What true opera lover can resist our darling Olive Middleton,
a cult figure at New York's (in)famous La Puma Opera in the 60's.( the 1960's).   So what if she sang about three tones flat and had no teeth? She was adored,as you will hear on this brief (Thank GOD) podcast 

 (15 glorious minutes)

  When Dorothy Kirsten passed away in 1992, we learned
  she was actually about 9 years older than originally believed.
   This is even more amazing,considering how fresh and clear
   she sounded in 1974 and beyond.

The selections are from:  Thais, Fanciulla, Rondine, Butterfly,
 Louise, Tosca,La Rondine and she also sings Gershwin's
 "Someone To Watch Over  Me." Kirsten had an uncanny
  ability NOT to sound 'operatic' in pop music!

   (38 minutes)

Selections by 12 famous baritones:

Robert Merrill, Hugo Hasslo, Gabriel Bacquier,
Theodore Uppman, Heinrich Schlusnus,
Giuseppe Danise, Ettore Bastianini,Igor Gorin,
Mattia Battistini, John Charles Thomas,
Riccardo Stracciari, Pavel Lisitsian (in photo)
(50 minutes)

Arias sung by 15 famous divas of the recent past:

Montserrat Caballe, Arlene Auger, Maria Callas,
Kiri Te Kanawa, Virginia Zeani, Eda Moser,
Maria Chiara, Regine Crespin, Renata Scotto,
Catherine Malfitano, Margaret Price,Rene Fleming,
Anita Cerquetti, Pilar Lorengar,Ileana Cotrubas 

(73 minutes)

 Arias as sung by one of the greatest divas in opera history.

  Included are arias from Traviata, Ballo, Sonnambula,
  Les Huguenots, La Perle du Bresil, Semiramide, Vespri,
  Rosalinda (Veracini), and the Proch Variations.
 

                                   (37 minutes)

   Opera Scenes featuring the great Martha Moedl,a lady
    who could "read the Dresden Telephone Directory" and
     still captivate audiences!!!!

 Scenes from : Macbeth, Parsifal, Walkure, Gotterdamerung,
    Pirates of Penzance, Elektra, Tristan und Isolde, and songs.
    

Also see Youtube Pique dame Clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcZsI6pBpQg

                                  (53 minutes)

Scenes from  George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess,"
   featuring many wonderful artists such as:

 Todd Duncan, Anne Brown, Camilla Williams, Avon Long,
Helen Jepson, Lawrence Tibbett, Robert Merrill, Inez Matthews,
Cynthia Clarey, Willard White, Leontyne Price, Renee Fleming,
Kiri Te Kanawa, and Paul Robeson

 (52 minutes)

     Songs, scenes, and arias as sung by Lotte Lehmann, one of
     the greatest artists in opera history. A tribute to a great lady!

(55 minutes)

    A magnificent array of fifteen tenors of the French school.
     Included in this collection are:

Georges Thill, Paul Franz, Giuseppe Lugo, Jose Luccioni,
Leon Escalais, Cesar Vezzani, Leon Campagnola,,
Marius Corpait, Jose de Trevi, Charles Friant,
Gaston Micheletti, Rene LaPelletrie, Rene Verdiere,
Josef Rogatchewsky, and Emile Marcellin

(62 minutes)

A collection of arias sung by 20 of the greatest tenors
in opera history. Included are:

Caruso, Gigli, Martinelli, Slezak, McCormack, Pertile,
Tamagno, Escalais, Jadlowker, Roswaenge, Ershov,
Lemeshev, Sobinov, Widdop, Tauber, Schmidt,
Bonci, De Muro, Cortis, Piccaver.

                            (60 Minutes)

Several scenes from this lesser-known,but nevertheless
beautiful work. Featured in the scenes are:

Yolanta:     Galina Vishneskaya, Michaela Gurevich,
                      and Galina Gorchakova

King Rene:     Nicolai Ghiaurov, Sergei Alexashkin,                         
                       and Gheorghi Seleznev

Vaudemont:       Nicolai Gedda and Gegam Grigorian 

Robert        Dmitri Hvorostovsky

                                   (50 minutes)

Many selections from this exciting Donizetti work,
featuring scenes and arias with the following artists:

Alfredo Kraus, Beniamino Gigli, Robert Lasalle,
Giuseppe Anselmi, Luciano Pavarotti, Giulio Neri
Mattia Battistini, Piero Cappuccilli, Marcello Giordani,
Giuseppe Di Stefano, Franco Corelli, Regina Resnik,
Fiorenza Cossotto, Giulietta Simionato, Ebe Stignani
 

(64 Minutes)

   Several operatic scenes involving fathers.Music from:

La Traviata, Aida, Walkure, Norma, Luisa Miller,
Louise, Nozze di Figaro, Turandot, Manon,Rigoletto

A birthday tribute to the marvelous Marisa Galvany, one of
the most exciting divas in opera history. Selections from:

Norma, Aida, Nabucco, Medea, Traviata, Attila, Ballo,
Trovatore, Anna Bolena, Turandot

We thank Mme.Galvany for so many years of very great singing!!!!

Still more insane happenings on opera stages and in the
studio. Perfect for opera parties or if you feel like taking
time off from Pelleas et Melisande. 

