You have heard this before,but I must tell you that it is an example of some of the most exciting singing you'll ever hear!!!!

DO NOT PEEK before you listen!! Here are the 15 Flower Songs from Carmen (61 min.)

If you guess them all, I will send you my entire Fischer-Dieskau collection:

  Roberto Alagna, Peter Anders, Fernand Ansseau, Vladimir Atlantov, Enrico Caruso, Franco Corelli, Raoul Jobin, Antonio Cortis, Libero de Luca, Mario del Monaco, Placido Domingo, Beniamino Gigli, Jussi Bjoerling, Giuseppe di Stefano, and Nicolai Gedda.

This is a staging of the Maria Stuarda Confrontation Scene as per the Bette Davis/Joan Crawford film, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane." I wrote Joyce di Donato to tell her that in the coming Met Stuardas I do not think she should follow this staging.

   If my beloved Renata had ever had a fight with me, and used the kind of chest voice she uses on "Tre assi e un paio," I would have run screaming out the door. She scared us to death...one of the many great "Tebaldi moments."

To all of you great opera lovers all over the globe, I wish you a most HAPPY NEW YEAR and many thanks for your undying support. You make my life so happy all year long!

From Charlie

 The very great Cesare Siepi at age 63 in a superb Simone Boccanegra that features Renato Bruson (still singing these days at 77), Ileana Cotrubas, Taro Ichihara, and Enrico Serra (Paolo.) The conducter is Gabor Otvos. (71 min.)

The great tenor,who "teaches a vocal lesson" when he sings. This is a 68 year old man who is a legend. I heard him at 78, and he was just as wonderful. He is not in the best of health these days at 88, and I hope he feels better soon. We love him so much.

Facing a tough audience at Parma in 1962, after there had been some altercations, Tebaldi sang a great Mimi, and saved the day. Others in the cast are:  Renato Cioni,EnzoSordello, Silvana Zanolli, Giorgio Taddeo (Colline), and Otello Borgonovo (Schaunard) under Arturo Basile.  (64min.)

  I have just received a series of wonderful compilations of various arias, terrific for your opera parties, where you can give prizes if you wish if people can guess some or all of the selec tions. I did not do a narration here, but here are the mezzos doing the Trovatore "Stride la Vampa":

Giuseppina Zinetti, Nell Rankin, Irene Dalis, Blanche Thebom, Miriam Pirazzini, Elena Nicolai, Oralia Dominguez, Bruna Castagna, Ebe Stignani, Irene Minghini-Cattaneo, and Fedora Barbieri. (29 min.)

I hope this series is enjoyable to you.   My best for a happy New year

                                                                             Charlie

Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin which means HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our beloved Piotr for Dec.28. How fortunate the opera world is to be able to enjoy his great singing!!!