THE SONGBIRD: Russian soprano Deborah Pantofel-Nechetskaya (1904 - 1998) (Дебо́ра Панто́фель-Нече́цкая) studied piano and voice in Omsk, where she was born, and then at the Leningrad State Conservatory. She won voice competitions, and was honored with the Stalin prize in 1946. She sang frequently on radio, and in 1941 became a soloist at the Bolshoi with roles including Violetta, Lakme, Gilda, Rosina, and Juliette. Pantofel toured extensively in concert and recital, including to Czechoslovakia and Iran. A coloratura footnote: It was to Pantofel that Gliere dedicated his famous Concerto for Coloratura Soprano in 1941.

THE MUSIC: Meyerbeer's 1859 opera-comique "Dinorah," originally titled "Le pardon de Ploërmel," premiered in Paris with Marie Cabel in the title role of a country girl who has already gone mad before the start of the opera! Why? Her bridegroom disappeared following a storm that interrupted their wedding. "Dinorah" was a popular success for 50 years, partly for the quaint music but also out of the novelty of having a live goat and running water on stage. It was kept in the repertory as a favorite showcase role for starry coloratura sopranos including Adelina Patti, Nellie Melba, Caroline Miolan-Carvalho, Marie Van Zandt (the first to sing it at The Met, in 1892), Amelita Galli-Curci, Ilma de Murska, Luisa Tetrazzini, Maria Barrientos, and Lily Pons. Rightly deemed old-fashioned with the rise of verismo, it faded from opera stages and is rarely revived today. However, its most famous aria "Ombre legere" is still a go-to showpiece programmed in recitals and concerts due to its charming tune and coloratura echo effects as Dinorah sings and dances with her shadow.