Here is the end of the Verrett Macbeth. I had forgotten to add two tracks.

SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shirley Verrett, one of my all-time favorite singers, in a Scala 1975 performance of Macbeth under Claudio Abbado. The magnificent Piero Cappuccilli, Franco Tagliavini, and (not to be oudone), Nicolai Ghiaurov complete the cast.

Arias  by Gian Giacomo Guelfi from Nabuco, Macbeth,Luisa Miller, Jerusalem,Wally, Zaza, Fanciulla, Andrea Chenier, and I even found the clip of the Amonasro scene where the conductor lets the audience goes insane, and  never stops so the poor diva can be heard!!!!

Giangiacomo Guelfi (21 December 1924 – 8 February 2012)^[1] was an operatic baritone, particularly associated with Verdi and Puccini.^[2]

Born in Rome, Guelfi studied law before turning to vocal studies in Florence with baritone Titta Ruffo. He made his stage debut in Spoleto, as Rigoletto in 1950. He made his debut in 1952 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, also appearing in Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Catania, and becoming a regular guest at the Arena di Verona. Outside Italy he appeared in Berlin, Lisbon, London, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Cairo. He made his American debut in 1954 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and at the Metropolitan Opera of New York in 1970.^[2] He took part in the creation of contemporary works including Lazzaro in Pizzetti's La figlia di Jorio, Naples, 1954. He was mostly known for his Verdi portrayals in operas such as Nabucco, I due Foscari, Attila, Macbeth, Il trovatore, I vespri siciliani, La forza del destino, and Aida. He also appeared in verismo operas such as Cavalleria rusticana, Andrea Chénier, Tosca, and La fanciulla del West.

Guelfi had a large, powerful voice and yet was able to perform more classical works such as Guglielmo Tell, Lucia di Lammermoor, La favorite, L'Africaine, and Spontini's Agnes von Hohenstaufen.

He sang the role of Rance in La fanciulla del West in a recording with Renata Tebaldi, conducted by Arturo Basile, and was in the 1961 Tokyo's performances of Tosca, also with Tebaldi, on DVD.

He died on 8 February 2012 in Bolzano, after a week's hospitalization.^[1]

I mentioned in my narration my love for that glorious voice of Daniele Barioni. That is not exactly fair to the marvelous Dorothy Kirsten in the title role, but sometimes you just have special memories of a particular singer. In this 1960 New Orleans performance under Renato Cellini we also hear a fine baritone, Richard Torigi (why was he never at the Met?) and Suzuki is Rosalind Nadell.

I tried to narrate a bit of information about the way singers approach the passaggio (or "change in registers). Please feel free to e-mail me at Placido 21@aol.com if you think I don't know what I'm talking about!.

Martinelli, Corelli, Carreras, Bjoerling,Gigli, Di Stefano, Baum Del Monaco 1952, Del Monaco 1961. Roswaenge, Svanholm.  (The Vinay clip did not come out.)

Passaggio is a term used in classical singing to describe the pitch ranges in which vocal registration events occur. Beneath passaggio is the chest voice where any singer can produce a powerful sound, and above it lies the head voice, where a powerful and resonant sound is accessible, but usually only through training. The historic Italian school of singing describes a primo passaggio and a secondo passaggio connected through a zona di passaggio in both the male and female voice. A major goal of classical voice training in classical styles is to maintain an even timbre throughout the passaggio. Through proper training, it is possible to produce a resonant and powerful sound.

From a concert performance from NYC 1974 under Eve Queler, we hear Montserrat Caballe,Placido Domingo, Justino Diaz, and Franco Bordoni in Verdi's "I Vespri Siciliani."

(Note the way Caballe sings "Arrigo, ah parla a un core" in act four as an example of truly amazing singing.)

Under Eugen Jochum, I bring you a Tristan und Isolde from Bayreuth, 1953 featuring Astrid Varnay, Ramon Vinay, Gustav Neidlinger, Ira Milaniuk, and my favorite basso of that era, Ludwig Weber.

(I know you missed my mellifluous voice before the podcast, but it was too noisy in my hall. Sorry!)

Scenes from two performances of Turandot:

New Orleans, 1966 under Knud Andersson featuring Birgit Nilsson and Giuseppe Gismondo.

Rome, 1987 under Daniel Oren featuring Diana Soviero and Corneliu Murgu.

 I hope I am not inundating you too much with all these compilations, but I do think they are fun.

1. Fedora Barbieri                       Trovatore   "Stride la vampa."

2. Daniele Barioni                         La Rondine aria (with nice interpolation at end.)

3. Lina Bruna Rasa                       Cavalleria Rusticana   "Voi lo sapete" ( Insane chest!)

4. Grace Bumbry                           Don Carlo     "Oh don fatale."

5. Maria Callas                               La Gioconda     "Suicidio"

6. Enrico Caruso                            "Vesti la giubba"

7. Regine Crespin/Carlo Bergonzi        Ballo in Maschera Duet

8. Gilda Cruz-Romo                         Attila Cabaletta

9. Giuseppe de Luca                        Tanhauser Evening Star   (in Italiano.)

10.Bernardo de Muro                      Isabeau (Mascagni) aria

11.Ghena Dimitrova                         "Vissi d'arte"

12.Placido Domingo                         Tanhauser Rome Narrative

13.Nicolai Gedda/Fernando Corena       Elisir Duet

14.Mario Filippeschi                          "Messun Dorma"   (LOUD!)

15.Elina Garanca                                Cosi Fan Tutte"   Dorabella aria

16.Leyla Gencer                                  Adriana Lecouvreur Act 3 Phedre Narration

17.Marcello Giordani                           Huguenots aria

18.Thomas Hampson/Sam Ramey     Duet from Verdi's "Un Giorno di Regno"

19.Susan Graham                                   Komponist aria from Ariadne

20.Hei-Kyung Hong                                "Che bel sogno di Doretta" (Rondine)

21.Marilyn Horne                                     Cabaletta from Meyerbeer's "Le Prophete"

22.Kiri Te Kanawa                                     "Summertime"

Macbeth from La Scala 1952 under  Victor de Sabata. Maria Callas, Enzo Mascherini, Gino Penno, and Italo Tajo are featured.   (73 min.)

Omar Suitner leads a glorious cast in this Tannhauser. Featured are Wolfgang Windgassen, Leonie Rysanek,Eberhard Waechter, Martti Talvela, and Barbro Ericson.  (74 min.)

A superb performance of Charpentier's Louise from 1999 San Francisco under Jonathan Summers. Featured are Renee Fleming, Jerry Hadley, Samuel Ramey, and Felicity Palmer. Sound is somewhat distant, since the performance was recorded in the theatre, but it is quite listenable. (Look, we have treasures galore in our collections because of those sneaky "pirates."

 Under the direction of conductor Giuseppe Morelli, I present highlights from Tosca, featuring Virginia Zeani, Placido Domingo, and Piero Francia. This must have been transferred to disc, and there are a few small skips.  ENJOY!!

  Here is part two of that glorious Rome Don Carlo.

PLEASE send me any comments, ideas,etc. to Placido21@aol.com. Remember,we cannot use the comment section of this site because it becomes invaded with ads.

An all-star Don Carlo from Rome,1968 under Fernando Previtali, with Leyla Gencer, Bruno Prevedi, Fiorenza Cossotto, Nicolai Ghiaurov, and Sesto Bruscantini. (Act 5 version)    PART ONE

I sincerely hope you are enjoying thee compilations. If you have any comments,suggestions,etc. PLEASE let me know at Placido21@aol.com.

