Fedora Barbieri  6/4/1920
When I first went to the Met, one of the most amazing organ-like voices was Fedora Barbieri. The voice was rich and full, and she was one of our favorites ,The incredible lows shortened the very top, so B flat was virtually her easiest top note. (She does not take B natural in the Eboli.)
She was able to bring the chest voice up in an incredible way, so if you picture the last utterance in the Judgement Scene, the word "Anatema" before "su voi" was in CHEST!!!! When she broke away from De Luna, the "Deh rallentati,o barbari" shook the house. (Warren got mad and did not want her to take a solo.)
In 1976, when she returned for Trittico, I had made her some tapes, and met her backstage,mentioning the Trovatore scene. She then launched into it (lower key), and I then realized that she was not too shy. When she and Leyla came to be honored several years ago, at a Licvia Gala, she proceeded to sing some lines of a song, also in a rather low key.
She did a Master Class at Manhatten School of Music which was rather uninteresting. They can sing..but not always teach! We did spend some time backstage and she made me feel "calm" but she was still as much fun as ever. (Euphemism for "nuts!")
  I hope she and Giulietta made up, because I was always told they would not sing on the same planet!!!
   One of the greatest voices I ever heard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Happy Birthday to Cecilia Bartoli, June 4, 1966.  I think someone told me she loved this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

               Long Live La Puma
I finally decided to spread the insane La Puma opera stories to the world that listens to my podcasts. I know I have written them previously, but as long as I want to share with people from Angola to Zanzibar,I will repeat some of them, so do not accuse me of repetition. I NEVER repeat anything. Remember, these tales are true! I was there, or in a few cases others told me of their experiences. Picture yourself there with your opera buddies.(They eventually threw us out!!!!)
1. Chorus lady in Aida wearing a watch.(Memphis Standard time?)
2. Nedda who did not know the music after the ballatella, so Tonio had to leave.
3. Iago falling off the cheap junior high school table during the Brindisi.
4. Prompter in Faust SCREAMING the words from offstage.
5. Silva in Ernani bidding "Entrate ola miei fidi cavalieri."  One old guy enters.
6. Olive Middleton, the cult soprano (had a career 50 years ago), with a flashlight in act one Walkure. (This is BEFORE Herheim was born.).Well, it's dark in there.
7.Mme.La Puma (mother of the famous Met coach Alberta Masiello) announcing, "Barnaba ees seeck. We no do Gioconda.Instead we do Tristan und Isolde.
8. The last time we went, because they threw us out when a peasant girl with a big white bow, age about 65, let out an Elektra geschrei, when Leporello got fresh in the Zerlina/Masetto scene. We ran out in hysterics, and I wasn't even wearing my diapers.
    In your city, do they have anything l;ike this?  We have the MET!
  (BTW..Met singers used to attend.I hope they were courteous)
GO to Youtube "La Puma" for more punishment.

    Another great emotional star from Bulgaria,like Raina Kabaiwanska.

After graduating from the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski " and the Herzen University in Saint Petersburg She worked briefly at the Bulgarian Scientific Research Institute of Education in Sofia.^[1]

She wrote a dissertation on "Inclusion of children from preschool to universal moral values." Co-author of "Concept for the development of public preschool education in Bulgaria", "Concept for the socialization of socially disadvantaged Romani children” (under the auspices of UNICEF), "White Paper on Pravets" (2010) and the book "Pravets. Chronicles of the private city "(2011).

Author also of dozens of articles on topical issues of public life in the years of Bulgaria's transition to democracy and market economy, published in Bulgarian and foreign Internet and print media (including publications of the European Union) as well as her personal blog.^[2]

Information from her essay “The private cities of Bulgaria” (2008) has become part of the book "The New Bulgarian Demons" by the German investigative journalist Juergen Roth.^[3][4]

As a guest of the famous morning show "Hello, Bulgaria" to NOVA television on November 14, 2008 She determines Pravets as "the first private city", owned by the representative of the oil giant Lukoil in Bulgaria - Valentin Zlatev, prompting a flagrant dismissal of high-ranking journalist Georgi Koritarov.

Svetla Vassileva is co-founder of several non-profit associations.

Svetla Vassileva was awarded the "Golden Key" for 2014 in the category "journalism" of the Access to Information Programme.

I DO FIND GREAT ONES!!!!

I now add Evan Bowers to my list of fine tenors. This is a tenor world these days. We have Beczala,Giordani,Giordano,Fabiano,Calleja,Camarena,Flores, Breslik, Kaufman, Polenzani,Hymel,etc.

I bring some of those I know cd's, because my collection is gathering dust.

Evan is superb!!!!!

Still discovering new talent. Evan Bowers, superb tenor, plus the 76 year old Bruson, a legend. Svetla Vassileva also wonderful. Also never heard this opera!!!

1. Marton vs. Cigna in Turandot ("Straniero, ascolta!")
2. Calleja vs. Filippeschi vs. Pertile in Aida ("Celeste Aida")
3. Stemme & Dessì vs Gencer vs. Pedrini in Aida ("O patria mia")
4. Licitra vs. Salvarezza in Turandot ("Nessun dorma")
5. Alagna vs. Zanelli in Otello (Tu, indietro!... Ora e per sempre")
6. Guleghina vs. Nilsson in Turandot ("In questa reggia")
7. Vogt vs. Völker in Lohengrin ("In fernem Land")
8. Kaufmann vs. Di Stefano vs. Björling in Faust ("Salut demeure")
9. Kaufmann vs. Filippeschi vs. Salvarezza in Il Trovatore ("Di quella pira")
10. Hampson vs. Granforte in Il Barbiere di Siviglia ("Largo al factotum")***
11. Florez vs. Filippeschi vs. O'Sullivan in Guillaume Tell ("Asil héréditaire"/"O muto asil del pianto")
12. Gavanelli vs. Stracciari in Andrea Chenier ("Nemico della patria")
13. Hunter Morris vs. Svanholm vs. Melchior in Siegfried ("Nothung, Nothung, neidliches Schwert")
14. Pape vs. Reinmar in Die Walküre ("Leb wohl, du kühnes")

Wonderful stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!