A compilation of material involving tenors. Lots of bizarre stuff amidst some truly exciting singing....but get ready...this podcast is defintely not for purists like me.   (71 glorious minutes)

I thought it might be fun (and you can use it as a quiz, as long as you turn down the volume when I introduce the selections) to select various files from the zillions I have and make up a pot-pourri for you. If you like the idea, let me know, and in the future I can do others.

Featured are:  (in order)

Paul Schoeffler, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Dmitri Smirnov, Jussi Bjoerling, Franz Voelker, Virginia Zeani, Daniele Barioni, Shirley Verrett, Vassilka Petrova (oi vey!), Maria Callas, Leonard Warren, Anita Cerquetti, Mario del Monaco and Victoria de los Angeles, Jussi Bjoerling and Robert Merrill, and Zinka Milanov.   (71 min.)

  Let  me know if you like this idea.  as ever  Charlie

   Even in "the wrong language" this magnificent 1950 Macbeth from Berlin in 1950 under Joseph Keilberth will thrill you, especially owing to the power and intelligence of Martha Moedl, one of the great divas of opera.
   Also in the cast is the superb Josef Metternich as Macbeth, Theo Hermann as Banquo, and Alfred Hulgert as Macduff.  (67 min.)

The happiest of birthdays (Jan.22) to the superb tenor (and lovable guy) Joseph Calleja. Mr.Calleja, who hails from Malta, is fast becoming one of opera's most renowned artists and here are some examples of his great voice:

 The arias are from:  Mme.Butterfly, Adriana Lecouvreur, Don Sebastiano, La Belle Helene, Romeo et Juliette, I Lombardi, and La Traviata.

   I also must mention that yesterday we celebrated (well, I did, anyway) the birthdays of two other great stars, Placido Domingo and Carlo Handelmaniac(Or is it EGOmaniac?)

Now do not shoot me for the following:

    "Were I the impresario of an opera house years ago, and heard boy soprano Calleja, I would cast him in "Die Frau Ohne Schatten" so we could therefore call him the "Maltese Falcon."

                         With all my best to a great guy!     Charlie

Highlights from Mascagni's "Iriis," a much-neglected work.

Featured, from four separate recordings are:

Magda Olivero,Clara Petrella, Ilona Tokody, Giuseppe Di Stefano,Placido Domingo, and Giulio Neri.  (72 min.)

These are highlights from the English National Opera 1982 performance (live) of Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda," sung in English under Charles Mackerras. Featured is the phenomenal Dame Janet Baker and as cast that also includes:

Rosalind Plowright    Elizabetta
David Rendall           Leicester
John Tomlinson        Talbot
Alan Opie                  Cecil
Angela Bostock           Hannah Kennedy
                       (55 min.)          

Several great singers sing sings by Francesco Paolo Tosti.In order they are:

Mattia Battistini, Augusto Dianni, Tom Burke, Alfred Piccaver, Charles Dalmores, Fernando de Lucia, Giuseppe Anselmi, John McCormack, Richard Tauber, Enrico Caruso, Dusolina Giannnini, Adelina Patti, Emma Eames, Rosa Ponselle, and Luisa Tetrazzini.  (57 min.)

Highlights from two performances of Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro."

First we have (in German) the 10/25/38 studio recording under Karl Boehm featuring:

Margarete Teschemacher  Countess
Maria Cebotari (in photo)  Susanna
Paul Schoeffler               Figaro
Mathieu Ahlersmeyer      Count
Angela Kolniak                     Cherubino

This is followed by a live Salzburg  8/11/37 performance under Bruno Walter with:

Aulikki Rautawaara  Countess 
Esther Rethy        Susanna          
Ezio Pinza    Figaro
Mariano Stabile   Count
Jarmila Novotna    Cherubino

            (73 min.)

