Ebe Stignani

Short in stature and by no means slender, mezzo-soprano Ebe Stignani was a paragon among twentieth-century singers in her vocal range, a compass sweeping from low F to a shining high C of a quality and power many dramatic sopranos envied. Although she herself admitted to being no actress, her stage appearances carried enormous force through her singing alone. Her career was born in an age of other great mezzos and extended nearly three decades into the prime years of Giulietta Simionato, Elena Nicolai, and Fedora Barbieri. She recorded often, preserving several of her most cel...