Fri, 28 June 2013
A compilation of arias and scenes from Richard Strauss operas.(announced). Included are such artists as: Lotte Lehmann, Maria Ivogun, Rose Pauly, Charles Kullmann, Barbara Kemp, Richard Mayr, Tiana Lemnitz, Viorica Ursuleac, Erna Berger, Margarete Teschemacher, and Gerhard Husch. (68 min.) |
Sun, 23 June 2013
I recently found out that the San Carlo,Naples audience carried on so much after Sills' "Amami,Alfredo" that she had to return to the stage for a bow after she had gone into her dressing room. Sills gives her usual heart-wrenching performance and she is joined by Alfredo Kraus and Mario Zanasi. The conductor in this 1970 performance is Aldo Ceccato. (73 min.) Just a little aside from me: The many times I saw Sills, I always said that she was "better than the sum of her parts." One would not think of her in the Bolena or the Roberto Devereux, or even as Violetta with an essentially "coloratura" voice that excelled in operas such as Le Coq D'Or and Julius Caesar. However, what emerged was a phenomenal career and I am so thanksful I saw her in just about all her roles. |
Sat, 22 June 2013
From 1956 Florence under Gabriele Santini we present an all-star Forza del Destino, with Renata Tebaldi in glorious voice, Giuseppe Di Stefano,Giulio Neri, and Giangiacomo Guelfi. (74 min.) |
Sat, 22 June 2013
A collection of arias as sung by some of the great divas of the past. The selections are announced but the list (in proper order) is as follows: Luisa Tetrazzini, Nelly Melba, Adelina Patti, Frieda Hempel, Amelita Galli-Curci, Rosa Ponselle, Lotte Lehmann, Eva Turner, Nina Koshetz, Eide Norena, Maria Nemeth, and Claudia Muzio (69 min.) |
Fri, 21 June 2013
Pierre Monteux conducts Offenbach's opera from 1955 with a cast headed by Richard Tucker and including Martial Singher, Roberta Peters, Rise Stevens, Lucine Amara,Mildred Miller, Norman Scott (Crespel), Alessio de Paolis (comic tenor roles), Clifford Harvuot (Schlemil), and Sandra Warfield (Mother's voice.) |
Thu, 20 June 2013
Scenes from two performances of Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers." The first,in Italian,is from Milano under Armando LaRosa Parodi in 1960, featuring Alfredo Kraus,Giuseppe Taddei, and Pina Margarini. The second performance is from French Radio under Manuel Rosenthal in 1959 with Alain Vanzo, Gabriel Bacquier, and Janine Micheau. (69 min.) |
Thu, 20 June 2013
This absolutely divine lady was born on June 20, 1892..Just the way she sings, "Oh Signor" is worth everything when you are so STARVED for this kind of singing..totally absent today.
Category:general
-- posted at: 10:10am EDT
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Wed, 19 June 2013
An exciting performance of Floyd's "Susannah" from 1999 under James Conlon with Renee Fleming, Samuel Ramey, Jerry Hadley, and John McVeigh. This has become one of the most famous of American operas. (73 min.) |
Tue, 18 June 2013
A superb Tristan und Isolde from 1955 under Rudolf Kempe with a great cast that features Astrid Varnay, Set Svanholm, Josef Metternich,Blanche Thebom, and Jerome Hines (69 min.) |
Tue, 18 June 2013
To honor my dear Maria Galvany on her June 19th birthday, I present an Attila from 1979 featuring Justino Diaz, Enrico Di Giuseppe, and Cornelius Opthof from Cincinatti, conducted by Anton Coppola. This is a thrilling performance and we all wish Mme.Galvany a very happy birthday!! (68 min.) |
Mon, 17 June 2013
The luscious organ-like voice of Fedora Barbieri is heard in this La Scala 1950 Orfeo under Wilhelm Furtwaengler. Hilde Gueden is Euridice and Magda Gabory is Amor. (72 min.) |
Sun, 16 June 2013
Just enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Category:general
-- posted at: 12:31am EDT
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Sat, 15 June 2013
To all you daddies out there...Have a GREAT DAY!!!!!!
Category:general
-- posted at: 1:57pm EDT
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Sat, 15 June 2013
Happy Fathers' Day!!!!!! Sorry that Rigoletto and Gilda were not in a particularly good mood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Category:general
-- posted at: 1:51pm EDT
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Fri, 14 June 2013
I have posted this before..but we have new members..or old members who want to sample the greatness of Mari Lyn..WITH TITLES!!!!! I sent this to Joyce di Donato...I hope she will still talk to me....
