Antonietta Stella

Seeming from time to time a serious contender for consideration with the great prima donnas of her time -- Callas, Tebaldi, and Milanov -- Antonietta Stella never quite pulled together all the elements of her lavish gift. An immensely attractive woman with large, deep-set eyes and a figure that would have found favor in Hollywood, she presented an appealing stage presence but was not always able to control her impulsive histrionic inclinations. Although her vocal endowment led her to an early debut, her lovely spinto-weight soprano was not sufficiently technically secure and n...