Video evidence has been uncovered that shows Italian opera singer Magda Olivero’s dazzling brilliance was only slightly dimmed by age.
Italian verismo soprano Magda Olivero maintained one of opera’s most exceptional voices at the age of 96.
A video of Olivero singing Franck’s ‘Panis Angelicus’ in a Catholic church in Italy has gone viral on Facebook, drawing praise for her crystalline voice and profoundly lovely tone.
Olivero would perform in the Church of Sulden on Ferragosto, the national holiday celebrated in Italy on August 15 every year (Parrocchia di Solda).
Olivero is acknowledged as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century and is frequently referred to as the ‘last verismo soprano.’
Her signature roles, which were title roles in Puccini’s Tosca and Luigi Cherubini’s Medea, were befitting highly stylized and dramatic performances in her ‘verismo’ style.
Olivero had one of the longest careers in opera history thanks to her flawless technique.
Nearly 50 years after the typical retirement age for singers, she delivered her final public performance when she was 99 years old.
Olivero received half-hour standing ovations and yells of genuine joy from the crowd even in her older years performing on the opera stage.
In 1997, American Record Guide praised a two-disc set of arias, saying, “She reigns supreme, singing with an abandon and fervor that will leave you tired.”
Magda Olivero debuted in the 1930s and continued to perform well into the twenty-first century. After having a stroke a month earlier, she passed away on September 8th, 2014, at the age of 104.