                                  ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scenes and arias from Verdi's "Luisa Miller" featuring
  many fine artists such as:

Sondra Radvanovsky, Montserrat Caballe, Aprile Millo,
Antonietta Stella, Nelly Miricioiu, Richard Tucker,
Jose Carreras, Giuseppe Anselmi, Alessandro Bonci,
Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Vladimir Chernov,
Vladimir Galouzine, Piero Cappuccilli,& Giorgio Tozzi

 Ten selections from the enormous output of this legendary artist.

   Words have always failed me when I attempt to describe the
depth of my admiration...idolization...for this remarkable tenor
who left us all too soon, but whose legacy will remain with us
all our lives.

   Part two of the comparison of sopranos singing the famous
   "Pace,pace' from Verdi's "La Forza del Destino."

You have to guess who is singing, so I will not post the names.

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                  

  (Photo:Ponselle,Caruso,Mardones)

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO THE BELOVED
RISE STEVENS,ONE OF THE GREAT ARTISTS IN
MY MEMORY

(Photo: Rise posed with every single member of her music club at our last gathering out on the island at Westhampton Beach, New York..This was followed by everyone being thrown into the swimming pool.(Except me..I never learned to swim!)

Our Happy Birthday tribute to the opera stars born in June.

Fedora Barbieri-6/4/20     

Joel Berglund-6/4/03
Roberto Alagna- 6/7/63    

Jose Palet- 6/7/1877
Mario Filippeschi- 6/7/07  

John McCormack-6/14/1884
Helen Traubel-6/16/1898  

Eugenia Burzio-6/20/1882
Giuseppe Taddei- 6/26/16  

Riccardo Stracciari-6/27/1875
Anna Moffo-6/27/32         

Elena Nikolaidi-6/29/09
Luisa Tetrazzini 6/29/1871
                  

                    "SHAKESPEARE IN MUSIC"

  A podcast in which we hear examples of Shakespeare's influence
  on (mostly) opera. We feature selections from:

Hamlet,Falstaff, Merry Wives of Windsor, Macbeth, 
Antony & Cleopatra, I Capuletti ed I Montecchi,
The Otellos of Verdi & Rossini, The Romeo of Gounod,
The Romeo of Berlioz, West Side Story & Kiss Me Kate.

   The great Bellini opera "Norma" surely lends itself to
    performances by some of our most memorable artists.
    Here are some scenes which feature a number of them:

Maria Callas, Montserrat Caballe, Shirley Verrett,
Lauren Flanigan, Marisa Galvany, Zinka Milanov,
Gina Cigna, Rita Hunter, Beverly Sills, Renata Scotto,
Joan Sutherland, Leyla Gencer, Lili Lehmann,
Marilyn Horne, Ebe Stignani, Gino Penno,Kurt Baum,
Carlos Cossutta, Lamberto Furlan, Carlo Bergonzii, Franco Corelli,  Elena Nicolai, Roberto Francesconi,
AND Olive Middleton (well, nobody's POIFEKT!)

          Truly wonderful singing by La Scala artists who
                 visited Russia in 1964. Included are:

Mirella Freni, Bruno Prevedi, Renata Scotto,
Birgit Nilsson, Carlo Bergonzi, 
Fiorenza Cossotto, and Gianni Raimondi

 Brunnhilde's Battle Cry as sung by a series of sopranos:

Kirsten Flagstad
Frida Leider
Margaret Harshaw
Erna Schleuter
Nadezna Kniplova
Johanna Gadski
Helene Wildbrunn
Gertrude Grob-Prandl
Gertrude Kappel
Pelage Greef-Andriessen

Bonus: the great La Puma Opera Company's version. (Please proceed at your own risk on this last one!)

AS LONG AS WE ARE IN A "RING MODE," 
ON "UNNATURAL ACTS OF OPERA,
LA CIECA IS CURRENTLY PRESENTING
A COMPLETE RING PODCAST



Kirsten Flagstad sings "Hojotoho!" in The Big Broadcast of 1937.

A collection of artists of Dutch ancestry.Included are:

Jacques Urlus, Nan Merriman, Elizabeth Ohms,
Elly Ameling, Maartje Offers, Jard Van Nes,
Cora Canne Meijer, Gre Brouwenstijn (in photo),
Christina Deutekom, and Jo Vincent

In the early part of the 20th century, many artists
recorded mostly Wagnerian material, as performed at the
Sopot (Poland) Forest Theatre Festival, known as the
"Bayreuth of the North."

Tenors:  Jacques Urlus, Richard Schubert, 
Albert Reiss, Fritz Soot                 

Bassos/Baritones:  Georges Baklanoff, 
Desider Zandor, Robert Vom Scheidt,
Heinrich Knote, Adolf Schoepplin

       Sopranos: Frida Leider, Helene Wildbrunn, and 
     Meta Seinemeyer. 

 Part one of an interesting and exciting podcast in which we can
 compare various sopranos singing the great "Pace" from Verdi's
 "La Forza del Destino."
      As usual,with this kind of program, I will not list the sopranos
here, because I have designed the podcast so that you do not know
the names until each group of three has been played.

              Peace be with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Photo:Renata Tebaldi as Leonora)

    An exciting comparison of various sopranos singing the
    great aria from Turandot, "In questa reggia." I am not
    going to list the sopranos here because some of you like
    to play guessing games. Each soprano will be named after
    each group of selections.

        Remember:  "Gli enigmi sono tre...Charlie è una!!"