You want excitement?  Here is a blazing hot Cavalleria from 1970(?) with a cast that includes Fiorenza Cossotto,Carlo Bergonzi,Anselmo Colzani,Jean Kraft (Lucia), and Nedda Casei. Christopher Keene conducts. (52 min.)

Here is an interesting oddity,as the 26 year old Beverly Sills sings her only Aida. Walter Schroeder is the conductor of this concert version of scenes in Paterson,New Jersey in 1955. Our dear late Irene Kramarich is the Amneris, with Vincent Donato as Radames, and Victor Mincielli as Amonasro. I think you will enjoy this historica treasure.   (68 min.)

Highlights from a fine performance of Thomas' Mignon from Mexico, 1949, under Guido Picco. Sadly, the three principles passed away fairly recently, and we honor their memory. The cast features Giulietta Simionato, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Cesare Siepi, and Verdad Luz Guajardo.   (70 min.)

This is a great performance of Boito's Mefistofele. The 1931 recording,under Lorenzo Molajoli,features Mafalda Favero,Nazzareno de Angelis, Antonio Melandri, Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, and Ida Mannarini. This is true verismo singing.   (71 min.)

Highlights from a most exciting Nabucco from La Scala, 1966, under Gianandrea Gavazzeni.The cast includes Giangiacomo Guelfi, Elena Suliotis, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Gianni Raimondi, and Gloria Lane.  Added is a bonus of the fabulous high E flat Maria Callas hits in her 1949 Naples Nabucco, with Gino Bechi.  (72 min.)

   In  the past I have mentioned my friend, tenor Ta'u Pupu'a and have spoken of how we met at our Rigoletto several years ago, and I could not believe he had never sung an opera before. After a few years, having now graduated from Juilliard, he is surely destined for a wonderful professional career (following a professional career as a pro football player...so do not mess with him!!).
      Last evening at the Good Shepherd-Faith Church on 66th Streeet (down from a theatre where I hope he will some day debut),he and a lovely soprano, Samantha Jeffreys, sang a recital, and it was one of the most exciting events I have had the pleasure of attending. Ms.Jeffreys has a very large and resonant lyric voice, almost too powerful for a church setting. She is so musical, and was able to excell in both popular and opera material. I noted a cute touch during the Mimi aria,when she got to "ma prego assai il signor," and made the sign of the cross.This shows she knows what is going on! It is hard to scale a large voice down in an acoustical live setting, and I hope in the future she  can lighten up somewhat in some of the material( e.g. the "Sombre Foret" from William Tell), but you know they call me "Picky Charlie."
        Ta'u was amazing! His first selections, "Tu che non chiagne" and "Non ti scordar di me' were in some parts of the middle and upper middle voice almost "Wagnerian" in tone, and he places every note so beautifully, with a brilliant easy top range.(Well,he has done Bacchus in Ariadne). He also has the ability to shine in popular music and sang so romantically  songs from Romberg's New Moon, and with Mme.Jeffreys, some West Side Story selections. He also did a "Corelli" by holding the high B flat at the end of the "Recondita Armonia' a couple of seconds longer, his big brilliant voice roused the audience to many bravoes.
           Ta'u  sang,as an encore, a beautiful song from his native Tonga, and the two ended with "You'll never walk alone." This was a divine evening, and we all hope for many future successes for these young artists.
           Since I am also the President of his non-existant fan club and his totally unpaid agent, I always feel such joy that I "discovered'' a guy who asked me if the Duke in Rigoletto was HARD??? Yup!!!!
             Love and best wishes to these marvelous young artists!
                                                                                 Charlie

 

In tribute to the late Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, born Nov.6, 1920 and the husband of dear Virginia Zeani, I present highlights from the 1951 Cetra Don Carlo under Fernando Previtali. The other artists are Ebe Stignani, Maria Caniglia, Mirto Picchi, Paolo Silveri, and Giulio Neri  (72 min.)

The second of two podcasts with scenes from the Covent Garden Boris of 1958 under Rafael Kubelik. The great Regina Resnik is the Marina, with Josef Gostic as Dmitri and Otakar Kraus as Rangoni.   ( 45 min.)

 The first of two podcasts of scenes from Boris Godunov, Covent Garden, 1958 under Rafael Kubelik. Boris Christoff appears in the Clock Scene and the final scene,with John Lanigan as Shuisky and Joseph Rouleau as Pimen.  ( 42 min.)

A birthday tribute to one of the greatest singers in opera history. Victoria de los Angeles was born on Nov.1, 1923. I present a selection of arias from Martha, Traviata, Carmen, Manon, Faust, La Serva Padrona, Le Nozze di Figaro, plus Ravel's Sheherezade and two songs.  (72 min.)

   Bless the memory of this artist who defined the word "lovable" to millions of opera lovers.