Described by Maria Callas as ‘the greatest singer of us all’, the American-born Rosa Ponselle (1897-1981) is acknowledged as one of the outstanding dramatic sopranos of the twentieth century. Without any previous experience of the operatic stage, she made her Metropolitan début in Verdi’s La forza del destino opposite Caruso in 1918. Following her enormous success, she became the Metropolitan’s leading soprano, appearing in twenty-one rôles throughout her career. This first disc of Ponselle’s 1923-1929 American recordings features arias from three Verdi operas, and includes a number of alternative takes unpublished on 78rpm.