Lucrezia Bori (1887 - 1960) in Opera and Song

Note by Alan Bilgora











The gift of a beautiful voice is considered to be a divine one. To possess a vocal quality that has a marked individuality is to be blessed indeed. One such singer was Lucrezia Bori. She, together with singers like Enrico Caruso, Titta Ruffo, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Richard Tauber and Lauritz Melchior or Amelita Galli-Curci, Luisa Tetrazzini, Rosa Ponselle and later Maria Callas among certain other noted recording artists, only need to utter a couple of notes and it is usually sufficient for the record listener to immediately recognise the singer.

Lucrezia Bori was born Lucrezia Borja (Borgia) Gonzalés de Riancho at Gandia near Valencia on 24th December, 1887. Her father was a high-ranking officer in the Spanish Army, and to protect his aristocratic lineage Lucrezia was forced to adopt ‘Bori’, so that such a distinguished name would not be demeaned by being seen on theatrical billboards. Her initial studies were at the Valencia Conservatoire where she undertook lessons in piano, composition and singing. Subsequent vocal studies continued first with Sibella and later with Maestro Melchiorre Vidal in Milan.

Bori made her debut in Rome on 31st October, 1908 as Micaëla and this led to performances at Il Teatro Politeama in Genoa as Mimi in La bohème to the Rodolfo of Angelo Bendinelli, who was one of Columbia’s early star tenors. In other Italian regional houses she sang Manon, Marguerite, Gilda and Madama Butterfly covering the seasons 1908/09. During this time at the San Carlo in Naples, where she shared the rôle of Butterfly with the thrilling Maria Farneti (1877-1955,) she also auditioned for Puccini, Toscanini, and Gatti-Casazza and secured a contract to appear at La Scala. She made her debut there on 10th January, 191l in Cimarosa’s Il matrimono segreto. In March of that year, again at La Scala, she sang Juliette in Gounod’s opera, to the Romeo of the Russian tenor Leonid Sobinov (1872-1934) and on 26th December she sang the rôle of La Guardiana delle Oche at the local première of Humperdincks’s Figli del re (Königskinder). She appeared on 4th February, 1912 at the Scala première of Nicolai’s I Vispe Comari di Windsor (Merry Wives of Windsor) when she sang the rôle of Lady Fluth (Mistress Ford) to the jovial Falstaff of Pavel Ludikar (1882-1970) the Czech bass. Further performances of Il matrimonio di segreto followed and in 1913 she appeared as a member of a starry cast as Nanetta in Verdi’s Falstaff.

In 1911 following her successes at La Scala she appeared to acclaim in Buenos Aires at Il Teatro Colon in Il matrimonio di segreto, Manon Lescaut, La bohème and Madama Butterfly, as a member of a very distinguished company.

When the New York, Metropolitan Opera made a unique tour of Europe they mounted performances at the Théâtre Châtelet, and Bori was invited to appear as a guest in Manon Lescaut. In the audience was Jean de Reszke, he evidently prophesised a great career for her and the Metropolitan management wished to engage her immediately. However bound by her two-year contract with La Scala she had wait until November 11th, 1912, before making her debut at America’s leading opera house alongside Caruso and Scotti in Manon Lescaut. It is interesting to read Henry Krehbiel (1854-1923) in his New York Times review, writing that her voice in the first act seemed to be a little pallid by comparison to that of Caruso’s, but going on to say:

‘When her opportunity came in the second act she surprised the audience, critical and uncritical alike, by the real fineness of he vocal art - by exquisite exhibition of legato singing, by exquisite diction, impeccable intonation and moving pathos. There it was found too, that the quality of the voice and its perfect emission gave it ample carrying qualities’.

So began a love affair between the Met audience and Bori that was to last for nearly a quarter of a century. She appeared in leading rôles in the standard French and Italian operas, being heard as Antonia in Tales of Hoffmann, Manon Lescaut, Mimi, Nedda, Norina, Micaëla, Despina, Juliette, Violetta, Mignon plus a number of more unusual works. She also created rôles in a number of American premières. Bori sang at the Metropolitan each season until 1936, apart from 1916-20 when throat problems kept her from the stage, and eventually required an operation.

In 1912 she again appeared at the Colon in the local première of Königskinder and that year with the Boston Opera Company she sang Mimi to the Rodolfo of John McCormack. Bori was said to create an atmosphere of personal charm, physical attractiveness, and musical artistry that thoroughly captivated the city. As a supportive colleague she appeared at the debuts of several fine singers who became Metropolitan favourites and in 1913 she sang Mimi to Giovanni Martinelli’s Rodolfo on his debut. Bori appeared on 2nd January, 1914 as Fiora in the US première of Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re with the distinguished tenor Edoardo Ferrari-Fontana (1878-1936) as Avito, a rôle he had created in Milan in 1913. Later, on 25th March she sang Lucinda in the US première of Wolf-Ferrari’s L’amore medico. Both operas were conducted by Toscanini.