Category:general
-- posted at: 11:00am EDT
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Thu, 13 June 2013
Category:general
-- posted at: 12:15pm EDT
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Tue, 11 June 2013
Sad day for me, remembering dear Rise and that she would have turned 100 today. The photo you see is a young me with Rise at our last music club gathering, and I feel so fortunate to have known her for those years. She is the first singer I ever met, and to this day,I can "feel" the handshake and the greasepaint when I first met her after a Met Carmen. I was 16, but the memories are so vivid. As we go on in life, there are some people who will forever remain in our hearts, and Rise was one of them.
Category:general
-- posted at: 2:23pm EDT
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Tue, 11 June 2013
After all these years, I just noticed that I can trace your downloads in some countries to the extent that I can see,for example, what individual provinces of China (my second most popular nation for downloads). I therefore LEARN the names of the various areas of certain countries..not all. This is very interesting, and as always I am so happy to see that these podcasts go to so many parts of the world.(nothing yet in Greenland..why?) As always,I thank you for your support.We are at about one million two hundred thousand "hits" in six years. What did I do when I was teaching and there was no internet? I thank you for your continued support. So far I have not run out of material. Again,if you have any special requests, e-mail me at Placido21@aol.com. Placido..oh yeah..he is singing all the unborn kids in Frau next season!! (Just kidding...i think.)
Category:general
-- posted at: 2:18pm EDT
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Mon, 10 June 2013
The beloved Rise Stevens would be 100 on June 11, the exact same day as Richard Strauss was born in 1864. How appropriate that a great Octavian would share this day with the composer of this great work, a work in which Rise excelled. George Sebastian in San Francisco, 1945, conducts the third act of Rosenkavalier, with Rise, Lotte Lehmann, Lorenzo Alvary, Nadine Conner, Herta Glaz and Allesio de Paolis (Valzacchi and Annina), and Walter Olitzki (Faninal.) (52 min.) |
Sun, 9 June 2013
How appropriate that Rise Stevens,who would have been 100 on June 11, was born on the same day as Richard Strauss (1864). He would be PROUD!!!! Bless my dear Rise forever in my heart!!!!!
Category:general
-- posted at: 10:45pm EDT
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Fri, 7 June 2013
An all-star cast in Boito's Mefistofele under Lamberto Gardelli. Renata Tebaldi, Carlo Bergonzi, and Nicolai Ghiaurov make this a marvelous performance. (73 min.) |
Fri, 7 June 2013
A veritable LESSON in singing by the legendary Carlo Bergonzi, the Nemorino on this 1967 Elisir under Gianandrea Gavazzeni. In addition, Renata Scotto, Giuseppe Taddei, and Ivo Vinco perform magnificently and show what proper Italianate style is all about . (73 min.) |
Thu, 6 June 2013
Under the legendary Bruno Walter, here are scenes from a most exciting "Forza del Destino" featuring Stella Roman, Ezio Pinza, Lawrence Tibbett, Frederick Jagel, and Salvatore Baccaloni. We were most fortunate that during World War Two we were still able to assemble a great cast, lacking some artists unable to come here. It is a wonderful era in opera history, and I think this performance exemplifies the period. (72 min.) |
Thu, 6 June 2013
Countertenor??????? I think his mommy played Tebaldi when she was pregnant. GREAT!!!! Not a countertenor in my view...but a male soprano.....amazing!!!
Category:general
-- posted at: 2:10am EDT
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Thu, 6 June 2013
Highlights from a 1938 Berlin performance of Strauss' "A Night in Venice," featuring the superb Marcel Wittrisch as Caramello and a cast including Karl Schmitt-Walter (Herzog), Carla Spletter (Anna), Rosl Seegers (Ciboletta), and Margarethe Arndt-Ober ( Agricola). The conductor is Heinrich Steiner. (64 min.) |
Tue, 4 June 2013
Teresa Stich-Randall had an illustrious career, and I am sure she did some fine singing, but these arias from Puritani,Ernani, and Traviata always were part of what we called a "party tape." I guess it is the lack of vibrato that drives us to hysteria...but you figure it out. i just do not understand it. (25 min.) |
Sat, 1 June 2013
Act three of the Freni/Domingo Fedora, followed by some scenes featuring Ferruccio Tagliavini and Pia Tassinari. This is such beautiful and emotional music. (69 min.) |