Storchio, Rosina. (1876-1945)
Signed Hand-Colored Postcard
A beautiful hand-colored postcard of the Italian lyric soprano who created many Puccini, Leoncavallo, and Mascagni roles, and was the first Madame Butterfly at La Scala. She has signed very boldly across the hand-colored and embellished image, dated Buenos Aires, 1904. Addressed on the verso to the collector, Ramona Imaz Otaño, with original stamp and postmark: August 10, 1904. In very fine condition. 5.5 x 3.5 inches (13.8 x 8.7 cm)."[Storchio] was very popular in Spain, singing frequently at Barcelona and Madrid between 1898 and 1923, and in Buenos Aires (1904–14). In 1921 she appeared at the Manhattan Opera House, New York, and in Chicago. Among her notable parts were Mimì, Massenet’s Manon, and the title role in Mascagni’s Lodoletta, which she sang at the first performance (1917, Rome). Her voice was not large, but flexible, pure and sweet; at the height of the popularity for verismo opera she personified the lyrical, refined, gentle school of singing. Her plaintive and fragile Cio-Cio-San was typical of this approach, in contrast to the more lively and dramatic style of Krusceniski and Destinn. But in other roles, such as Violetta or Manon, her acute sensitivity led her to depict the characters with passionate and touching impulsiveness." (Rodolfo Celletti, New Grove.) (13474)
Signed Photograph Opera