1. Marisa Galvany and Enrico di Giuseppe in Attila Duet. (What a D!!)

2. Mattia Battistini                        Tannhauser  " Evening Star"

3. Enrico Caruso                             "Musica Proibita"  (After all these years, I say NO ONE was greater!)

4. Franco Corelli                             Otello  "Esultate!" (He never sang the role, sadly.)

5. David Daniels                               Rinaldo   "Venti turbini." (Wedding coming soon!)

6. Giuseppe Di Stefano                   "Un furtiva lagrima"

7. Eileen Farrell                                "Pace" from Forza del Destino

ERROR: It is CLAUDIA Novikova.

8. Gottlob Frick                                 Seraglio aria  (GREATEST "black" voice.)

9. Marcello Giordani                         "L'anima stanca" from Adriana

  (Last season he said to me, "I know Piotr is your favorite tenor..That is OK.I love him too!")

10.Apollo Granforte                             "Il Balen" from Trovatore  (worthy of his NAME!)

11. Alexander Kipnis                            "O Isis und Osiris" (Zauberflote)

12.Margarete Klose                              "Delilah aria" (In Deutsch) (One of my favorite artists.)

13.Renato Bruson/Katia Ricciarelli      Luisa Miller Duet

14. John Mc Cormack                             "Il mio tesoro" (the all-time greatest!)

15.Aprile Millo                                          "Poveri fiori"  (Adriana)

16.Claudia Muzio                                      "O del mio amato ben."  (Makes me CRAZY!)

17.Maria Nemeth                                      "In questa reggia" (Turandot)

18.Gallina Novikova                                 The most HILARIOUS"Drunk aria" from  La Perichole.

19.Tancredi Pasero                                   "Vi ravisso" (Sonnambula)

20.Aureliano Pertile                                  "Di quella pira."

21. Herman Prey                                        Tote Stadt aria  (Unbelievably gorgeous!)

22.Maria Reining/Hans Hotter                 Arabella Duet

1. Elizabeth Schwarzkopf sings Hugo Wolf (1962)  Acc. Felix de Nobel

 Morgentau, Das Voeglein, Mausfallen-Spruchlein, Wer rief dich denn,

 Nun las uns Frieden schliesen, Die Zigeunerin

2. Theresa Berganza Spanish Songs  (1962)  Acc. Felix Lavilla:

       Granados: La Maja Dolorosa (numero uno), El tra la la y el punteado,

           La Maja Dolorosa,(numero tres), El Majo Discreto

        Rodrigo:   Copillas de Belen

        Halffter:   Ay, que linda hermosa

                                   DIOS MIO!!!!!!!!!!!!

A variety of material from Holland Festivals that I think you will enjoy:

1.Giulietta Simionato                    Cenerentola Finale  (1954)

2. Maria Callas                               "Ernani Involami"   (1959)

3. Luciano Pavarotti             Tebaldo's aria from "I Capuetti ed i Montecchi" (Bellini)(1966)

4.Alessandra Marc                  Empress Dream Scene from "Die Frau Ohne Schatten"  (1990)

5. Gallina Vishnevskaya in Recital (1975)  Acc. Tamas Vasary

        Tchaikovsky: "Do not believe, my friend."and "At the ball."

        Moussorgsky:  "Where art thou,little star"

        Stravinsky:        Parasha's aria from the opera "Mavra"

6.  Elly Ameling Sings Mozart  (1969):

     Das Lied der Trennung, Als Luise, Abendemfindung, An Chloe

More fun (I hope) for you:

1.Licia Albanese                      Pagliacci Aria

2.Zeani/Borso                         Piccolo Marat Duet  (They made them do the finale again!)

3.Vassilka Petrova                  Trovatore Aria  (send children and small animals out of the room)

4.Schwartzkopf/Jurinac/Della Casa (Sophie)   Rosenkavalier trio  (Della Casa did all three roles)

5. Mado Robin                            Lucia Mad Scene   (with High K# above R)

6. Eleanor Ross                          "Pace"

7. Bidu Sayao                    Manon Adieu  (You do not have to sound like Nilsson to be  a sensation)

8. Renata Scotto                        Adriana Phedre Declamation in Act 3

9.Irmgard Seefried                    Ariadne Composer's Aria 

10.Cesare Siepi                           Salvador Rosa Aria

11. Simionato/Di Stefano          Favorita Duet

12.Pinza/Martinelli                      Simone duet (Jan.21,1939,my third birthday)

                                    (I never forgave mom and dad for not taking me!)

13.Giuseppe Taddei                     Schicchi Aria

14.Diana Soviero                          Zaza aria (Leoncavallo)

15.Joan Sutherland                       Alcina Aria

16.Giuseppe Taccani                     Guglielmo Ratcliff aria (Mascagni)

17-18.   Richard Tucker                   Chenier aria/ Juive Cabaletta

19. Taddei                                          Fanciulla aria

20. Antonietta Stella                        Vespri Bolero

21.Franz Voelker                               Walkure act one scene  (one of my 5 fav.tenors of the past)

22.Leonard Warren                            Faust aria

23.Ludwig Weber                               Boris Monolog. (one of my 5 fav.bassos of the past)

24.Ljuba Welitsch                               Gypsy Baron aria

25. Zinka Milanov's Last "Pace" from Newark,NJ Concert in 1966 (I CRY!)

Lohengrin Scenes in French with Ninon Vallin, Marcel Journet, Martial Singher and Marjorie Lawrence, Marjorie Lawrence and Yvonne Brothier (Ortrud), Cesare Vezzani and Mireille Berthon.

This is followed by scene from Act One Walkure With Cesare Vezzani, Germaine Lubin, and in the final section Lubin and Rene Verdiere.

From the period 1919-1928 in Germany, there was an enormous revival of Verdi operas, and here are some selections:

1.Forza del Destino        with Meta Seinemer* and Ivar Andresen.

2.Vespri Siciliani             with Heinrich Schlusnus and Helge Roswaenge.

3. Simone Boccanegra  with Alexander Kipnis and Schlusnus

4. Don Carlo                     with Wilhelm Strienz and Seinemeyer*

5. Macbeth                       with Andresen.

   * Sadly,Meta Seinemeyer, one of the great sopranos, passed away at age 33. She would have been even a greater artist, but her career was tragically cut short by Leukemia.

In my experience, Fedora Barbieri had one of the very greatest voices, like an "organ" as it poured from her. We met in her later years, and she was  a fun lady. Here are scenes from:

Carmen,Falstaff (with Gobbi), Ballo, Samson et Delilah, Adriana Lecouvreur, Andrea Chenier, Gioconda, Trovatore (live 1951 with Warren and my beloved Kurt Baum),and songs "Nel cor piu non mi sento" and " Chi vuol la zingarella graziosa."

 What could be more appropriate than having an actual loving couple, Stephen Costello and his wife Ailyn Perez, two of the sweetest people on the planet, make a recording of "Love Duets."

 Here are two selections from the beautiful album, the "L'Amico Fritz Cherry Duet" and "One hand, one heart," from West Side Story. I have followed their careers from their inception, and I am so happy they are becoming so important in the world of opera.  ENJOY!!!!

Three selections from the brilliant Mexican tenor, Javier Camarena. From his album "Recitales" he sings "Musica Proibita," Granada," and "Estrellita."

  His Don Ramiro at the Met this season caused a sensation, and the audience demanded an encore, totally rare at the Met.

 I hope you are enjoying these compilations as much (MORE!) as I do making them:

1. Giacomo (Jaime) Aragall          Adriana aria, act one

2. Daniele Barioni rings the Turandot Gong.(What breath control!)

3. Callas/Barbieri        Gioconda duet  (They burn up the place!)

4. Gilda Dalla Rizza      "Addio del passato"

5. Leyla Gencer    "D'amor sull'ali rosee".  (Note: A friend had a fight over this aria with someone whose house he visited. He got so mad that the host liked Callas better, he said, "Get out!" My friend said, "But I LIVE here!" The Gencer nutcase then said, "So what..GET OUT!!") Do you now see how normal Charlie is???

