Death of leading Met soprano, 87
mainThe Ohio-born soprano Mary Ellen Pracht who sang 314 times at the Met between 1961 until 1977 has died in Manhattan, aged 87.
Her regular roles were the Priestess in Aida, First Lady in Magic Flute and Micaëla in Carmen.
She also sang in the premiere of Barber’s Anthony and Cleopatra, and in Berg’s Lulu.
Mary Ellen Pracht certainly had a charming voice and charm is a quality which is sometimes undervalued . I have this operetta set from Readers Digest on vinyl. It is worth tracking down as several Met singers are included notably Anna Moffo .