What a fitting day for me to have discovered this marvelous young soprano, who studies with birthday girl Diana Soviero!!!!!

   Now that I have posted clips in various places, individuals have written me that she is a rising young star , and this is a great thing. Remember that 35 years ago when I heard Soviero's Mimi, and almost fell out of the balcony, I KNEW she was special, and this young lady appears to be following in her footsteps.

   A big BRAVA to her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Gigli and Melchior celebrate today!!!!!   Imagine what a day that was for opera!!!!

  March 20, 1890. BOTH Gigli and Melchior were born!!!!!! The GODS must have been in a good mood!!!

 The remarkable Carlo Bergonzi, whose performances have proven to be "singing lessons," appears in this Liceo,Barcelona Forza from 1971 under Ugo Savini. Raina Kabaiwanska, Nicolai Herlea, Gwynne Howell,and the young Juan Pons as the Alcalde, complete the cast.  (73 min.)

Note: I skipped the narration this week,because you wouldn't want to hear what my voice sounds like.

 I again post this ten handkerchief clip in celebration of Diana Soviero's March 19th birthday (shared with my ma). After 35 years of friendship, I still feel that she represents the most remarkable combination of vocalism and emotion imaginable. I treasure what she has meant to me, and to the opera world.

 What a joy!!!! However, crabby Zinka sits there as if she is the only star in the world..Just kidding!!!!!!!!!

 I do not care who or what you are!!!! I ORDER you to do this....It can be in the shower, in your yard, in the car, etc..... Let me knoiw if they take you away by force!!!!!!!!

I know you just ADORE my compilations, so I present no.9,with a few choice comments. If you played any at parties, did anyone ever guess ALL of them?

1. Gigli, Rethberg, Pinza           Attila trio   (Need we say more?)

2. Carlo Bergonzi                        E lucevan le stelle  (a veritable vocal lesson)

3. Jussi Bjoerling                         Romeo 1947 ensemble. (Did the C sound like that live?)

4.  Alessandro Bonci                   Puritani aria

5.  Clara Butt                                 Lucrezia Borgia Brindisi  (they would laugh today.I adore this!)

6. Karen Branzell                          Erda Warning (Das Rheingold)

7. Olga Borodina                           La Favorite aria

8.  Montserrat Caballe                  Adriana Phedre Monologue  (Totally wild!)

9.   Piero Cappuccilli                      Luisa Miller aria  ( A very great man)

10. Irene Minghini-Cattaneo       Azucena aria   (sadly killed when Allied bomb destroyed her villa in WW II)

11. Julia Varady                              Mme.Butterfly  "Che tua madre."

12. Charles Dalmores                     Carmen Flower Song

13. Zinka Milanov  (who?)             "D'amor sull'ali rosee" (Trovatore)

14. Mario Del Monaco                     "No,pazzo son"(Manon Lescaut)   (Example of subtlety)

15. Merrill/Bjoerling                        Don Carlo duet  (pure gold)

16. Birgitte Fassbaender                "Suicidio"  ( even though she is a mezzo.)

17. Kathleen Ferrier                         "An die Musik"  (Schubert)

18.  Lauren Flanigan                         Lady Macbeth aria  (One of the singers who "takes chances" with repertory. One of my favorite ladies.)

19. Beniamino Gigli                            "Vedi,io piango'  (Fedora)

20.  Apollo Granforte                          Credo from Otello  (His name fits his voice.)

   A commercial recording from Bucharest,Rumania under Cornel Trailescu, featuring my beloved Virginia Zeani, tenor Corneliu Fanateanu, and the recently deceased Nicolae Herlea. I feel that Virginia proves once again that she is one of our greatest artists. It is not because of our friendship because I have gotten friendly with some artists AFTER hearing them, and it is not as if I made a friend and then "liked every breath he/she took."

  What can be a problem is when a singer you know as a person sings badly, and you have to be honest (except you cannot write about it on the internet.)

Have you EVER heard a rendition of this scene more exciting??? Stella loved to cry..but look, if George London was yelling at you, would you not shed a tear or two????    Zinka who????? (Sacriledge)