6. Mario del Monaco   "Ah la paterna mano"  (Macbeth)

7. Mirella Freni             "Tu che di gel." (Turandot)

8. Nicolai Gedda/Renato Bruson/Christine Eda-Pierre   Pearl Fishers Trio  (They sometimes do another version, but this version is incredible!!!)

9.Gertrude Grob-Prandl   "Hojotoho"

10.Kirsten/Merrill           Thais Finale (One of the most glorious recordings ever made)

11.Rene Kollo                    Tannhauser Rome Narrative

12.Raina Kabaiwanska      "La Mamma Morta" (Chenier)

13.Pavel Lisitsian               Prologo (In Russian)   A voice of pure gold!

14.Magda Olivero                Mefistofele aria (breaks your heart.)

15.Aprile Millo                       "Danny Boy"

16.Michele Molese's legendary telling  critic Harold Schoenberg, who had written about his "pinched high C" in Ballo, that the note was for him. Galvany almost flipped out!

17.Julius Patzak                   Seraglio aria

 A fine Rosenkavalier under Georg Szell, featuring Maria Reining, Hilde Gueden, Jarmila Novotna, Jaro Prohaska, and Georg Hann (Faninal.)

 I was so thrilled with baritone Michael Volle in Arabella that I decided to purchase an import of his material. I think you will like it. He sings Schubert's Erlkonig,The Evening Star from Tannhauser, Ford's Monologue from Falstaff, and from The Merry Widow, "Da geh ich zu Maxim." Enjoy!!!

From Orange, 1971 under Karl Boehm, the great Tristan pair sing for you:John Vickers and Birgit Nilsson. Also featured are Ruth Hesse as Brangaene and Walter Berry as Kurvenal.

Met audiences were thrilled at the debut of baritone Michael Volle as Mandryka in Arabella this month. He was superb, and rumor has it he will be our next Wotan;however, he is 54 and the Ring will be revived in 5 years at the Met. We hope he can sound as fabulous as he did.

He sings the Schubert "Schwanengesang" cycle.

A selection of recordings by many artists in 1904 (piano acc.)

1. Maria Barrientos                            Lakme Bell Song

2. Giannina Russ/Oreste Luppi       Forza Duet in Monastery Scene

3. Riccardo Stracciari                        Rigoletto  "Deh non parlare al misero."

4. Amelie Talexis                                "Printemps nouveau (Vidal)

5. Ramon Blanchart                           L'Africaine aria

6-7.  Giuseppe Borgatti                     Lonengrin/Meistersinger arias (In Italian)

8. Adamo Didur                                   "Vivea nel tempo antico" (La Vita Brettone by Mugnone)

9. Maria De Macchi                              "Com'e bello" (Lucrezia Borgia)

10. Giovanni Zenatello                        "Cielo e mar" (Gioconda)

11.Eugenia Burzio/Elisa Petri/Zenatello    Ballo Trio

12.Maria de Macchi                                 Poliuto aria

13.Alessandro Bonci                              "Stanotte" (Tess by d'Erlanger)

14-15.Giuseppe Anselmi                       "Che gelida manina" and "Cielo e mar"

16.Emmy Destinn                                    "Aufenthalt' (from Schubert's Schwanengesang)

17.Fernanda Chiesa/Carlo Albani/Luigi Manfrini(bass)           I Lombardi Trio

Another compilation of great stuff for your pleasure:

1. Frieda Hempel                 Zauberflote aria

2. Alexander Kipnis             Death of Boris

3. Dorothy Kirsten                Fanciulla aria

4. Leyla Gencer                     Nozze di Figaro  "Dove sono?"

5. Renata Tebaldi                   "La mamma morta"  (1960 Chenier perf.)

6.Aprile Millo                            "Morro" from Un Ballo in Maschera

7. Martha Moedl                      Isolde act one Narrative

8. Magda Olivero/Giangiacomo Guelfi       Fanciulla Poker Scene

9. Magda Olivero                      Adriana Phedre Declamation

10.Bruno Prevedi                      Macbeth aria

11.Mario Filippeschi                 "Di quella Pira"  (LOUD!)

12.Regina Resnik                        Zaza aria (when she was a soprano.)

13.Paul Robeson                         "It ain't necessarily so."(Porgy and Bess)

14.Cesare Siepi                           "Wunderbar"

15.Dimitri Smirnov                      "Una furtiva lagrima"

16. Olivia Stapp                            "Vissi d'arte"

17.Eleanor Steber                          Idomeneo aria

18.Antonietta Stella                       Butterfly act 2  "Che tua madre."

19.Ebe Stignani                                La Favorita aria and cabaletta

20. Zinka Milanov                             Cavalleria "Innegiamo." (an Easter gift.)

The great man sings material that we do not usually hear, since he is renowned as probably the greatest Wagnerian tenor EVER. This material is from 1946-7 and is mostly superb, with the exception of the Italian arias,which I feel do not represent the man's greatness.

Dein ist meine ganzes Herz, I det frie (children's song from Denmark), Agnus Dei (Bizet), Easy to Love, Silent Night, Cantique de Noel,The Rosary, Ave Maria (Bach-Gounod), The Kiss in your Eyes (Der Opernball), Spring came back to Vienna, Kaiserwalzer (J.Strauss), Torna a Surriento, The Song is You, Summer Moon, Mattinata, Who is Sylvia, O Promise Me, I love you truly, All mein gedanken,arias from Tosca and Pagliacci.

In response to dear Mr.Jan Rouwen's request, I am making this double podcast of material as rquested:

1. Tenor Gotthelf Pistor in scenes from Siegfried, Parsifal, and Tiefland.

2. A comparison of the Tannhauser "Rome Narrative" as sung by:

Lauritz Melchior, Ramon Vinay, Rene Kollo (these three live) and Peter Seiffert and Placido Domingo (these two from commercial recordings.)

   Come on,folks, follow Mr.Rouwen's lead and send me more ideas (Placido21@aol.com)

Rita Hunter sings arias from Aida,Macbeth, Forza, Gioconda,Tosca, Fidelio, Idomeneo,Cavalleria, Schicchi (in English),  and "My Hero" (from the Chocolate Soldier), and " Tosti's "Goodbye."

Rita Hunter CBE (15 August 1933 – 29 April 2001) was a British operatic dramatic soprano.

Rita Hunter was born in Wallasey, Merseyside and lived in Limekiln Lane. During her childhood, her parents, both fans ofmusic-hall, would take Rita to many of the final tours of the last music-hall artists.^[1] She studied singing in Liverpool with Edwin Francis and later in London with Redvers Llewellyn and Clive Carey. She joined the Sadler's Wells Opera Company in 1957, and sang in the chorus with them for two years before touring with the Carl Rosa Opera Company. She then obtained a grant from the Countess of Munster Trust, which made it possible for her to study for a year with Dame Eva Turner. After this she went back to the Company as a principal, where her roles included Senta in The Flying Dutchman, Musetta in La bohème, Odabella in Attila, Fata Morgana in The Love for Three Oranges, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Amelia in A Masked Ball, Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, Elizabeth in Don Carlos and Leonora in Il trovatore.

Rita Hunter will be remembered as one of the major Wagnerian sopranos of the later 20th century, especially for her performances as all three of the Brünnhildes in the Ring cycle, conducted by Reginald Goodall at the English National Opera.^[2] In this production she was partnered by Alberto Remedios (who had studied singing at the same time as Hunter inLiverpool with Edwin Francis) as Siegfried, and Norman Bailey as Wotan. The recordings based on this production, with the same artists, are regarded as amongst the finest available, even though they are sung, in accordance with ENO practice, in English.

