Stella Roman

Stella Roman (23 August 1904 – 12 February 1992) was a Romanian operatic soprano whose career brought her leading roles in Italy and the United States.

Background and training Stella Roman (née Florica Viorica Alma Stela Blasu) was born in 1904 in Kolozsvár, Austria-Hungary (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania). She came from a musical background, and studied singing for eight years before making her concert début in Cluj and then in Bucharest. She then won a scholarship to continue her training in Italy with the great verismo interpreter , of whom she later said: "her style did not really suit me". Roman moved on to study with Hariclea Darclée (who had created the title role of Tosca at the première in 1900), and was much happier under her guidance: "she taught me the value of every word and phrase".

After her retirement, she took up painting and her work was exhibited. She died of respiratory failure at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York at the age of 87.

Recordings Several of Roman's performance at the Metropolitan Opera were recorded and have now been reissued on CD, including:

Un ballo in maschera, as Amelia, conducted by Ettore Panizza. February 1942. La forza del destino, as Leonora, conducted by Bruno Walter. January 1943. (Of this performance, Alan Blyth has written: "Stella Roman ... yields few points to such notable interpreters as Ponselle, Milanov and Tebaldi ... she uses her warm generous voice to unerring effect".) Otello, as Desdemona, with Torsten Ralf, conducted by George Szell. 1946.

In addition, a recording of assorted opera arias with Artur Rodziński conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, along with excerpts from Verdi's Aida with Karl Kritz conducting (1945–50), was released on Eklipse in 1997.

Roman also reported that she had made some recordings of Romanian folk-songs with her compatriot George Enescu, but it is not certain whether these were ever released. She also recorded as a soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy in May 1945. (Columbia Masterworks set mm-591)