Mafalda Favero

Giuseppina Favero (6 January 1903 – 3 September 1981), known by the pseudonym Mafalda Favero, was an Italian operatic lyric soprano.

Mafalda Favero was born in Portomaggiore, near Ferrara. When she was 17, she started studying with Alessandro Vezzani at the Bologna Conservatory and attracted the attention of Franco Alfano. She began her professional career in her early 20s in Cremona before moving to Parma where she sang several roles. She eventually transferred to La Scala where she debuted singing Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under Arturo Toscanini in 1929.

She remained one of the regular singers at La Scala until 1950, in addition to singing in London (Royal Opera House) in 1937 and 1939, and in the United States (Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera) in 1938. She had a large repertoire which included many contemporary works. She sang in the first performances of Alfano's L'ultimo Lord, Mascagni's Pinotta, Zandonai's Farsa amorosa, and Wolf-Ferrari's Il campiello, including his operatic adaptation of de Vega's play La dama Boba.

Although initially attracted to the role of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, she later blamed this for her early retirement in 1954; Favero said "the role of Cio-Cio-San was my ruination ... to sing it as I did, giving everything I had and then some, exacted an enormous price... am quite aware that Butterfly cut short my career by at least five years".

Giulietta Simionato remarked on her "animal sensuality" and said "[Favero] gave away a great deal of herself – more than was good for her – but the result was extremely moving."

She died in Milan in 1981, at age 78.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 5, 1905 (Portomaggiore), Died September 3, 1981 (Milan)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928 - 1929

Roles Represented in DAHR: soprano vocal

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia (U.K.) WB2159 10-in. between September and December 1928 Signore ascolta Mafalda Favero Soprano vocal solo vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) WB2190 10-in. between September and December 1928 Morte di Liù Mafalda Favero Soprano vocal solo vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) WB2451 10-in. between January and July 1929 Stridono lassù Mafalda Favero Soprano vocal solo vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) WB2643 10-in. between January and July 1929 Sì, mi chiamano Mimì Mafalda Favero Soprano vocal solo vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) WB2651 10-in. between January and July 1929 Non mi resta che il pianto Mafalda Favero Soprano vocal solo vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) WB2654 10-in. between January and July 1929 Son pochi fiori Mafalda Favero Soprano vocal solo vocalist, soprano vocal  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Favero, Mafalda," accessed April 30, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/359792.

Favero, Mafalda. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/359792.

"Favero, Mafalda." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 30 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/359792

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