In an interview in 1979 Hunter expressed her dissatisfaction with having to sing the same part in both English and the original languages. "I find it very difficult learning a role in different languages. The phrasing is different - one has to take breath in a different place." She also recalled having to know "Santuzza in three different English translations as well as in Italian". She found Italian easier to learn and memorize than German.^[1]

In the Glen Byam Shaw Ring production, the quality of Hunter's singing and interpretation enabled audiences to set aside her outsize stature (which conformed to all prejudices about Wagnerian sopranos), and few have matched her conviction as Brünnhilde. She made her debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera on December 19, 1972, in Die Walküre, with great success (conductor Erich Leinsdorf and Dame Gwyneth Jones as Sieglinde). She performed the GötterdämmerungBrünnhilde at Covent Garden, and also sang the part of Senta there at short notice. Hunter's later Metropolitan Opera performances of Die Walküre in 1975 featured Birgit Nilsson as Sieglinde and were conducted by Sixten Ehrling.

She also performed in Wagner and other operas in Munich, Seattle, New Orleans, San Francisco, and with the Welsh National Opera. In a memorable San Francisco season, she played the roles of Norma and Sieglinde in the same week.

Among conductors with whom she worked whom she found sympathetic to the singer, she cited Carlo Felice Cillario andRichard Bonynge.^[1]

In 1980 she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

In 1981 she moved to Sydney and joined the Australian Opera. In 1986 she published her memoirs, Wait till the sun shines, Nellie. She died in Sydney in 2001, aged 67.

I sincerely hope you are enjoying these pot-pourris. Here is no.12. Remember, anyone who has comments or suggestions, e-mail me at Placido21@aol.com. I am unable to use the comments section here, because it results in outside advertisements.

1. Rysanek/London           Aida Nile duet  (in Deutsch)

2.Licia Albanese                  La Wally     "Ebben,ne andro lontana."

3.Ivar Andresen                  Gotterdamerung        Hagen's Watch

4.Agnes Baltsa                    Cenerentola Final aria

5. Piot Beczala                     I Lombardi aria    (My favorite tenor of today, as you know.)

6. Joel Berglund                   Tannhauser    "Evening star."

7.Grace Bumbry                    Andrea Chenier      "La Mamma morta."

8.Emma Calve                        Herodiade     "Il est doux."

9.Enrico Caruso                     "L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra"  (Drives me crazy!)

10.Antonietta Stella               Mme.Butterfly   "Che tua madre."

11.Franco Corelli  (Apr.8 birthday)   Favorita    "Una vergine"

12.Montserrat Caballe            Trovatore    "D'amor sull'ali rosee"

13.Mario DelMonaco                 Trovatore    "Di quella pira"

14.Fernando de Lucia                Iris     "Apri la tua finestra"

15. Nicolai Gedda                        Pearl Fishers aria  (Mio Dio!!!)

16. Marcello Giordani                  Adriana    "La dolcissima effigie."

From Florence, 1972 under Riccardo Muti, I bring you William Tell with the following cast:

Nicolai Gedda, Norman Mittleman, Eva Marton, Agostino Ferrin (Gualtiero), Luigi Roni (Gessler), Flora Rafanelli (Edwige), Maria Casula (Jemmy), Mario Rinaudo (Melchtal).   (70 min.)

A conglomeration of all sorts of material, from the wonderful to the bizarre:

1.Corelli Celeste Aida B flat diminuendo. 2. Millo Aida E flat.

3.Benjamin Luxon "sings" the Cavalleria Intermezzo.  4. Zeani's fabulous Console aria.

5. Sirach Von Bodengraven again proves that there is something rotten in Denmark.(Otello)

6. Martinelli's last Otello (19470 duet w.Cesare Bardelli.

7.Crazy Bonisolli hits 4 high C's in Turandot, and then when people start to applaud, he says that there is a pause that Puccini wrote.(so you can applaud.) He gave tenors a bad name!!

8. Edita Gruberova in Roberto Devereux. "VA!!"  9. The guy singing our Nat.Anthem (to be deported).

10.Puritani duet w.Sutherland/Gedda (to die for!)   11. Tosca finale with Nilsson.

12. Zauberflote aria sung by.....Have mercy!!!   13. Stevens/DelMonaco BURN UP Carmen finale.

14. Longest held high note EVER!! Caballe Don Carlo finale.  15. Di Stefano fabulous Faust high C

16. Kraus great D flat in Favorita.      17. Zeani/Filippeschi Puritan i duet

18. De Los Angeles and Schwarzkopf in Rossini's Cat Duet      19.Rysanek Frau scene

20. Lauri-Volpi Fedora aria at 79!!!!   21. Giovanni Roberti in  puritani.(Hold your ears)

22. HILARIOUS guy named Dahlstrom in Rigoletto, with audience reaction.

Despite  the sound,which can be a bit dull, Richard Tucker and Montserrat sing a magnificent Manon Lescaut under Bruno Bartoletti. Gianpiero Mastromei is the Lescaut, and Sr.Telasko is Geront (59 min.).  Note that the photo is the Richard Tucker Monument outside Lincoln Center.

A compilation of various sopranos singing the magnificent final scene of Puccini's "Suor Angelica."

This podcast will be followed by some videos of the same scene.      (51 min.)

The singers,in this order, are:

Beverly Sills (her only Trittico), Virginia Zeani, Rosanna Carteri, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Leyla Gencer, Theresa Zylis-Gara, Elizabeth Carron, Christina Gallardo-Domas, and Kristine Opolais (commercial recording.)

On Sept.29, 1965 both Mirella Freni and Gianni Raimondi made their Met debuts in La Boheme,under Fausto Cleva. The tape is a bit distant in sound, but it was a special performance and I know that you will enjoy it. Others in the cast were as follows:

Heidi Krall             Musetta

Calvin Marsh        Marcello

John Macurdy       Colline

Clifford Harvuot    Schaunard

Lorenzo Alvary      Benoit

Andrea Velis          Alcindoro

More superb singing from the great Frida Leider. As I had said, sometimes a great singer "escapes" notice, owing to all there is,but here we have some more excerpts from her repertory.

1. Oberon  "Ozean,du Ungeheuer

2. The Wagner Wesendonck Songs

3. Ariadne  "Est gibt ein Reich"

4. Don Giovanni  "Or sai chi l'onore

5. Schubert: Erlkonig and Auf dem Wasser zu singen

6. Schumann   Widmung

7.Tristan und Isolde   Liebestod

I know you enjoy my pot-pourris and i hope you will appreciate this one as well:

1. Meta Seinemeyer        Tristan und Isolde        "Liebestod"    (so sad,she died at 33.)

2. Cesare Siepi                  L'Italiana in Algeri       "Le femmine d'Italia"

3. Diane Soviero                Risurrezione (Alfano)   "Giunge il treno"

4. Steber/DelMonaco       Fanciulla act two duet (with opened cut, which I love.)

5. Stella/Guelfi                   Aida Nile Duet   (They are superb)

6. Rise Stevens                   Orfeo                   "Che faro"

7. Luisa Tetrazzini              Semiramide       "Bel raggio"

8. Richard Tucker                 Andrea Chenier      "Improvisso"

9. Pavarotti/Millo                 Ballo Love duet

10.Leonard Warren              Forza Cabaletta (He was about to sing this when he died.I will never forget it.)

11. Zinka Milanov                 Forza          "La vergine degli angeli  (1965 concert.)

12.Giuseppe di Stefano       Carmen      "Flower Song"

13. Magda Olivero                Manon Lescaut      "In quelle trine morbide"

14.Titta Ruffo                         Pagliacci Prologue  (a force of nature.)

