Melba the Voice of Australia

Rating:
Summary: If you read only one Melba biography, let it be THIS one
Review: Of all the Melba biographies, Therese Radic's is my favorite. Although she recounts facts and legends already recounted in the half-dozen Melba biographies that preceded hers, she has a more expansive view, seeing the big picture and placing Melba squarely in the context of her time and place. In addition to the work of Hetherington, Colson, Murphy and Moran (whose Melba compendium appeared at almost the same time as Radic's "Melba: The Voice of Australia"), Radic seems to have had access to several individuals who knew Melba, at least one of whom remained anonymous. It was that source who supplied the fascinating information, published here for the first time, that Melba's fatal infection was the result of a facelift, from which she contracted erysipelas, not from some mysterious illness contracted on the Nile or watercress she ate in London. Giving credit where it is due, Radic draws upon her predecessors, particularly upon Hetherington, who will always hold pride of place for being the first to sift through the accumulated and hazy Melba legend to get to the facts, but Radic always seems to be able to go a step further, to find another angle. For example, in discussing Melba's famous and fateful attempt at the "Siegfried" Brunhilde, Radic emphasizes that it was Melba's first role in German, her Elizabeth and Elsa being in French and Italian. For Melba, whose technique was based on Italian and French vowels, the foray into German may have been as deadly as the strenuous vocal demands of the role. Previous authors either pass over that fact quickly or omit it all together. Radic compares versions of stories and suggests which might be more accurate and often uses side text to present extended quotes from other authors, paralleling her text with both alternate and supporting versions. Her prose is concise but never dry and the book is illustrated with numerous pictures. The Appendices include Melba's roles, dates of her performances at the MET, Oscar Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera House and Covent Garden as well as her tours in 1912-13 and 1913-14. Also included is a complete discography. If you read only one Melba biography, this should be the one.