Anita Cerquetti

She sang all over Italy, notably in Florence as Noraime in Gli abencerragi (the Italian version of Les abencérages) under Carlo Maria Giulini in 1956, and as Elvira in Ernani under Dimitri Mitropoulos in 1957.

In America she sang a little; her debut there was in 1955 at Lyric Opera of Chicago as Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, opposite Jussi Björling and with Tullio Serafin conducting.

In July 1958 she was due to make her debut at London's Royal Opera House, as Aida,[2] but had to withdraw after a late June appendectomy (she was replaced by Leontyne Price);[3] she was destined never to sing there.

She made only two studio recordings, both for Decca in 1957: a recital of Italian opera arias and a complete La Gioconda with Mario del Monaco, Ettore Bastianini, Giulietta Simionato and Cesare Siepi under Gianandrea Gavazzeni.

But there are many pirated live recordings, and a few of them — such as the 1957 Florence Ernani (with del Monaco, Bastianini, Boris Christoff, and Mitropoulos conducting), the 1958 Mexico City Aida (with Flaviano Labò, Nell Rankin, Cornell MacNeil, Fernando Corena and Norman Treigle) and the 1958 Rome Norma (with Franco Corelli) — are legendary.