15. Beverly Sills                     Tabarro aria (her only Trittico)

16.Riccardo Stracciari           Traviata   "Di Provenza "  (Charlie's favorite baritone)

I love this guy!!!! He is one of my five all-time favorite tenors, of those I never saw live. I find the Russian "high vocal placement' so appealing, Here he sings (In Russian) arias from:

Fra Diavolo, Huguenots, Martha, Luisa Miller, Lohengrin, Faust, Mignon, Roussalka (Dargomijsky),

The Demon (Rubenstein), Onegin (act one), May Night (2 arias), Onegin (Kooda,kooda), Pique Dame

Here is some material I fouind interesting about "rivalry."                         (71 Min.)

Lemeshev-mania

Lemeshev’s talent, artistry, acting skills and conspicuous charm very quickly made him a public idol. Almost all his performances during the 1930s and 1940s were accompanied by crowds of fans followed him through the streets, spending days and nights near his house. [1]

While Lemeshev was one of the leading tenors of the Bolshoi Theatre, he was admired by female fans, who were jokingly called "lemeshistki." The theatre lobby was a venue for scuffles between the "lemeshistki" and the "kozlovityanki" (female fans of Lemeshev's rival Ivan Kozlovsky).[2]

Additionally, the film "The Musical Story" (1941) [3] in which he played the main role, brought him the Stalin prize, and even more widespread furore and fame all over the USSR.

A great French soprano,who had a sad experience as to possible collaboration with the Nazis during the war, but acquitted.(I have her own words below.).

She sings arias from: Tannhauser,Siegfried,Walkure,Tristan und Isolde,Freischutz, Sigurd (Reyer), Tosca, and songs as follows:

Chopin: Tristesse     Schubert: Erlkonig      Faure:  Au bord de l'eau

Debussy:  Beau soir and Je tremble en voyant ton visage.                 (55 min.)

For her part, Lubin denied all ties to Nazi Germany, and grew deeply bitter over her treatment at the hands of the French government. She once said that

I have suffered an enormous injustice. They curtailed my career by ten years — my own people! The fact is that I knew some of the Germans when they came to Paris during the occupation. This gave my enemies the chance to satisfy their envy … If I saw the Germans in Paris —and they had been more than kind to me— it was to save my compatriots. It was my way of serving my country at that particular moment. Nobody knows how many prisoners I had released … When I spent three years in prison, they confiscated my château at Tours and my possessions. Did anyone bother to ask me why I did not accept Winifred Wagner’s invitations to sing in Germany during the occupation? But my trial was a complete vindication: I was completely cleared. Yes, they gave back most of what they had taken …^[5]

Do you think it was easy spending  NINE DOLLARS on a box seat on Mar.5, 1960? Well,it turned out to be worth it, as the incredible cast of Milanov,Bergonzi,Bastianini, and our beloved contralto, Belen Amparan (Madelon) gave a sensational performance, conducted by Fausto Cleva. It was also a sad time for us, as the night before,we had witnessed the untimely stage death of Leonard Warren. At least this phenomenal performance took us temporarily out of our sadness.

Here are some special notes that might help you to pinpoint some of the reasons we were so thrilled:

1. Bergonzi's amazing sense of phrasing. The ultimate example of "slancio," where the man was a vocal GOD to us, as he has been for so long.

2. Zinka's double attack on the act two pianissimo on "ora soave" and the "U" vowel on the word "sventura"in the third act aria, which was one of the examples of her brilliant placement.

3. Bastianini's remarkable "Nemico della patria," offering us at least another great baritone sound, having sadly lost another.

4. Belen Amparan's true contralto tones. We loved her so much.

5. The stunning last act duet (in the high key) and in particular, Zinka's "Abbracciami, Baciami, AMOOOOOORE" which to this day I retain in my mind.

      Listening to this, I again told myself I am glad I was there for shows like this, and again repeat that there is NOTHING in this repertory today (at least not at the Met) that can compare.

Sadly, the marvelous tenor Salvatore Licitra passed away at age 43 of a brain hemorrhage while on his motor scooter. We loved his exciting voice and in his memory, I wish to present some arias:

Cavalleria, L'Arlesiana, Andrea Chenier,Fedora, Turandot, Fanciulla, Butterfly, Macbeth, and Trovatore.

                                            May the dear man rest in peace.

 It seems there is a great number of tenors whose names start with "P." I thought it might be an offbeat,but valuable podcast, and they are magnificent:

1. Antonio Paoli                   Robert Le Diable/Poliuto (w. Honoria Popovici)

2. Alfred Piccaver                Meistersinger/Turandot

3. Nino Piccaluga                 Werther/Fanciulla

4. Piero Pauli                         Walkure/Boheme (Leoncavallo)

5. Julius Patzak                    Schubert: Staendchen/Freundliche Vision

6.Tino Pattiera                      Martha/Trovatore

7.Sigismund Pilinszky          Le Prophete

8.Gotthelf Pistor                    Walkure/Parsifal

9. Giacinto Prandelli              Fedora

I hope you are enjoying my compilations. I think they represent a wide variety of material.

1. Marilyn Horne           Semele            "Iris,hence away."   (Breathtaking technique)

2. Dorothy Kirsten         Mme.Butterfly  Farewell

3.   She can sing pop also, and very well.       "Embraceable you."

4. Tiana Lemnitz           Nozze di Figaro            "Porgi amor"

5. Leyla Gencer              Aida                                " O Patria Mia"

6. George London           Boris Monologue    (How we miss him!)

7. Germaine Lubin         Tannhauser                "Dich theure halle."

8. Christa Ludwig           Frau act 2 finale w.Berry,Rysanek,Dalis.  (My all-time favorite singer in a given role. It was something I cannot forget.)

9. Regina Resnik             Andrea Chenier       "La Mamma Morta" (she started as soprano.)

10.Lauritz Melchior         Pagliacci                  "Vesti la giubba"

11.Aprile Millo                  Forza                        "Pace"

12.Joan Sutherland/Sherrill Milnes   Rigoletto act three duet (WOW!!!)

13. Martha Moedl             Parsifal                     "Ich sah das Kind."

14. Edna Moser                 Zauberflote              "Der holle Rache."

15. Callas/Bechi               Nabucco  duet  (a kind of singing long absent)

16. Birgit Nilsson               Tosca                      "Vissi d'arte"

17. Rosetta Pampanini     Manon Lescaut     "In quelle trine morbide." (Another example of a lost art.)

18.   Luciano Pavarotti       NINE high C's    (Guess what opera!)

From New Orleans,1954, under Walter Herbert, we present the great Victoria de los Angeles as Mme.Butterfly,with Walter Fredericks,Richard Torigi, and  Rosalind Nadell. (73 min.)

 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.

   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.)

If you wish to hear some remarkable vocalism, listen to this 1976 Tokyo Adriana,under Gianfranco Masini, featuring prime Montserrat Cballe, Fiorenza Cossotto, Jose Carreras, and Attilio D'Orazi. Do not fail to pay special attention to the third act Phedre declamation, whish will make you almost "terrfified" in its intensity.  (73 min.)

Cilea's rarely-heard "Gloria" from RAI Turino, 1969 under Fernando Previtali featuring:

Margherita Roberti (Gloria), Flaviano Labo  (Lionetto), Ferruccio Mazzoli (Aquilante), Lorenzo Testi (Bardo), Enrico Campi (Il Vescovo), Anna Maria Rota (La Senese), Alberto Albertini (Il Banditore)

(65 min.)

NOTE: I had a defective "Gloria' up there, and have deleted it.

 A rarity; Mario del Monaco as Siegmund in act one of a Walkure from 1966 under Ferdinand Leitner. The Sieglinde is Hildegard Hillebrecht, and the Hunding is Otto Von Rohr. The sound is on the distant side, but I think it is intersting to hear the great Del Monaco in this opera.( 60 min.)

Maria Callas as Norma in various performances as follows:

1. Trieste 1953 with Elena Nicolai and Franco Corelli under Antonino Votto.(Note the end of the trio has Corelli attacking a B natural and Callas' D natural, making for the kind of singing that just cannot exist today). I love to go to the opera, but they do not seem to "permit" this kind of vocalism. Perhaps singing teachers are afraid that their pupils will not last if they emit sounds like these. I disagree violently!

