In Torre Pelaso, Bari, Lucia Albanese, a world-renowned Arbëreshë artist, was born. In 1934, she made her debut at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan as an understudy in Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly. Lucia Albanese quickly achieved great success worldwide, particularly for her performances in Carmen, L’amico Fritz, and Madame Butterfly in Italy, France, and England. She made her debut at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on February 9, 1940, in a role she would play more than 300 times throughout her career. At the time of her Metropolitan debut, she was only 26 years old. She stood out for her acting talent and technical singing ability, demonstrating high preparation for the operatic stage. Lucia Albanese appeared in a variety of operas, but she was most associated with those by Italian composers Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi. Her most famous roles included the condemned geisha Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, the delicate Parisian figure Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, and the ailing courtesan Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata. Lucia Albanese sang alongside many great tenors of her time, including Franco Corelli, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Jussi Bjorling, and Giacinto Prandelli, and was a favorite of the renowned conductor Arturo Toscanini. In 1974, Albanese founded the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation to support young artists and singers. Throughout her long career, Lucia Albanese received several of the highest honors in the United States. On October 5, 1995, President Bill Clinton awarded her the National Medal of Arts, and five years later, in 2000, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani presented her with the Handel Medallion, New York City’s highest honor for contributions to its cultural life. She passed away in 2014. (In the photo: Lucia Albanesi)
Text: Center of Studies and Publications for Arbëreshët, Tirana.
Photo: © Center for Studies and Publications for Arbëreshët, Tirana.
Graphic processing: AHCF
