Giovanni Simone Mayr's rarely heard "Medea in Corinto" under Newell Jenkins.

The Medea is Marisa Galvany (play the high E natural 10 times),Joan Patenaude-Yarnell as Creusa, Allen Cathcart as Jason, Robert White as Aegeus, Thomas Palmer as Creonte, and Molly Stark as Ismene.  (72 min.)

(Our photo from the live perf. Galvany is the one with the makeup.)

An almost complete Act 3 1956 Parsifal from Rome under Eugen Jochum, with Wolfgang Windgassen, Ferdinand Frantz, and Ludwig Weber (my personal favorite Gurnemanz.)  (61 min.)

In London in 1926 and 1929, the phenomenal Lauritz Melchior made some recordings under the direction of Albert Coates. I know you will agree with most critics that Melchior was a "one-of-a-kind" artist. He sings the Tannhauser Rome Narrative, and then scenes from Siegfried with Rudolf Bockelman, Albert Reiss, and Norah Gruhn as the Forest Bird.   (58 min.)

   ...and speaking of a "one-of-a-kind Wagner singer, I have seen a few Wagnerian tenors who surely were "one-of-a-kind".....but I won't mention their names.

     YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One million!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Send me all names and address and I will send you as a gift, Justin Bieber and Sarah Palin in the new Ring DVD which was just released on the  AIUTO.....SOCCORSO>>>>>>HILFE!!!!! label.

Now,Charlie...Is that nice???????????????????????????????

Sorry..It is 2 A.M. NY Time.....I have had some depression lately..and you brought me out of it..so I do not have to call Anna Netrebko to come over.

Look...I am not perfect...I would admit my faults .....if I had any........

Conductor Rico Saccani seems to fancy himself the reincarnation of Toscanini,(look at his site) but he does have some superb recordings,mostly from Budapest. Unfortunately,he lists only the principals of this Rigoletto,Leo Nucci, Marcello Giordani, and Mariella Devia. (67 min.)

   Nucci is still singing and we sadly only had him briefly at the Met;likewise Devia, a great diva. Marcello takes a wild high D natural at the end of "Possente Amor" which made me CWAZY! Have fun!!!

  Ljuba Welitsch made a sensational debut as Salome at the Met. Here is a 1952 perf.under Fritz Reiner, with Elizabeth Hoengen,Set Svanholm, Hans Hotter, and Brian Sullivan. (65 min.)

 Only portions of this Walkure from 1960 Buenos Aires under Ferdinand Leitner exist, and nothing of act three, but there are some exciting moments for you to enjoy. The cast includes Martha Moedl, Hans Hotter, Gre Brouwenstijn, and Hans Beirer.   (58 min.).

   As I remarked on my narration, Martha Moedl's "Hojotojo" might be termed "OH LORD!" by most of you;we felt that way in 1957 when we first saw her. However, you know how I am crazy for her, and well...how many singers do we know who "let it all hang out?" The lady is still for me and for so many one of the greatest singers ever..as long as you do not expect an easy top. We could use more singers today with such "abandon." Well, not too much!

(Photo:Gre Brouwenstijn.)

21 popular selections (announced) by the sensational Rosa Ponselle. Unimaginable how she sounded live.  (65 min.)  Bio follows:

Legendary Operatic Diva, Rosa Ponselle, was discovered at age 21, while singing in vaudeville, by Enrico Caruso who brought her to the Met to appear opposite him as the "Leonora" in the 1918 Metropolitan Opera premiere performance of Verdi's La FORZA del DESTINO. She became the first American-born artist to sing a major role at the Met without the benefit of prior European training or experience, and is credited with opening the doors of the Met to the American-trained singer. Most remarkable about Ponselle is that she had no vocal training prior to her operatic debut. Born with a natural gift for singing and acting, she was a true Dramatic Soprano having many revivals done for her. For the 19 seasons that she sang with the Met, she was considered its reigning queen, and was dubbed by Huneker as "The Caruso in Petticoats". Geraldine Farrar is reported to have said when discussing singers, "There are two you must put aside, one is Enrico Caruso, the other is Rosa Ponselle. Then you may begin to discuss all the others." Leonard Bernstein, who credited Ponselle with changing the direction of his young life, wrote in a letter to her, "Yours is the first operatic voice I ever heard, at age eight, on an old Columbia 78, singing 'Suicido'. Even through all the scratchiness and surface noise, that voice rang through in such glory that it made me a music-lover forever. I thank you every day of my life." is is ultimate perfection.'"f us all."  Legendary Operatic Diva, Rosa Ponselle, was discovered at age 21, while singing in vaudeville, by Enrico Caruso who brought her to the Met to appear opposite him as the "Leonora" in the 1918 Metropolitan Opera premiere performance of Verdi's La FORZA del DESTINO. She became the first American-born artist to sing a major role at the Met without the benefit of prior European training or experience, and is credited with opening the doors of the Met to the American-trained singer. Most remarkable about Ponselle is that she had no vocal training prior to her operatic debut. Born with a natural gift for singing and acting, she was a true Dramatic Soprano having many revivals done for her. For the 19 seasons that she sang with the Met, she was considered its reigning queen, and was dubbed by Huneker as "The Caruso in Petticoats". Geraldine Farrar is reported to have said when discussing singers, "There are two you must put aside, one is Enrico Caruso, the other is Rosa Ponselle. Then you may begin to discuss all the others." Leonard Bernstein, who credited Ponselle with changing the direction of his young life, wrote in a letter to her, "Yours is the first operatic voice I ever heard, at age eight, on an old Columbia 78, singing 'Suicido'. Even through all the scratchiness and surface noise, that voice rang through in such glory that it made me a music-lover forever. I

   Around 1970, after our "first premier basso" Paul Plishka, had already established himself as one of the fine bassos in opera, there arrived from Kansas a young man named Sam Ramey, and as part of the Paterson,New Jersey Company, under the marvelous Armen Boyajian, we began to sing many operas with Sam as the lead.

   It was my pleasure to sing in Anna Bolena,Boheme,Tales of Hoffmann, and Barbiere with Sam. We knew he had great talent, but as we know, he has had one of the great opera careers, and on this March 28, I wish him a happy birthday.

      Sam!!! Put your shirt on...you DEVIL!!!!!     Love   Charlie

A very great tenor,Georges Thill ,in arias from Herodiade, Aida, La Juive, Alceste, Le Cid, Les Huguenots, Pagliacci, Lohengrin, Traviata,Wm.Tell, Joseph (Mehul), Sapho (Massenet), Romeo et Juliette, Fortunio (Messager), L'Attaque du Moulin (Bruneau), and Parsifal.    (67 min.)