2. The first part of the "Mira,O Norma" scene w.Fedora Barbieri from Buenos Aires 6/17/49

3.  From a Gala in Buenos Aires from 7/9/49, the Casta Diva and cabaletta. These two Buenos Aires scenes are conducted by Tullio Serafin.

4. The Casta Diva and cabaletta from the 1958 Rome 1/2/58 performance, which she did not complete owing to illness. This was a scandal in those days. Gabriele Santini conducts. (Anita Cerquetti completed the performance.)

 Erich Leinsdorf leads a 1969 Parsifal from Buenos Aires with Wolfgang Windgassen, Regine Crespin, Franz Crass, and Theo Adam. It had taken quite a number of years for me to totally appreciate this work, but now it is a favorite.(as long as I can listen at home!)   (73 min.)

The beautiful Grace Moore sadly died in an airplane crash at age 47. She possessed a beautiful voice and was a truly glamorous artist. She is joined by Raoul Jobin, Ezio Pinza, and Doris Doe in a 1940 Louise under Ettore Panizza.  (74 min.)

Another of my compilations, derived from various files of the past. I am happy you enjoy this kind of post, because it allows you to play a guessing game and/or enjoy a wide variety of great singing. Here is the information:

1. Beniamino Gigli      Fedora         "Amor ti vieta"  (HONEY!!)

2. Maria Ivogun           Seraglio       "Martern aller artern"

3. Selma Kurz               Rigoletto      "Caro nome"    (Can she TRILL!)

4. Marjorie Lawrence/Lauritz Melchior   Gotterdamerung       Dawn Duet

5. Giannina Arangi-Lombardi      Aida    "O patria mia"

6. Leyla Gencer            Idomeneo           Electra's aria

7. Beverly Sills              Louise                "Depuis le jour"

8. Christa Ludwig/Sherril Milnes            Macbeth duet

9. Meta Seinemeyer     Andrea Chenier   "La mamma morta"  (Sadly,she died at 33.)

10. Nelly Melba/Enrico Caruso     La Boheme    "O soave fanciulla'  (Just her high C indicates what she was!)

11. Beverly Sills          Aida (her only one)  "Ritorna Vincitor"

12. Mark Reizen           Boris Coronation Scene  (See his Onegin aria at age 90 on Youtube.)

13.John O'Sullivan       William Tell       "O muto asil."  (He must have shaken the chandeliers.)

14. Rosetta Pampanini     Adriana Lecouvreur    "Poveri fiori"

15. Aureliano Pertile      Andrea Chenier         "Come un bel di di Maggio"

16. Ewa Podles                Rinaldo             "Or la tromba"

17. Diana Soviero/Dominic Cossa    Pearl Fishers Duet

18. Renata Tebaldi      Tristan und Isolde      "Liebestod" (In Italian)

19. Luisa Tetrazzini      La Sonnambula          "Ah non giunge"

20. Marcel Wittrisch      Paganini aria

Scenes from two brilliant Andrea Chenier performances. The first is from La Scala 1949,under Victor de Sabata, and features Renata Tebaldi,Mario del Monaco,Paolo Silveri, and Fedora Barbieri.

 This is followed by a Venice 1972 performance under Paolo Peloso, and features Carlo Bergonzi,Raina Kabaiwanska, and Aldo Protti. (The final duet, by the way, is in the high key.) (74 min.)

Please note: My computer expert has advised me that it is much easier for you to read text if I do not use colors, since many individuals listen to the podcasts on various media other than on the internet.

La Fanciulla del West from RAI Rome 1961 under Arturo Basile. The cast includes Renata Tebaldi,Daniele Barioni, Giangiacomo Guelfi, and Mario Boriello (in Sonora's final lines that make me cry every time.). As a bonus, I conclude with the 1970 Tebaldi/Colzani Card Scene that was one of the most exciting scenes in my opera life.

Georg Hann (January 30, 1897 - December 9, 1950) was an Austrian operatic bass-baritone, particularly associated with the comic (singspiel) German repertory.

Born in Vienna, he studied at the Music Academy there with Theodor Lierhammer. He joined the Munich State Opera in 1927, and remained with this theatre until his death. He also appeared regularly at the Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival, quickly establishing himself as a leading buffo interpreter, notably in roles such as Leporello, Falstaff, Kecal, Ochs, La Roche (role he created in 1942), etc.

He made guest appearances at the Berlin State Opera, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Paris Opéra, the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan.

He did not limit himself to comic roles but also sang Sarastro, Pizzaro, Gunther, Amfortas, Daland and tackled a few Italian roles as well notably Wurm, Alfio, Tonio, as well as Mefistophele in Gounod's Faust.

Hann died in Munich aged only 53.

   Hann sings arias and scenes from:

Zar und Zimmermann (Lortzing), Der Wildschutz (Lortzing) w. With Wolfgang Windgassen and Res Fischer, Barber of Bagdad (Cornelius), w.Lorenz Fehenberger, Nabucco, Falstaff, Gypsy Baron, Die Bettelstudent(Millocker).

From Dresden studios in 1938, Karl Boehm leads a superb cast in act three Meistersinger (abr.).The cast includes  Hans Herman Nissen, Torsten Ralf, Margarete Teschemacher, Sven Nilsson (Pogner), Martin Kremer (David), Helene Jung (Magdalene)           (65 min.)

 Here is part two of the 1937 Lohengrin. They may have made cuts, but the cast  is superb.  (51 min.)

The first part of a two-part Lohengrin from 1937 under Maurice de Abravanel. The stellar cast includes Kirsten Flagstad, Rene Maison,Karin Branzell, Julius Huehn, and Ludwig Hofmann. (71 min.)

Marisa Galvany sings a magnificent Turandot from 1980 Cincinatti under Anton Coppola. Harry Theyard, Benita Valente, and James Courtney complete the cast. They just do not make them like this anymore, and she just gave a recital with plenty of voice, even at an age equivalent to mine.  (63 min.)

Gianna Pederzini (February 10, 1900 - March 12, 1988) was an Italian mezzo-soprano.

Pederzini was born in Trento. She studied in Naples with Fernando de Lucia, and made her stage debut in Messina, as Preziosilla, in 1923. She sang widely in Italy, notably as Mignon and Carmen, and made her debut at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, as Adalgisa, in 1928, and at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, in 1930.

Abroad, she appeared at the Royal Opera House in London in 1931, the Opéra de Paris in 1935, the Teatro Colón in 1938, and the Berlin State Opera in 1941.

She defended a wide repertoire, she took part in the 1930s in revivals of rare operas by Rossini and Donizetti, while singing the standard mezzo roles; Azucena, Ulrica, Amneris, Laura, but also a few dramatic soprano roles such as Santuzza and Fedora, etc.

In the 1950s, she began concentrating on "character roles" such as the Countess in The Queen of Spades, Mistress Quickly in Falstaff, Madame Flora in The Medium, and took part in the creation of Dialogues of the Carmelites at La Scala, in 1957. She died, aged 88, in Rome.

Arias by this superb mezzo from: Trovatore, Carmen, Mignon, Forza, Favorita,F igaro, Italiana, Werther  (65 min.)

The great maestro and the NBC Symphony in 1950 Falstaff rehearsals, featuring Herva Nelli, Giuseppe Valdengo,Frank Guarrera (Ford),Cloe Elmo (Quickly), Nan Merriman, Teresa Stich-Randall, and Norman Scott.  (65 min.)

Note:The original podcast was flawed, and I am repeating it.