Many collectors consider this 1938 Boheme recording as the definitive performance of the work. See what you think as Licia Albanese and Beniamino Gigli thrill us with their magnificent singing. Others in the cast are as follows:

Marcello         Afro Poli
Musetta          Tatiana Menotti
Schaunard       Aristide Baracchi
Colline             Duilio Baronti

       Conducted by Umberto Berretoni     (71 min.)

Next season the Met will feature the 100th anniversary of  the great Puccini work, "La fanciulla del West." My opera buddy's dad saw the 1910 premiere with Caruso, Destinn, and Amato. Imagine my friend's frustration when all his dad remembered was that "It was fine!" (He wanted to know exactly what Caruso did with every phrase)

 This blazing hot Scala performance with Gigliola Frazzoni,Franco Corelli, Tito Gobbi, and Enzo Sordello under Antonino Votto will thrill you (despite a few distorted moments in loud climaxes). ENJOY!
                                    (73 min.)

Hi all,

  Just a reminder that I have been putting up a great number of magnificent videos from my collection and from Youtube links (see under favorites) on my video site. I know you will appreciate them.

http://www.youtube.com/mrfriendofopera

My best   Charlie

Highlights from a superb performance of Mme.Butterfly from 1996, featuring my beloved Diana Soviero, Richard Leech, Juan Pons, and Wendy White, conducted by Julius Rudel.    (69 min.)

Not too bad a cast for this 1957 Scala Ballo under Gianandrea Gavazzeni,

Maria Callas, Giuseppe  Di Stefano, Ettore Bastianini, Giulietta Simionato, Eugenia Ratti.               (73 min.)

WHY was I not born in Milano??????????????

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A WONDERFUL TENOR AND THE SWEETEST GUY YOU COULD MEET!  (Except for me, of course)

Piotr Beczała (born December 28, 1966 in Czechowice-Dziedzice) is a Polish operatic tenor. Piotr Beczała was born in southern Poland and initially trained in Katowice. His first engagements were with the Landestheatre in Linz, after which he became a regular member of Zurich Opera. Between 2004-2006, Beczala made several major international house debuts. In April 2004, he made his debut at London's Royal Opera House as the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier, later returning in October of that year in the title role of Faust, then in June 2005 as the Duke in Rigoletto, and in September 2006, again in Faust. In November 2004, he made his San Francisco Opera and US debut as Lensky in Eugene Onegin. Beczała's La Scala debut came in January 2006 as the Duke in Rigoletto, the role in which he also made Metropolitan Opera debut on December 19, 2006.

In 2007 he was awarded the Munich Opera Festival Prize which acknowledges outstanding accomplishments by departments and members of the Bavarian State Opera as well as members of the Festival performance casts for his performances in in Rigoletto, Der Rosenkavalier and Werther.^[1]

Beczała appears as Alfredo Germont in the Farao Classics recording of La traviata which has been nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award.^[2] The cd is a live recording from the Bavarian State Opera's March 2006 production with Anja Harteros as Violetta, Paolo Gavanelli as Giorgio Germont, and Zubin Mehta conducting.

[edit] References

• musicOMH.com - Interview with Piotr Beczala by Dominic McHugh, September 2006.
• Joshua Kosman, 'Soaring Opera hits new heights in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin', San Francisco Chronicle, November 26, 2004.
• George Hall, Review: Faust at the Royal Opera House. The Stage, October 14, 2004.

  in Eugene Onegin. Beczała's La Scala debut came in January 2006 as the Duke in Rigoletto, the role in which he also made Metropolitan Opera debut on December 19, 2006.

P.S.Guess whose birthday is also Dec.28????  Francesco Tamagno!!!!!!!!!!  I told Piotr to stay away from Otello for at least one week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The amazing Magda Olivero in an Amsterdam concert, 1962. She sings arias from Manon Lescaut,Mefistofele, Tosca, Iris, Adriana Lecouvreur, and Risurrezione.    (32 min.)

