Highlights from Wagner's Siegfried from a live 1955 performance in Bayreuth from 1955 under Joseph Keilberth.The cast includes Wolfgang Windgassen, Astrid Varnay, Hans Hotter, Josef Greindl, and Paul Kuen.  (68 min.)

 From 1973, most of  a recital given in New York by the celebrated tenor legend, Luciano Pavarotti. The selections are announced. May the great man rest in peace.  (64 min.)

That devil of a guy, Sam Ramey, in arias from operas that deal with the devil (or with mean dudes): Faust,Damnation of Faust,Robert Le Diable, Rake's Progress, Tales of Hoffmann, Mefistofele, and I threw in Susannah as well. (50 min.)

  A legendary cast under Bruno Walter in highlights from a 1941 Fidelio. The cast includes Kirsten Flagstad, Rene Maison, Alexander Kipnis,Julius Huehn, and Herbert Janssen. (71 min.)

One of the great performances (well,almost) of "La Gioconda, under Fausto Cleva in 1953. The cast includes the remarkable Zinka Milanov,Leonard Warren, Kurt Baum, Cesare Siepi, and Jean Madeira. How many times have I heard Zinka's Gioconda,live or on tape, and I still cannot believe some of the phrasing, the beauty and richness of the voice. I hope you enjoy this perf.  (72 min.)

I discovered this lovely voice on a Troyens video, as the sailor Hylas.Mr. Lehtipuu was born in Australia of Finnish parents and seems to have now had a wonderful international career. I thought you might enjoy some excerpts from the new Vivaldi album and maybe even want to buy it.  Nice to know we have such fine artists with us.

I think you will adore this fabulous Otello under Fausto Cleva from 1958. It has a Golden Age cast with Mario del Monaco, Leonard Warren, and Victoria de los Angeles.  Nicola Moscona, Rosalind Elias, and Paul Franke complete the cast. Now you see why I spent those freezing days on the old Met standee line. We were nuts, but it was worth it.   (72 min.)

  Highlights from two performances of Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos from 1954. First we have Lisa Della Casa, Hilde Gueden,Irmgard Seefried (Komponist) and Rudiolf Schock from Salzburg under Karl Bohm.  This is followed by a Salzburg performnce under Joseph Keilberth. It features Hilde Zadek,Rita Streich, Sena Jurinac (Komponist), and Hans Hopf.  (72 min.)

I am sure the answer is a resounding "NO!" as i see how many individuals download my podcasts, and as you notice, I have been doing more and more. I am running out of ideas, so send your suggestions to me at Placido21@aol.com. If I do not get any suggestions, I will be forced to do RAP podcasts, and then you will (figuratively)throw rotten vegetables.   (Just kidding of course...I have enough material on CD for at least as long as Placido keeps singing.)

We have lost another great singer, baritone Cornell MacNeil.He possessed a voice of phenomenal power and was one of the world's greatest baritones. The operas represented are Pagliacci,Rigoletto, Luisa Miller, Ernani, and Simone Boccanegra.   (71 min.)

May the dear man rest in peace.