Leonard Warren...4/21/11..Great Man!!!!!

La Morte de un Fenomeno
Alfred Hubay's detailed account of the death of the great Leonard Warren is posted, but since I was there, I thought I would give you my views as an audience member.
It was Tebaldi's return on Mar.4, 1960 and for whatever reason, I had a ticket to upstairs standing room, where you had to run like mad to get one of the few spots in the Family Circle where you could see.
Warren sounded as great as always in the "Urna fatale" and just as it ended i turned slightly toward my friend as if to say, "Here comes the sensational high A flat." Roald Reiten entered on stage left and announced, "Lieta novello, e salvo!" The music started before the cabaletta..Warren sang "E salvo..o gioja..." and fell!!!
He was dead immediately, but someone came out and said he was ill and there would be an intermission. No one left...Suddenly, to a GROAN, Bing came out and said, "This is the saddest night in the history of the Met.
My friends and I could not leave..we had a sandwich and just sat there stunned.When I got home, my mother already knew...it had been on radio.
Mar.5,before the Dutchman overture, Thomas Schippers conducted the last act Traviata prelude in Warren's memory. We went to a great Chenier that evening....but nothing could adequately erase the memory of that terrible tragedy.
The man was as close to perfection as any singer I ever heard;as a person, I hear some personal negative tales...but that means nothing because he was a KING in his field.....I see it before me right now....God Rest His Soul!!!!!

La Morte de un Fenomeno Alfred Hubay's detailed account of the death of the great Leonard Warren is posted, but since I was there, I thought I would give you my views as an audience member. It was Tebaldi's return on Mar.4, 1960 and for whatever reason, I had a ticket to upstairs standing room, where you had to run like mad to get one of the few spots in the Family Circle where you could see. Warren sounded as great as always in the "Urna fatale" and just as it ended i turned slightly toward my friend as if to say, "Here comes the sensational high A flat." Roald Reiten entered on stage left and announced, "Lieta novello, e salvo!" The music started before the cabaletta..Warren sang "E salvo..o gioja..." and fell!!! He was dead immediately, but someone came out and said he was ill and there would be an intermission. No one left...Suddenly, to a GROAN, Bing came out and said, "This is the saddest night in the history of the Met. My friends and I could not leave..we had a sandwich and just sat there stunned.When I got home, my mother already knew...it had been on radio. Mar.5,before the Dutchman overture, Thomas Schippers conducted the last act Traviata prelude in Warren's memory. We went to a great Chenier that evening....but nothing could adequately erase the memory of that terrible tragedy. The man was as close to perfection as any singer I ever heard;as a person, I hear some personal negative tales...but that means nothing because he was a KING in his field.....I see it before me right now....God Rest His Soul!!!!!