Happy Birthday Nelly...still can sing!!!!    3/31/52......

OLD SCHOOL!!!!! Lovely, darling singer and one of the greats (not that the Met cares).I had to study three hours to learn to spell her name.

In Newark, New Jersey at 23:11 :Loris,ove sei" I thought I was going to collapse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't "call" you today...but you "call" me forever.

  I just cannot believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Zinka may be my favorite singer, but maybe Magda in another way, has to be someone I treasure more!!!

  Her caretaker said she could sing around the house at 100!!!!!!  God bless her.

  Piangero per sempre!!!!!!!!!!!!

  She was once told, "Do not quit your day job." The basic quality is not like a Tebaldi but her singing emerges as the most gorgeous in its emotion and love for music. She is for me, a miracle!!!

Magda....the miracle of opera. Oh, by the way, the Tosca selection is MY TAPE, and the ovation was cut...it lasted forever!!!!

I cannot call you as I did on every birthday, but you will always be enshrined in my heart as the MIRACLE of opera.

One of the rare singers who reminds us of what we do not have anymore.....

Ivan Koslovsky   3/24/1900   Slightly nuts!

When I told Dolora (3/24/52) she is a throwback to the great past, she had me do a master class for her students.I played good old stuff. When I asked her what it was like to sing the glorious Amneris, she said, "I just want to get the notes out!!"   Amazing woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Truly superb tenor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Melchior had a birthday this week. This guy is a sensation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  My adored Martha Moedl. Flawed in some ways but one of the most exciting singers ever. Olivia Stapp saw a "voiceless Isolde" in Europe once and audience went crazy...Unforgettable lady.

Rudy Park and my friend Aprile! This is what we do not hear today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Mamma Mia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DISCOVERY!!!!!!  Rudy Park!!!

 I saw Mario and Franco each 40 times...this guy is OLD SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw a fabulous one and she had bronchitis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did not know of this.....for Diana's Mar.19 birthday and my buddy Sam...…….

Since the days of Favero,Muzio,Zeani,Olivero,Scotto...we have had NO ONE like what Diana does..NO ONE!!!!!!

Not only does Diana Soviero and my mother have Mar.19 birthdays, but tenor Alberto Cupido celebrates. What a coincidence!!!!

Soviero sat on my couch and I said, "I have a Violetta you might like." She said, "Oh..she might study with me." I then played Mari Lynn and Diana almost fell on the floor. I love the word "Muttatta.

Mar.19...My darling Diana Soviero, one of the greatest singers, and MY MOTHER, one of the greatest mothers celebrate birthdays!!!!!

  Could be, and top was great but NOT BAUM EVERY NIGHT!!! His wife came out of the stage door after he was boooed and said, "I am Il Trovatore, not Milanov." She screamed. "You're all a bunch of faggots!!!"   Gee, she must have been in the standing room.

He is now coaching Tamagno,Martinelli, and Al Jolson.

  WE HATED HIM!!!! Well, if Tucker or Mario were not there, he was reliable. Ugly voice.....I had to see him with Zinka Lord knows how much. Yes,he was reliable, but in those days, the rosters were small as compared to today, and singers stayed at the Met a lot. He is good in Lohengrin scene w.Traubel..more Germanic..Had fabulous high C...that is all!!!!

  Fun with Christa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    THRILLING STELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In 1966 Ludwig, ex-husband Berry, King,Rysanek,Dalis, under Boehm gave what I consider the greatest all-around show in my LIFE!!!!!!

  Dyer's wife in Frau probably greatest single performance of a role by a singer in my life!!!!!!

Stella and a tenor I adored, with his gorgeous voice matching hers. She loved to cry a lot!!!!

  I almost forgot about Zinka as Stella opened her mouth as Aida in 1956. GREAT lady!!!!!

Turns 90. Imagine to have Milanov,Tebaldi,Stella on roster in 1956. She and Bergonzi debut I will never forget..and I adored her luscious rich gorgeous voice.

She had her flaws...but NUTS FOR HER.We gave a party in 1972 after Attila..All other divas photos taken down.Kabaiwanska came in New Years Eve.and said, "What is ths, a SHRINE????"

LAST APPEARANCE....SO SAD!!!!

  I love the Mehta/Valencia

RING.... Innovative!!!!!

Ivan Koslovsky  3/11/1900. I love very subtle singers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3/10/1892  Ages ago a friend brought me a 78 of Eva Turner..Who???? I went nuts!!!!! Nilsson might have not been able to cover her!!!!

  When dear Larry Brownlee sang this for his Met audition, the place went nuts....Here is another example of a superb lyric tenor with great range and technique! Bravo to him!!!!!

  I thought Stefan Zucker was the world's highest tenor..OH NO!!!!!!

Jamie Barton, the ghost of Ebe Stignani,and the great mezzos of the past!!!!!

Claudia Novikova  3/9/1895 is a real CHARMER!!!  Special lady!!!

  Our new HERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BIS for the great Javier Camarena!!!!

  Piotr gets a BIS!!!!! Love that guy!

Clara Petrella (and Mario) is really so wild!!!! Wonderful example of the kind of singing we no longer have.They want it "pretty."

We called the great Giorgio Tozzi 

"Signor Legato." Fabulous basso.

Jamie Barton is one of a handful of singers today who is "old school." A truly great voice and lovely lady!!!!

Sam Ramey,who inherited his roles,

told me as a young student how he

saw this skinny guy in a rehearsal, open up this HUGE voice. One of the all-time greatest singing-actors!!!!!

  The great Treigle and Rudel born on a Mar.6. I asked Di Giuseppe about his high e flat..He said, "E natural"  Treigle one of the greatest singers ever. Sam Ramey No.1!!

Love Saioa Hernandez. Of course, the Met is so dumb they probably will not get her!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Margarete Teschemacher 3/3/1903.

Great voice with another favorite singer!

Lucine saved so many shows she became  a "house soprano" which was

often a negative....but a great sound!   Happy Birthday!

(and those xxxxx rated jokes!)

Lucine told me (I was there) how

Monteux had to hold the dream roll

after this trio since we went NUTS!

Bless her!!!   Still has voice!!!!!

Met 1972 Bing Gala. I sat there as

if I had never heard her before and

could not BELIEVE any human

throat could produce those sounds!