From a poster on RMO:

Sorry to report that Ms DiDonato slipped over on the raked stage last
night during Act 1 of Barbiere di Siviglia at Covent Garden and broke
the tibia bone in her leg. It was opening night and the
accident happened during a recitative with Figaro (after "Una voce poco
fa"). She was rushing over to the corner of the stage and just seemed to
fall without any obvious reason, landing in a heap. She
continued to sing the recit, although noticeably much more quietly than
usual and then got up afterwards, carrying on as normal but obviously
with something not right about the way she was walking
Before Act 2 started an announcement was made that she had sprained her
ankle, was in a great deal of pain but would bravely struggle on
nonetheless. She re-appeared on crutches, hobbling around the
stage with the help of her colleagues JDF and Ferruccio Furlanetto.
Ironically, the first line she had to sing in Act 2 was the recit
claiming that she had cramp in her foot - and the entire audience
exploded into laughter, clapping and cheering for almost a minute. Her
singing was flawlessly brilliant throughout and she kept on smiling - a
real trooper. She even negotiated a very difficult scene where
Rosina goes on a furniture-trashing rampage during the temporale
- knocking over a chair, a harpsichord, a music stand and a huge
cupboard. She used her crutch to violently smash one of the
stage lights - it was very funny.

Elsewhere in the cast, JDF turned in another stunning display of
technical virtuosity and his "Cessa di piu resistere" brought the house
down - the applause went on for nearly 5 minutes and everyone was
screaming for an encore that never happened. Alessandro
Corbelli and Furlanetto were also brilliantly funny as Dr Bartolo and
Don Basilio respectively and Pietro Spagnoli was a very respectable
replacement for an indisposed Simon Keenlyside as Figaro

It was a fantastic evening - really funny and the musical standards were
truly extraordinary. When I got home I read on Joyce's blog
that her leg was actually broken and is now in a plaster cast - but she
valiantly intends to go on with the rest of the performances regardless.
Brava!

   THEY ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So many singers are up there sick or injured, and we never know...That is the miracle of these great artists and what they do for us!!!!

GO HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://parterre.com/2009/07/07/but-cha-are-joyce/

One of the most sumptuous voices in my opera experience has been that of mezzo Olga Borodina. Here is a podcast that features some of her magnificent recordings:

Songs by Borodin and Tchaikowsky
Falla's Siete Canciones Populares
Arias from:
            Semiramide, Favorita, Gioconda, Maid of Orleans,Les Huguenots, Samson et Delilah, The Damnation of Faust.
                                      (71 min.)

 I present highlights from the English National Opera Ring of the Nibelung under Reginald Goodall. The singing is superb, but I really cannot understand the English translation. Perhaps you are better than I at deciphering what they are saying, especially with the ladies' voices.
     The cast includes:

                Rita Hunter - Brunnhilde
                Norman Bailey -Wotan
                Margaret Curphey- Sieglinde
                Alberto Remedios - Siegfried
                Anne Collins - Erda
                Derek Hammond-Stroud -Alberich
                Aage Haugland - Hagen
                                  (75 min.)

This podcast features scenes from Wagner's "Lohengrin" in languages other than German. The selections are as follows:

Arias by Nelly Melba, Fernando de Lucia, Tancredi Pasero, Francisco Vinas (in photo.) (In Italian)
The Bridal Duet with Renata Tebaldi and Gino Penno (Italian)

  Emili Vendrell singing the farewell.  (Catalan).

  Marjorie Lawrence and Yvonne Brothier in act 2 scene (French)

   Scenes with Ivan Koslovsky, Elisaweta Schumskaya, and a great mezzo, Eugenia Smolenskaya.   (75  min.)

From volume 4 of the wonderful series, "The record of Singing," I present some marvelous singers from what is known as the "German School." They include:

Ludwig Weber, Gottlob Frick, Erich Kunz, Paul Schoeffler, Hans Hotter, Julius Patzak, Anton Dermota, Rudolf Schock,Irmgard Sefried,Elizabeth Schumann, Maria Stader, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Erika Koth, Elizabeth Grummer, Maria reinging (in photo), Inge Borgkh, Sena Jurinac, Gre Brouwenstijn, and Leonie Rysanek. (75 min.)

The legendary couple in material from film, live and commercial recordings.
  Kiepura sings arias from Boheme, Tosca, Martha, Pearl Fishers (unpub.), and a Di quella pira (TWICE!) from the film, "So Ends Our Night," with the CHORUS as the accompaniment.
   He also sings  "Ob Blond"(Stolz), "Prayer for Poland,"(an arrangement of a Chopin song), and "Processional"with Gladys Swarthout.

   Mme.Eggerth is heard in "Mi chiamano Mimi," songs from Lehar's "Zarewitsch," "Die ganze Welt" (Lehar), and from a 1992 Vienna concert in 1992, at age 80, "Das Lied ist aus."(Stolz.).
    She is then heard in a Merry Widow Medley and "Wien,Wien" from a 2002 gala.(Amazing!!!).
      The podcast concludes with Eggerth and Kiepura singing the "Neapolitan Duet" from Lehar's "Der Zarewitsch," ending on a fabulous  piano  high C by the great tenor.   (68 min.)

MAMMA MIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        Virginia just told me this was released!!! I am so thrilled they added the great Zeani to their fabulous library of great artists. Go to Amazon.com..Only 14.99....TRUST ME!  You will love it!! Charlie

 Composer Italo Montemezzi himself conducts this brilliant performance of his rarely-heard "L'Amore dei Tre Re." The legendary Ezio Pinza sings Archibaldo, and we hear Grace Moore as Fiora, Richard Bonelli as Manfredo, and Charles Kullman as Avito.
   Why this opera is not performed more is sad, because it is so exciting and I think you will agree that it deserves more recognition.
                                                 (72 min.)

    Highlights from a riveting performance of Wagner's Der Fliegende Hollander" from a Bayreuth 1959 performance under Wolfgang Sawallisch.
     Featured is the amazing Leonie Rysanek as Senta, and the equally remarkable George London as the Dutchman. Also in the cast are Fritz Uhl as Erik and Josef Greindl as Daland.
                                  (52 min.)

The podcast features songs and arias as sung by Dominic Cossa, one of the finest baritones the opera world has known. His career spanned over 30 years and he appeared in many opera theatres, including the Met,San Francisco Opera, City Opera,etc. The selections are:

Bella siccome un angelo (Don Pasquale)
Cruda funesta smania and cabaletta  (Lucia)
Albert's aria from Werther
Avant de quitter  (Faust)
Scintille,diamant (Contes d'Hoffmann)
O Holy Night  (Adam)
Mamma, mamma  (Most Happy Fella)
Pierrot's Lied  (Tote Stadt)   
                         (36 min.)