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Anna Russell, 1911-2006

By Stephanie Ciccarelli

October 21, 2006

Comments (1)

Anna Russell, a singer who instilled a humorous appreciation for the opera in a variety of people and the musical community, has died.

I was reading a blog this evening called TheGlitteringEye and discovered that one of the voices I had heard on the radio many a happy (and humorous) time, had passed away this Wednesday.

That woman was Anna Russell, the inspiration of many and the comedic companion for numerous students of voice over the years.

Anna Russell, a contemporary of the late musical comedian and piano player Victor Borge, was blunt, brash, and knew how to 'let 'er rip'.

Her recordings, available in vinyl form at my alma mater, were played on the CBC occasionally, satirizing the great divas, arias and operas of masters long buried in their graves.

Anna Russell was born in my hometown, London, ON Canada on December 27th, 1911. She lived here on and off in Canada (in Unionville, Ontario to be exact) and in her later years, resided in Batemans Bay, New South Wales, Australia, with her adopted daughter, Deirdre Prussak until her death this week on October 18th, 2006.

Her lengthy life could be attributed to her sense of humor and love of life.

Do you have any memories of Anna Russell that you would like to share?

Best,

Stephanie

Comments

Stephanie,

We have a couple of Anna Russell recordings at our house and get great delight from them each time they are played.

While she was a very funny lady, the humor sometimes hid her tremendous talent. Indeed, my appreciation for Wagner's Ring Cycle grew after listening to her immortal parody. Such were the quality of her insights as they were delivered with such a delicious sense of humor.

Be well,
Bob

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