The Mexicans went NUTS!!!!!!!

  It was a riot!!!!!    My tape!!!!!

  E flat from the heavens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  I was Marisa Galvany's doctor in

Yolantha in 1965. We have been

 buddies ever since. HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to my darling friend. Who else has

had the pleasure of looking down her throat 

as she hit E flats!!!!    A GREAT SINGER!

  Franco Zeffirelli's Productions

will reign forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Piotr just became a KAMMERSINGER!

NO ONE deserves it more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  I was brought up on this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6/7/07.   Played "Oggi fatale" from

Wm.Tell over and over!!!!!!

  Superb voice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still had it.Nervous guy they say.I love

the guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  It was sweet of Alagna to say to me

that he could look into my eyes and see

how much I love music.  

   Two great buddies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Not since Tebaldi have I known anyone

 so darling.(well,Zeani also)

  The sweetest,nicest singer one could

know.  Dearesr Irina,who likes my jokes,

celebrates her birthday today.

  She defines the word "lovable."

Now..THIS is the real Bartoli!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Cecilia Bartoli 6/4/80  Cannot bear her

  Scaccati.   Is the voice audible live?

  How exciting for a guy who has seen

the great divas to discover a superb voice!

My joke..Ariadne Obnoxious (not her)

Lise Davidson..Gorgeous new voice!!!!!!     Brava!!!!!

In case you never heard my buddy Maria Galvany do this......It is

the greatest..and remember, I am the only one

alive who looked down her throat on those Bolena

high notes... Buddies since 1965!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You do not have to be Nilsson!!!!! She "gives a

music lesson" to all...Adored by all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Olivia's work with Inner city kids

in California...just got a million dollar gift.

  A sweetheart of a person....and better

than all of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Herniated vocal chord shortened

his great career.A true GREAT!!

5/30/1909.One of the greatest

singers EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(See if you can spot him in a uniform

behind Ingrid Bergman in the scene

in Casablanca where they sing the Marsellaise.)

I went to Bolena for Galvany and out

came this then mezzo,Olivia. I went NUTS!

Olivia Stapp is a dear friend and one

of the greats... 5/30/39. Adore her.

      Her last performances....She

will never walk alone in opera 

literature..She will be with us forever!!!

Birthday celebration of an adored lady!!!

Shirley Verrett 5/31/31   Blew the roof

off on the B.  I adored her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Wonderful new CD with rare Forza

and Ernani arias.  RECOMMENDED!!!

Will review soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neri died only at 49.( 5/21/1909)

Imagine those two together@@@@@@@@

  Imagine telling Gigli or Corelli that

the opere had to end with her Mad Scene.

  Nella Melba   5/19/1861    MEAN!!!!!!

   But great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                 Two special men

Non posso imagginare….Coming in

July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cannot sing even

Il cavallo scalpita..  SHOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doing Santuzza in July......Mamma ma!!

She is delusional!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  I adored this great man!!!!!!

5/18/1958    I always told Lauren she

is a rare lady because she takes chances.

RARE among divas....and a friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  The Caruso of Bassos...…..

Ezio Pinza 5/18/1892

  The greatest ever!@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

On Jan Kiepura's 5/16/ birthday,let

us celebrate my favorite singer,my

dear Piotr Beczala.Kiepura would love him!

  Piotr introduced me to his son!!! He then

  got on the phone and called "Hi ma"...It was

Martha Eggerth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  We lost this great man too young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  She had a tremendous repertory,

I hope you enjoy this.Rest in Peace.

  Remembering Daniela Dessi. I know

  Fabio misses her.

  Fabio thanked me for remembering his 

   late wife..She left us too soon.

He makes Bonisolli seem calm!!!!!

I think they put LSD in his lasagna.

Re-enactment of REAL THINGS that

happened on opera stages!!!! FUNNNY!

My all-time favorite tenor of those I saw.

Sadly died before Met was to have given 

him the role.   

Bidu Sayao,born 5/11/02 once spent an entire

Met Gioconda intermission chatting with us.

Her husband was Giuseppe Danise, Resnik's teacher,

and Resnik was the Laura that night!!!!

Ruth Welting  5/11/49....so sad she died young.

Like Pons, this is one tone UP!!!!!!!!!

  I am the only person who looked down

Galvany's throat on her E flats!!!!!!!

Imagine Zampieri has a career?????????????

