Arias from The Golden Cockerel, Manon, La sonnambula & Lakmé - Arias and Duets from Rigoletto

This release celebrates the centenary of the soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs (who died in 2015). Often overlooked nowadays (not least because of the small number of recordings she made), she was nevertheless a pioneer in her time, one of the very first Afro-descendants to make her mark on the operatic stage. Originally from Atlanta, and close to Reverend King's family, she made her stage debut in 1952 and was soon noticed by the biggest venues, to the point where in 1956 she became the second black woman to ever play a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera after Marian Anderson. This recital, recorded in her heyday, includes arias by Rimsky-Korsakov, Massenet, Delibes and Bellini, as well as excerpts from Rigoletto in which she portrays Gilda alongside Rolando Panerai.