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNniGHmTrNo

This is the New York City Opera performance of Roberto Devereux of  October 24,1970. It marked the "second career" of Beverly Sills, as she began to essay the Donizetti Queen roles with tremendous success. The tenor is some young fellow named Domingo, and the baritone is Louis Quilico.

   NOTE: The double attack on the high D natural at the end of "Vivi,ingrato." In the theatre we held our collective breaths at this amazing sound!   (70 min.)

P.S. Amazon does sell the Devereux video from Wolftrap, but it costs about $90.00.

    Highlights from a glorious 1955 Covent Garden Tosca with Renata Tebaldi in fabulous voice (I saw about 5 of them at the Met in that period and I never recuperated). I forgot how gorgeous Ferruccio Tagliavini's voice was and of course the great Scarpia of Tito Gobbi is legendary. The conductor is Francesco Molinari-Pradelli.

 This is followed by some act two scenes from Brussels, 1958 w.Ettore Bastianini and Giuseppe Di Stefano.(HEY! The "Vittoria is GREAT!!")

                            (73 minutes of joy!)

  P.S. Why do those Englishmen/ladies not applaud the tenor arias?   Corelli would have screamed at them!

 This live Adriana Lecouvreur from 1977, San Francisco might be one of the greatest performances of the opera, along with the 1959 Olivero,Corelli,Simionato,Bastianini cast.

    Here we have Renata Scotto,Giacomo Aragall,Giuseppe Taddei, and Elena Obratsova conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni.   (72 min.)
     

    I bet you do not even miss my voice!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear friends,

           Until the audio portion of my podcasts is fixed and when I am again able to narrate podcasts, I am presenting operas that really need no detailed explanation by me, since they speak for themselves in their power and excitement to thrill you all.
              This 1962 La Scala Trovatore under Gianandrea Gavazzeni features a great cast:
   Antonietta Stella, Franco Corelli, Fiorenza Cossotto, Ettore Bastianini,
    Ivo Vinco.

              Again I say to you.."They don't make 'em that way anymore!!!!"              Happy Holidays

                                           The silent Charlie

   For whatever reason, my narration did not come out here, but what more can be said about this sensational Turandot..just listen!!!!! I was there and it was something that we will never forget.  Nilsson, Corelli, Moffo, Giaiotti,Guarrera, conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

     We held our breath at the end of the "In questa reggia!!!" NOTHING like that today, and glad to remember the great days of Moffo, who had too short a career. I know you will love this..now, I have to figure out why my voice did not record...After all,I have been a pretty good boy this year!   Love Charlie     (70 min.)

BTW, there is some silly dude who HATES poor Maria Callas and who writes dumb comments..naturally deleted by me..I think Santa will be putting some Callas recordings in his stocking (GGGG).

This 1951 Boheme is one of the finest performances of the great work you will ever hear. It features the following cast:

Mimi        Bidu  Sayao
Rodolfo    Giuseppe Di Stefano
Marcello   Giusppe Valdendo
Colline      Cesare Siepi
Schaunard   George Cehanovsky
Musetta       Lois Hunt
 
       Fausto Cleva   Conductor      (73 min.)

The third edition of opera oddities. Included are clips that are exciting, silly, unusual, even hilarious!   (68 min.)

I wish to send you to the site where my friend Donald Collup, who is up to volume 8 of his fabulous collection (How does he get all this stuff??),provides the complete volumes.  

http://www.collup.com/dczcdz/party.html

      Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Charlie

A magnificent Tosca from 1957 Covent Garden with Zinka Milanov,Franco Corelli, and Giangiacomo Guelfi conducted by Alexander Gibson.   You will love this one!!!    (55 min.)

 Dutch soprano Cristina Deutekom in a superb performance of Norma from San Francisco, 1975, conducted by Carlo Felice Cillario.

   Tatiana Troyanos    Adalgisa
   Robleto Merolla       Pollione
   Clifford Grant          Oroveso

                                  (69 min.)