Unlike Santuzza, may I wish you all a wonderful Easter Holiday!!!!!!!!

Gavazzi,Simionato,Cossotto, Troyanos,Verrett,Obratsova,W.Meier, Urmana

 85 yr.old Lauri-Volpi expounds on singing!!!   Mamma Mia!!!!!!!

   Had I not discovered Zinka Milanov when I was in college, I know my average would have been higher, but I cannot say I have regrets as to what opera has given me since 1953. Then, I had this fantasy about what would happen if I were born maybe 30 years earlier and saw the kind of seasons that the Met Annals reveal. I would be a triple Lois Kirschenbaum, never stay home, and probably end up dropping out of college..well,no,of course not..because it would probably go like this:

"I saw Caruso and Ponselle last week;i need not go again!!." It was much like this in 1954 because now I say things like, "I should have seen Steber, De los Angeles, etc. more," but naturally one must put things in some perspective. Just to think of a little Charlie around 1918, a typical week might go like this.(From the 1917-1918 annals.)

11/12/17   Aida   Muzio,Caruso, Matzenauer, Amato, Mardones

11/13 (In BROOKLYN)  Tosca    Farrar, Althouse (taught Tucker),Scotti

11/14    Boris    Didur, Rothier, De Segurola, Matzenauer, Althouse

11/15    Elisir     Hempel,Caruso, Scotti, Didur

11/16    Boheme    Alda, McCormack, De Luca, Didur

11/17     Faust     Farrar, Martinelli, Rothier  (Mat.)

11/17 (Eve.)   Traviata   Hempel, De Luca, Carpi (who???)

    So you see, this is IMPOSSIBLE to process, and the era was just so replete with sensational stars, and maybe a few who at that time may have not been Caruso or Ponselle, but in the cast each night usually there was at least one great star, and probably more, as you see above.
     I guess it is all right I was born later, because I would have never been a teacher, and I propably cud not spel propally anymorre.

                    Now you see why people say, "Get over it,Charlie...They're DEAD!!!"

 

 Sam once told me about that "skinny little chain-smoking" basso whom he saw in Sam's early days.It was the great Norman Treigle, a giant on the stage;Sam managed to "inherit" some of the great Treigle roles, and here is one of them. Treigle would be honored!!!

  One fine day (Un bel di) in 1970, we started our Anna Bolena rehearsals with Marisa Galvany, me as Rochefort, and some new young guy named Sam Ramey. Imagine suddenly hearing that great voice for the first time, and subsequently we sang in Barbiere, Boheme,Hoffmann, etc.and to this day we have kept up a friendship (He is the "King of Facebook.") and so to dear Sam, not a devil of a guy in person, we wish the happiest of birthdays!!!!

 Maria Aleida Rodriguez....GEE...a "G".....Phenomenal!!!!!!!

Highlights from Kalman's "Countess Maritza", with Sena Jurinac, Karl Terkal, Anneliese Rothenberger, and Rupert Glawitsch, followed by highlights from Lehar's "The Land of Smiles," with Charlie's favorite tenor, Piotr Beczala and Camilla Nylund..  (73 min.)

 Can you spend two hours watching and listening to the GREATEST singing imaginable?????   I saw many of them!!!!!

Some people complain I love dead singers....Well,tough!!!! Can anyone these days do this?????

  Callas and Bechi in Nabucco scene.   To die for!!!!!!!!!

Not much left........Makes me cry...because it is a remnant of a sensational,if short, career......She uses a lot of chest...i think because she cannot do it any other way.....Such a sad end to a career.......But what she gave to music is something of a miracle,even in a short time. (56 min.)