In this December 1971 recorded interview (to commemorate her 75th birthday), Mme. Ponselle recalls her first Columbia recordings, as well as other highlights of her career. I created this video from the Columbia Records LP, "Rosa Ponselle Sings Verdi" (serial number Y 31150). The LP is subtitled "A tribute on her 75th Birthday with a spoken recollection of her first recordings." James A. Drake, author of "Rosa Ponselle A Centenary Biography," writes of the recording session (and the genesis of this LP): "On this brisk December 1971 afternoon, Villa Pace was being readied for the Christmas season, in anticipation of a steady stream of visitors from one to nine o'clock in the evening during each of the twelve days of Christmas. In the library, on a loveseat bordering the fireplace, Ponselle sat in front of a microphone. Seated near her was Hugh Johns, a long-time admirer who lived in nearby Pikesville. Across the room stood William Seward, who donned headphones momentarily as he made a final check of the sound levels on a Tandberg recorder. A few minutes later, at the behest of the Columbia Records division of CBS, Seward would begin recording a special interview with Ponselle, intended for inclusion on a commemorative LP he was preparing for release on Columbia's Odyssey label." "Seward, a New York-based record producer and writer, had first come to Ponselle's attention through Bidu Sayao, the celebrated Brazilian soprano with whom Seward enjoyed a close working relationship after reissuing some of her radio performances and recordings. As a courtesy, Bidu Sayao had sent Ponselle a copy of a Traviata broadcast Seward had issued as a limited-edition LP. In return, Ponselle had written a highly complimentary thank-you letter, expressing her delight not only with the performance but also with the sound quality of the recording itself. Soon this led to an exchange of letters with Seward, at his initiative as the album's producer." "In time, Seward became a consultant to Columbia Records, which retained him to produce five albums of historic recordings for a newly planned "Legendary Singers" series. One of the five albums was to be devoted to the earliest Verdi-repertoire recordings by Ponselle. When Seward sold Columbia's executives on the novel idea of recording the singer's personal recollections for inclusion on the new album, he approached her for permission to record an interview with her at Villa Pace. After she consented, Ponselle drew Hugh Johns into the discussions to help finalize the arrangements."

• published: 22 Jan 2013
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