 1857-1919
Verdi, Giuseppe, 1813-1901
Cammarano, Salvatore, 1801-1852
Puccini, Giacomo, 1858-1924
Alfano, Franco, 1875-1954
Adami, Giuseppe, 1878-1946
Simoni, Renato, 1875-1952
Rossini, Gioacchino, 1792-1868
Anelli, Angelo, 1761-1820
Busch, Fritz, 1890-1951
Sheridan, Margaret, 1889-1958
Pertile, Aureliano, 1885-1952
Turner, Eva, Dame, 1892-1990
Supervía, Conchita, 1895-1936
Bettoni, Vincenzo
Björling, Jussi, 1911-1960