Born in Rome on 4 August 1929, The next year she had debuts at both the
Royal Opera House in London, as Puccini's
Tosca, and the
Metropolitan Opera in New York City, as his
Madama Butterfly. Her performance of the final trio from
Faust with
Nicolai Gedda and
Jerome Hines was the penultimate item in the gala for the Met's final performance in its first theatre on 16 April 1966. When she first appeared there as Mimì in 1964, partnered by
Franco Corelli, a reviewer for
The New York Times said: "It was Miss Tucci's Mimì that gave the evening its warmest glow. The soprano does not have the most seductive of voices, butbarring a couple of off‐pitch notesshe put it to affecting use in many an exquisite phrase. Slim and lovely to look at, she created a whole character, now shy, now pathetic, now ecstatic, always believable." Tucci also appeared at the
Opera di Roma,
Arena di Verona,
Vienna State Opera, and in Berlin, Moscow, Tokyo and Buenos Aires. She traveled with the La Scala Opera to Moscow and Tokyo, participating in performances recorded live. Tucci performed in a wide range of operas from the
bel canto of Bellini's
I puritani to
verismo works. Her repertoire encompassed eighty roles, including in English, French, German and Russian. Tucci made two commercial recordings,
Pagliacci in 1959, opposite
Mario Del Monaco, and
Il trovatore in 1964, opposite Franco Corelli, but she can be heard in a number of live performances, including in Cherubini's
Medea and in Donizetti's ''
Il furioso all'isola di San Domingo''. Tucci also appeared in concert. In February 1968, she sang in performances of Verdi's
Requiem, with George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra and chorus, in what was described as "a vibrant quartet" with
Janet Baker,
Pierre Duval and
Martti Talvela. She died in Rome at age 90. == Discography ==