None shall sleep

RIP songbird Deanna Durbin, who has died aged 91.

Here's her beautiful rendition of Nessun Dorma [None Shall Sleep] from Puccini's Turandot:

Deanna Durbin - Nessun Dorma

Read the article in Variety

You are the one

It's Sunday, and we're off to an evening of Victorian Music Hall at one of our favourite venues Wilton's tonight, in aid of their restoration fund. I can't wait!

It's also the lovely Deanna Durbin's 90th birthday today - one of the last survivors from the "Golden Age" of Hollywood. I have (needless to say) blogged about Miss Durbin and her estimable vocal talents before, but in the true spirit of what we call "Sunday Music", here's a bit more...

I love Miss Durbin's version of the Cole Porter classic Night and Day:

Deanna Durbin - Night and Day

Here she does sweet justice to Delibes' Les Filles de Cadiz, a song we adore:

Deanna Durbin - Les Filles de Cadiz

And finally, who even knew there were lyrics to Carl Maria von Weber's Invitation to the Dance?

Deanna Durbin - Invitation to the Dance

Many happy returns!

Deanna Durbin Showcase

Can't help singing

It was the 88th birthday yesterday of the lovely Deanna Durbin, known as the "Canadian songbird".

Deanna was launched on Hollywood's big screen as a fifteen-year-old (alongside another young aspiring star, Miss Judy Garland) way back in 1936 - and her beautiful operatic voice became an instant sensation. So popular were her versions of arias by Puccini and Gounod that allegedly the Japanese used to try and break the spirits of their US prisoners-of-war by telling them their idol was dead...

Miss Durbin made numerous movies during the 30s and 40s, including Three Smart Girls and Can't Help Singing, and even some non-musical films such as Lady on a Train. Allegedly, it was her vocal style that influenced Kiri ti Kanawa, and even the composer Rostropovich cited her as his inspiration.

Surprisingly, given her potential to become as big a star as La Garland, Deanna Durbin's career ended in 1950. She married, moved to Paris, and walked away from her film and recording contract for ever. And there she still resides - to this day she refuses (despite numerous efforts) to come out of retirement and perform again, or to talk to the media about her success.

Many happy returns to a beautiful lady! Here are couple of Miss Durbin's greatest screen musical moments:

Deanna Durbin - Begin the Beguine

Deanna Durbin - Un Bel Di

Deanna Durbin on IMDB