Olive Middleton. The Private Late Studio Recordings. New York ca. 1950.

I was introduced to the recordings of Olive Middleton by my friend John Ardoin during one of my many visits to Dallas in the final decade of the last century. He had known her personally, having attended quite a few performances of the La Puma Opera Company. Middleton, although of extremely advanced age, had managed to capture a section of the New York opera audience which simply adored her and her performances, as can be heard from the enthusiastic applause and bravos. There was even a special fan club, and the events were apparently much anticipated, being a combination of alternative culture, socializing, and cruising. The two photos I have used to accompany these videos were given to me by John, and I think he may possibly have taken them in the theatre. Of course, for those who do not know the recordings of Olive Middleton, they may come as a bit of a shock. They are, of course, grotesque, but they are also a testament, to a certain extent, to great determination. As she herself often said, having had a professional career in London during the 1920s and 1930s, her years at La Puma were the happiest of her life. Here are just a few highlights from the many performances that were recorded by her fans in the theatre. However, John also gave me copies of five studio recordings, all of which Middleton must have made in the 1950s, presumably for audition or promotional purposes. I have never seen these reproduced on any platform, and so I have uploaded them here. Make of them what you will. It is all somehow part of the great and extraordinary world of opera and its singers. Olive Middleton was one of the most unusual figures in twentieth-century opera. Born in Britain in 1891, she trained as a lyric soprano and enjoyed a respectable professional career in the 1920s, including appearances at London’s Royal Opera House, where she sang roles such as Musetta in La Bohème under Thomas Beecham. She also performed in provincial opera and concert work in Britain before the Second World War. After the war, she emigrated to the United States with her husband, encouraged by her friend, the soprano Marie Powers. Her conventional operatic career largely faded, and for some years she appeared only occasionally. What made Middleton famous among opera collectors, however, was her extraordinary late-life revival. In her sixties and seventies she became the star soprano of the La Puma Opera Workshop, run by Josephine La Puma. There she undertook some of the most demanding dramatic soprano roles in the repertoire—Tosca, Norma, Donna Anna, Sieglinde, Lady Macbeth, and others—long after most singers would have retired. Her performances developed a devoted cult following among New York opera enthusiasts. A 1966 interview quoted Middleton saying: “The best part of my career has been with the La Puma Opera Workshop, my happiest days.” The La Puma audiences adored her. Stories circulated of fans throwing roses onto the stage after Tosca and demanding that she learn new roles simply so they could hear her sing them. Despite vocal limitations in old age, she sang with immense conviction and theatrical commitment, qualities that made her a legendary cult figure in New York opera circles. Even Metropolitan Opera singers were known to attend La Puma performances. Olive Middleton died in 1974. Today she is remembered less for her early professional career than for her astonishing late years at La Puma, where she became a symbol of sheer devotion to opera. Among collectors of private recordings and “outsider opera” performances, her name still inspires affection and fascination. Aida: Ritorna Vincitor Trovatore: D'amore sull'ali rosee Gioconda: Suicidio Nozze di Figaro: Porgi amor Ernani: Ernani involami Recorded in New York, ca. 1950.