  I just heavenly texted Corelli and sent

this....He said, "Sono geloso!!!!!!"

LOVE on your May 8 birthday, Mike!!!!!!

  One of our greats today and a sweet guy!!!

Happy Birthday,Mike….5/8/84!!!!!!

But who knows???????????????ad!!

Died at only 64. HUGE voice. Was a

patient of my dentist. I bet she had

a mike in her throat.... Great!!!

Forget it!!!!!!!!!!!! You'll never hear

anything like this again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Without the Ring, my life would not

be treasurable

  If you asked me to name the greatest

performance of any role by any singer

in my ENTIRE opera life (live), it is the

Ludwig (a mezzo) Frau Dyer's Wife!!!!!!!

   Do you have one????????????????????????????

  Courtesy of the late Ed Rosen!!!!!

     My favorite tenor of those I saw!

     I am nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   I think my friend Piotr might not like

  this too much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Whom do you like best??????????

  A very variable singer, but superb here.

  Watch the way she just WALKS..a thrill!!!!!

  Roberta Peters  5/4/30. An artist

  with great technique!!!!!!

  They did not do this cabaletta in

  the olden days....Except for the last

note, Callas plunges into this aria

with fabulous excitement!!!!!

  Michael has it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Callas 1952 Live..They do not allow

  this now....a Shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  On the "Fa"  we went nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Who needs the Met Ring 

Back again? HERE is the

Proper analysis!!!

Crazy Lady!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What language???

First mezzo I EVER heard, when I got a hernia

taking the 1929 Aida 78's from the library at 15.

      Sad...Allies bombed her villa and she died.

  Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now they are

together again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  A shame she cancelled so much, but GOD!!!!

When she did not cancel, she was a sensation, as in her

NY debut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing!!!  4/12/1898 birthday. She

sounds great.I was never a big fan, but this

is glorious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Thanks for the E flat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, dear Aprile!!!!!!

Love them both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to sweet dear Aprile Millo.

She has always been so kind and loving, and a great artist.

  Not appreciated enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, Tebaldi 1949 does it, but I cannot

have it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  A great lady, and a rarity today,along

with Netrebko and precious few others.

One of the TINY number of special

divas of today who are special. An

amazing quality (and you MUST be

there live) is that like Cossotto,

the resonance sounds as if she is

singing in your ear!! It is not just a

big voice...it has an amazing penetration.

      ...and you thought Mari Lyn

was like Muzio...NO!!!!!

This guy beats them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Yes, I know people love him. My friend studied

with Enrico Rosati, teacher of Gigli,Lauri-Volpi,

and Lanza. His voice was souped up, but

essentially probably fine..BUT what he does

at the "le dolce brezze" makes me want to

shoot him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...but in small groups I did some bass

roles......but it was fun,despite the fact

I was no Pinza.  With dear Jennifer Zarchy.

Be kind!!!! Remember, I can't read music!

    NEVER FORGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  So what if it was B instead of C!!!!

  I saw his Met debut and 40 more times.

  Yes, he could be a pain...but a fabulous

  man on that stage. Note the B flat Celeste

 Aida DIMINUENDO. Friends of mine and his

loved him as a person. In the book it tells

how he and wife Loretta fight in a hotel room.

I asked Frank Guarrera, "With SAUCE???"

    YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   NO one like him and Del Monaco today!!!

Rather controversial figure but sometimes

people are Goering to separate his possible

Nazi connections from his art. I can do that,

but not everyone can...but a GREAT MAN!!!!

  Truly superb artist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  If you asked me what 5 singers of the past I would

most want to hear, Ebe Stignani would be one. The

others I guess would be Lehmann,Caruso, Muzio 

and Eva Turner.  Stignani never came to the Met,

another one of their stupid mistakes.

Stop with the "fat" stuff. If anyone

can sing like Anna, I do not care

if she looks like a hippo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Here are two of my buddies,Sondra

Radvanovsky and Stephen Costello,

enjoying a Bolena rehearsal!!!!!!

  Stracciari is my all-time

  favorite baritone.

        We are now up to 1,979,221

    downloads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love my friend Olivia Stapp's "Giudici."

  However, when Ramey, Galvany, and I

 did it in 1970, she held the D so long

I ran out of breath!!!!!

Gencer and MacNeil!!!!!!

  Listen to that ending!!!!!!!!!