Bori was again heard at the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires in 1914 as a member of an outstanding ensemble appearing in some of her now established rôles. She was the creator of Alma in Carlos López Buchardo’s opera Il sogno di Alma in which she and one of Italy’s most stylish tenors Alessandro Bonci (1870-1940), scored a great success. Leoni’s opera L’oracolo in which Bori sang Ah-Yoe was given its US première on 4th February, 1915. This opera was kept in the Metropolitan repertoire only because of Antonio Scotti’s remarkable performances as Chim-Fen and, after he sang it at his farewell in 1933, it disappeared altogether. During the 1914/15 season Mascagni’s Iris was revived for Bori and Lucca Botta, (a fine tenor who died young), and on 14th April, 1915 Toscanini made his final appearance at the Metropolitan conducting this opera.

Having recovered from the operation on her throat Bori appeared at Monte Carlo in La Bohème in 1919, singing Mimi to the Rodolfo of the 29 year old Beniamino Gigli and Nanetta to his Fenton in Falstaff, with Enrico Nani in the title rôle. On her return to the Metropolitan in 1920 she sang the eponymous rôle in the Wolf-Ferrari’s opera Il segreto di Susanna. Later that year Bori returned to Monte Carlo for further performances in Manon with Lucien Muratore as Des Grieux, La bohème again with Gigli, Zerlina in Don Giovanni to the Don of Vanni-Marcoux, and, what was becoming almost a signature rôle, Fiora in the local première of L’amore dei tre re.

On the 23rd January, 1922 at the Metropolitan she sang the title rôle in the US première of Rimsky-Korsakoff’s Snegurochka (Snowmaiden) and on 22nd March what is thought to be the first American performance of Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte, with a splendid cast that included Adamo Didur (Don Alfonso), Giuseppe De Luca (Gugliemo), Florence Easton (Fiordiligi), and George Meader (Ferrando). Bori’s Despina was though to be very pretty, saucy, mischievous and beautifully sung. On the 16th November that year she again sang Fiora in L’amore dei tre re with the Canadian tenor Edward Johnson (1878-1959), later to become the Metropolitan Manager, making his debut. On 23rd February, 1923 the Met gave the American première of Vittadini’s Anima allegra with Bori, Lauri Volpi, Armand Tokatyan, and Marion Telva in the cast. Although the music was thought to be fresh, free, spontaneous and melodious, the opera was considered undistinguished.

L’Amico Fritz, Mascagni’s lovely pastoral opera which had initially received only two performances (during the 1893/4 season), was revived for Bori in the 1923/4 season. She sang the rôle of Suzel to the Fritz of the brilliant Spanish tenor Miguel Fleta, the rôle of Rabbi David being undertaken by the fine baritone Giuseppe Danise. On 2nd January, 1925 Falstaff was successfully revived with Scotti in a rôle for which he had become famous. Bori was well received as Mistress Ford, but this time it was Lawrence Tibbett who ran away with the honours as ‘local boy makes good’ with his singing of Ford’s monologue.

Bori sang Mélisande in the first Metropolitan Opera Company production of Pelléas et Mélisande on 21st March 1925. Mary Garden, the creator of the rôle in Paris, had sung Mélisande in New York in 1911 with the visiting Chicago and Philadelphia Opera Company, and memories of her performance might have been expected to give rise to adverse comparisons. However, Lawrence Gilman in his New York Herald Tribune review wrote of Bori’s performance that she was able ‘to bring the character to life in an incarnation that has unity of plan and line, sensitiveness of feeling, delicacy and vividness of denotement’.

In the 1925/6 season Boris sang in the Metropolitan Opera’s first performances of Ravel’s L’heure espagnole, with Lawrence Tibbett and Adamo Didur, and the US première of Falla’s La vida breve with Armand Tokatyan (1894-1960), the Armenian tenor. On 10th March, 1928 she was part of a star cast that included Gigli and Tokatyan enjoying great success at the local première of Puccini’s La rondine. It had various revivals over the next few seasons and in the 1935/6 season was the last opera in which she would appear. In the 1930/l season the first US production of Lattuada’s Le preziose ridicole took place, in which Bori sang Madelon, alongside the beautiful mezzo-soprano Gladys Swarthout (later a film star), Armand Tokatyan and Mario Basiola. On 7th February, 1931 Bori appeared in the World première of Deems Taylor’s Peter Ibbotson with Edward Johnson in the title rôle. Bori sang in all sixteen performance of the work, and was well reported by W.J. Henderson the Dean of New York critics as being ‘beautifully costumed, looked adorable, acted with dignity and sang well’.