Maria Callas as Kundry in act two of Parsifal under Vittorio Gui, Rome 1950. Africo Beldelli and Giuseppe Modesti complete the cast. Collectors all wish to have the rumored complete Tristan und Isolde, but I have added an early recording of the Liebestod  (60 min.)

The remarkable Christa Ludwig selections from:

Cenerentola (1959) from Vienna, under Alberto Erede

Lohengrin (1967) with Ingrid Bjoener,Walter Berry, under Karl Boehm

Don Carlo (1967)  under Berislav Klobucar

Aida (1970) with Richard Tucker, under Fausto Cleva

Mahler's Kindertotenlieder (1967) under Loren Maazel

                               (73 min.)

The legendary Licia Albanese, now over 100 years of age, sings one of her great roles, a Mme.Butterfly from 1941 under Gennaro Papi. Completing the cast are Armand Tokatyan, Lucille Browning, John Brownlee, and Allesio de Paolis. Bless this great artist!  (73 min.)

   Leopold Simoneau sang so briefly at the Met, and it is a shame,because it was a really beautiful voice. In this Hoffmann from Vienna, 1954, under Lee Schaenen, Simoneau is joined by his wife Pierette Alarie as Olympia, with Suzanne Danco as Giulietta,Antonia, and the Muse. The great George London sings the villains, with Dezso Ernster as Crespel, Renato Cesari as Schlemil, Renato Capecchi as Spalanzani, and Robert Destain in the comic roles.  (73 min.)

 That warm,emotional voice of baritone Giuseppe Taddei is heard in arias and songs. The man was a special artist, one of the greats.

Arias are from:  Favorita, Ballo, Don Carlo, Vespri, Andrea Chenier, Adriana Lecouvreur, L'Arlesiana.

The songs are: Santa Lucia Luntana, Dicitincello vuie, Voce 'e notte, Senza nisciuno, Marechiare, Napule canta, Passione, I te vurria vasa', Pecche.     (66 min.)

From 1958, under Jean Morel, we bring you Faust with Nicolai Gedda (in his debut season), Hilde Gueden,Jerome Hines, and Robert Merrill.

  Please note that owing to an error on the original disc, I have substituted Scotto,Kraus, and Ghiaurov for the final scene.  (74 min.)

 Mirella Freni and Gianni Raimondi head the cast of Mascagni's "L'Amico Fritz" from La Scala 1963, under Gianandrea Gavazzeni. Rolando Panerai and Bianca Maria Casoni complete the cast  (66 min.)

In this 1969 Berlin Tosca under Loren Maazel, Mme.Lorengar sings with such beautiful expression that I am sorry I never experienced her live. Franco Tagliavini and Ingvar Wixell complete the cast (73 min.)

Cesare Bardelli was a true Italian baritone and had a fine career. I saw him in this Attila in 1972 in Newark,New Jersey, with Jerome Hines and Leyla Gencer. I know you will enjoy this, and especially his dear daughter Vera will be able to listen to her dad.

  I bring you still another of my compilations of great artists in order to make you happy, and for your opera parties, where you give expensive gifts to those who guess all the selections.

1.  Magda Olivero  (turns 104 in March)     Iris  aria

2. Getrude Kappel      Walkure      "Hojotojo"

3.  Alfredo Kraus         Romeo        "Ah leve-toi,soleil"  (sings it up a half step.)

4. Karita Mattila         "I could have danced all Night" from "My Fair Lady."

5. Maria Callas           "La mamma morta"   (see the touching scene in the film "Philadelphia")

6. Sherrill Milnes         Attila cabaletta (with amazing high B flat)

7. Elena Nikolaidi        Don Carlo    "O don fatale."

8. Claudia Novikova    La Perichole   Hilarious act two "drunk aria."

9. Ivan Petrova            Yolantha (Tchaikowsky)  King Rene aria

10. Ezio Pinza               Amore de tre Re     Archibaldo's Monologue  (INCREDIBLE!)

11. Rosa Ponselle         Tosca    "Vissi d'arte"

12.  Cesare Valletti       Manon    "Le reve"

13.  Samuel Ramey       Boris Clock Scene

14.  Antonietta Stella    Attila   "Santo di patria"

15. Ebe Stignani             Semiramide aria  (see why she is my all-time favorite mezzo.)

16.  Richard Tucker        Turandot     "Nessun Dorma"

   Under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, we hear a magnificent 1977 SF Turandot, with Montserrat Caballe, Luciano Pavarotti, Giorgio Tozzi, and Leona Mitchell. This is the brand of singing that lifts you out of your seat (second only to the Nilsson/Corelli performances of the 1960's.)    (73 min.)

  Renzo Rosselini's opera "La Guerra" from a 1960 RAI Rome broadcast under Massimo Freccia. The cast features:

Magda Olivero    Marta

Nicoletta Panni   Maria (her daughter)

Renato Cesari      Marco  (her son)

Giacinto Prandelli     Erik

Ottavio Taddei          Il Postino

Walter Alberti            Il prete                                 (60 min.with my narration)

The Met 1961 Martha (in English) under Nino Verchi did not really catch on, despite the presence of Richard Tucker, Victoria de los Angeles, Giorgio Tozzi, and Rosalind Elias. However, for historical value, here is some of it.   (47 min.)

Here is one of many compilations of great artists at Covent Garden in the period 1904-1910.

    They're all good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Was I born too late?

1.Emmy Destinn    Lohengrin:            Elsa's Traum

2. Melba/Caruso   O soave fanciulla (her high C is to DIE FOR!)

3. Charles Dalmores  Carmen             Flower Song

4. Emma Calve            Herodiade        Il est doux.

5. Giuseppe Anselmi   Tosca   Recondita Armonia  (note slight change in ending)

6.Celestina Boninsegna     Ballo           Ma dall'arrido

7. Selma Kurz    Les Huguenots            O Beau pays  (famous for her trill)

8. Giovanni Zenatello      Andrea Chenier     Si, fui soldato

9. Riccardo Stracciari       Trovatore        Il Balen

10.Mattia Battistini           Faust                Valentin's aria

11. Clarence Whitehill      Meistersinger   Wahn! Wahn!

12. Maria Gay (Mrs.Zenatello)   Carmen    Card aria  (slight chest voice.)

13. John McCormack          Don Giovanni     Il mio tesoro  (considered the STANDARD!)

14. Alessandro Bonci          Pearl Fishers     Je crois entendre

15. Edoardo Garbin              Fedora                Vedi,io piango (w.Giannina Russ.)

16. Louise Kirkby-Lunn       Samson et Delilah     Printemps qui commence

17. Emile Vanni-Marcoux   Pelleas et Melisande   Una grande innocence

18. Mario Sammarco            Otello                   Era la notte

19. Peter Cornelius                Walkure              Wintursturme   (in Danish)

                                        (71 min.)

 Despite some rather distant sound (the tape recorder was not close up), we hear a New Orleans Les Huguenots from 1975 under Knud Andersson. The cast features Rita Shane (Marguerite), Marisa Galvany (Valentine), Enrico di Giuseppe (Raoul), Paul Plishka (Marcel), Susan Marsee (Urbain), and Dominic Cossa (Nevers).     (70 min.)

Here is a selection of various fine sopranos on the Classical Evolution label.I think you will find them interesting:

1.Sumi Jo    Queen of the Night aria

2-3. Cecilia Bartoli, Figaro and Donna del Lago arias.

4.Lucia Alberti    Fille du reggiment Romance

5.Anna Tomowa-Sintow   Ritorna Vincitor

6.Ghena Dimitrova   Vissi d'arte

7-8. Alexandra Pendatchanska   Romeo and Faust arias

9.      Raina Kabaiwanska   Manon Adieu au petit table (no recitative.)

10.    Gwyneth Jones (with James King) Scene from Schmidt's "Notre Dame"

11.     Sylvia Sass   Liebestod                                             

                                                              (about 65 min.)

