Search - Anna Maria Alberghetti :: Sings for You

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B. Tupper | Ramona, CA United States | 01/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I was in high school (in the early 50s) I bought a 45 of Anna Maria singing "Cara Nome." I treasured it for years, wore it out, thought it was the best performance of any opera aria by any singer ever, and have tried ever since to replace it. That was the piece she made her international reputation on as a young teenager--with a magnificent coloratura soprano voice, total pitch control, and a wonderful ability to make difficult leaps with absolute precision. Then she came to America and descended into the Hollywood and Las Vegas scenes. This album is placed in the middle of that slide into deserved obscurity. There are some fine performances of some great arias here, and some songs that are not so good. Perhaps she would have made a great singing career if she had not been so beautiful, but her immense beauty and modest acting talents sucked her into B movies and cheap music.



Anyhow, there is some great music in this album, and her voice still shows now and then at its wonderful best. If it contained a track of her "Cara Nome" it would be a great treasure. As it stands, it is still worth having, if only for a retrospective look at an unfulfilled potential."