The Great Depression of the late 1920s had caused severe financial difficulties at the Metropolitan and Bori - always one of their best box-office attractions - was persuaded to delay her planned retirement from 1933 to 1936. She also became Chairperson of the ‘Committee to save the Metropolitan Opera House’ and through her performances, public addresses and appeals worked to raise the funds that ultimately enabled the company to survive.

As late as 1933 she was heard for the first time at the San Francisco Opera in Manon with Dino Borgioli as her Des Grieux, and in La bohème with Borgioli as Rodolfo. In the same season Bori appeared as Nedda in Pagliacci with Martinelli and Tibbett. She returned to San Francisco in 1934 when she appeared in Manon, this time with Richard Crooks, the Radio and Metropolitan favourite, as her Des Grieux. Crooks also sang Alfredo to her Violetta in La traviata. Puccini’s La rondine was given with Bori singing Magda and Borgioli as Ruggero and she also undertook the title rôle in Thomas’s Mignon with Borgioli as Wilhelm Meister and the great bass Ezio Pinza as Lothario.

On 19th March, 1935 she was invited to take part in the Gala Farewell concert given to honour Gatti-Casazza. Her own Gala Farewell took place the following year on 29th March, 1936 and evidently raised £20,000 all of which Bori donated to the house. Bori, like John McCormack, had been among the first classical singers to broadcast on radio, and after retirement she continued to make the occasional broadcast.

Although her career had blossomed in Italy and she had sung in South America and in other USA operatic centres with great success, the Metropolitan Opera in New York was her artistic home. She was the first woman to join the Board of the Met. Lucrezia Bori enjoyed a secluded and quiet retirement, but to the end of her days she was always interested in the fortunes of the Company and in the development of any young artist associated with that great house. Lucrezia Bori died in New York on 12th May, 1960.

Bibliography

Metropolitan Opera Annals. Seltsam. The H.W. Wilson Company (New York, 1947)
The Record Collector. J.Dennis (Ipswich, 1948)
El Teaetro Colon. J. Hector Matera (Buenos Aires, 1958)
Il Teatro alla Scala. G. Ricordi (Milan, 1964)
The Boston Opera Company. Quaintance Easton. Appleton-Century (New York, 1965)
Opera in Chicago. Ronald Davis. Appleton-Century (New York, 1966)
Due Secoli di Lirica a GenovaEdilio Frassoni. Cassa di Risparmio (Genoa, 1980)
Grosses Sängerlexicon. Kutch/Riemans. A.Francke AG Verlag (Bern, 1987)
Il Teatro di San CarloCarlo Marinelli Roscioni. Guida Editori (Naples, 1987)
The Art of the Prima Donna. Frederick Martens. D.Appleton & Co. (New York, 1923)
50 Years of the San Francisco Opera. Arthur Bloomfield. (San Francisco Book Company, 1972)

The Recordings

It has always been difficult to assess the actual size of any singers’ voice from recordings alone. Vocal timbre, intensity and the rôles they sang regularly in the opera house are of course the best indication. However the musicality, personality and charm of each artist’s performance is immediately apparent. In the case of Lucrezia Bori one is conscious of a singer of special qualities. Exquisite was an adjective often used by the critics, when commenting on her appearances in the theatre, and certainly the recordings do justice to her reputation.

Sometimes we search the catalogues of early Record Companies expecting to find examples of singers performing rôles that they created, or delivering arias from operas which they premièred, only to find that their legacy is restricted to a handful of popular arias and songs. Happily Bori was able to leave a recorded legacy that reflected not only the standard repertoire, but also some of the unusual rôles she undertook in her career. Seen as a whole these recordings testify to her musicianship and her ability to sing a wide variety of different characters. The final sessions, accompanied by George Copeland (1882-1971) deserve special mention. Copeland was born in Boston, and studied with Teresa Carreño and Harold Bauer. In 1911 he worked with Debussy for several months, becoming in the process a great champion of French twentieth century piano literature. His unusual partnering with Bori produces exceptional results in this group of Spanish songs, into which she was able to invest a strong Iberian personality and complete understanding of the texts.


© 2006 Alan Bilgora

All rights of the producer and of the owner of the recorded work reserved.
Unauthorised copying, public performance and broadcasting of this recording prohibited.