The much-beloved Leyla Gencer sings Odabella in this 1972 Florence Attila, under Riccardo Muti. The cast includes Nicolai Ghiaurov,Veriano Luchetti, and Norman Mittlemann (73 min.)

Robert Maxwell Stern's affectionate look at some of the ladies who would fall under the category of "demented." Please be advised that one might not be able to digest the contents of this podcast in one session, unless you enjoy torture and have a few tranquilizers and/or strong beverages on hand: (72 minutes of joy.)

1. Rosalina Mello (1920)  "Fado Celestial" (Portuguese folk song.)

2. Alice Gerstl Duschak (83 yrs.young):  "Reigen"  (Weber). (She taught Jessye Norman)

3. Betty Jo Schramm   "Va,va,tra le selve" from Artaserce by Graun.

4.Tryphosa Bates-Batcheller (1945,age 69.) "Canzonetta' from Margita by Meyer-Helmud.

5.Matalia De Andrade    Manon Act 2 aria   Portuguese artist (HERE, you need that drink!)

6.  Bacchanale from Samson et Delilah, played by the Homophone Orch  (I think the average age was about 7.)

7. Olive Middleton  "Miserere" (age only 75, with interpolated high C). The DARLING cult figure of New York's La Puma opera.  (I saw her..I think she had teeth,although not sure whose it was.)

8.Norma-Jean Erdman-Chadbourne and her talented husband in the Aida Tomb Scene (In English).

    Sadly, they could not find a real tomb for the guy.)

9. Sylvia Sawyer  Aida Judgement Scene exc, She was the star of Capitol records, who caused singers I know to fall on the floor in hysterics, especially owing to her great Italian diction.)

10. Vassilka Petrova in Tosca excerpts (she PAID!) She had 6 husbands. I guess she vocalized enough to drive them away.

11. Mari Lyn (Marilyn Sussman)  "Una voce" (Cadenzerized.). The DARLING of Youtube. I told Soviero how unusual she was, and before Diana watched the "Traviyenta," she said, "Maybe she will study with me."  Diana came close to wetting my couch!

12.Sari Bunchuk Wontner in Traviata arias. (great orchestra at the end.)

13. Tryphosa (again?) singing "Darling Nelly Gray."

14. FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (age 73)  "Valse Caressante" by McMoon (her hiusband.). Need I say more??????

                 PLEASE continue to listen to my podcasts, despite this one.

Rare historical recordings from volumes 47 and 48 of the "Record Collector" series.

1.Meta Seinemeyer (1929)      "Die Nacht" (Rubenstein)  (Tragic death at 33)

2-3. Heinrich Schlusnus (1920)   "Zueignung" (R.Strauss) and Hamlet aria

4-5.  Marcel Journet (1912 and 1916) Robert le Diable aria (Meyerbeer) and Cleopatre aria (Massenet)

6-7.  Nino Piccaluga (1925 and 1928)  Arias from La Fanciulla del West and Andrea Chenier

8. Anne Roselle   (1926)    "O Patria mia."

9-10. Leon Campagnola (1922 and 1911)   Walkure  "Ein Schwert" and Favorite aria (en Francais)

11. Antonio Pini-Corsi (1907)   Fra Diavolo (Auber) "Del Capitano alla Salute."

12.  Gaetano Pini-Corsi  (1909) (His brother)  Siegfried Forging Song

13.  Umberto Pini-Corsi  (1904)  (Their cousin, possibly age 14.)  "Una Furtiva lagrima"

14.  Ninon Vallin  (1939)   "Mailied"  (Beethoven)

15. Franz Voelker  (1937)  "Staendchen' (Schubert)  (One of Charlie's top favorite tenors.)

16. Julius Patzak    (1932)    Faust aria  (In Deutsch)

17.  Ettore Bastianini   (1953,live perf.)   Il Tabarro aria

Taken from so many files, I present another compilation of good stuff, useful for parties and quizes. I hope you like them. More to come!

1. Federica Von Stade      "My Funny Valentine"

2.  Leonard Warren           "Largo al Factotum"

3.  Virginia Zeani                Maria Rohan aria

4. Giuseppe Anselmi         "Una furtiva lagrima"

5. Daniele Barioni              "Amor ti vieta"

6. Olympia Boronat           " The Nightingale (Alabiev)

7. Gre Browenstijn             "Vissi d'arte"

8. Maria Callas                     "Depuis le Jour"

9. Nicolai Gedda                   Cabaletta from "La Sonnambula"

10. Lina Bruna Rasa             Cavalleria Scene

11. Elvira de Hidalgo           (Callas' teacher)  "Una voce"

12. Mario del Monaco           "Esultate"

13. Leonce Escalais              Jerusalem (Verdi) aria

14. Gottlob Frick                    Hagen scene from Gotterdamerung

15. Igor Gorin                         Attila aria

16. Herman Jadlowker        "Fuor del Mar" (Oberon)

17. Margarete Klose             "Che Faro" (Orfeo-in German)

Apr.22, 1972..Rudolf Bing's regime ends (except for the Gala that evening) with Corelli and Caballe in Don Carlo, act 4. Are you prepared for the last NOTE????

(28 minutes plus the last note, so the podcast lasts an hour.)

Rudolf Kempe leads an Arabella from Covent Garden, 1953, starring Lisa della Casa and Herman Uhde in the leading roles, with Elfriede Trotschel as Zdenka, Lorenz Fehenberger as Matteo, Ira Milaniuk as Adelaide, and Max Probstl as Count Waldner  (67 min.)

Note: at the request of one of our loyal listeners, I will limit the time on podcasts to 80 minutes. I hope this is all right;if not, let me know!!!

A glorious cast in a 1958 Naples Andrea Chenier under Franco Capuana. Antonietta Stella, Franco Corelli, and Ettore Bastianini head a cast that also includes Loretta Di Lelio (Mrs.Corelli) as Bersi, Vito de Taranto as Mathieu, Antonio Pirino as the Spy, and Antonio Cassinelli as Roucher. (70 min.)

My computer geniuses tell me I may extend the podcasts as to length, but still feel it is easier for you to download if the time is not excessive, but the podcasts can be longer. I am not sure about this, so I need your feedback (to Placido21@aol.com). If you wish me to stay with the 74 min.maximum, I will, but I can go much higher. Let me know if I can extend the time.

 The remarkable Lauritz Melchior sings highlights from Siegfried, Tannhauser, Tristan (w.Frida Leider),Pagliacci,Otello, Walkure (w.Lotte Lehmann), Meistersinger, Gotterdamerung (with Kirsten Flagstad), plus the live "Walse" from the 1940 broadcast of Walkure, where you need a stopwatch!!!!

(72 min.)

The fabulous lady sings the following material in Elektra:

1. Monologue of Elektra under Karl Boehm in 1980.

2. Scene (as Chrysothemis) with Varnay under Richard Kraus in 1953

3. Klytamenestra scene with Behrens from 1996 under Maazel.

4. Scene w.Birgit Nilsson (again as Chrysothemis) from 1965 Vienna.

5. From the 1980 film under Boehm:the recognition Scene with Fischer-Dieskau.

6. Finale of the opera 9as Chrysothemis) with Christel Goltz from Munich 1965 under Boehm.

                                                            (76 min.)

Another fun-filled compilation of arias and scenes for you pleasure.I announced the selections, but here again are the artists (in order):

Ews Podles, Sam Ramey, Regina Resnik, Helge Roswaenge, Cesare Siepi, Leo Slezak, Hina Spani, Eleanor Steber, Diana Soviero, Conchita Supervia, Francesco Tamagno, Renata Tebaldi, Norman Treigle, Richard Tucker, and Francisco Vignas   (73 min.)

More Franco: Werther,Mefistofele,Pagliacci, Cavalleria, Lodoletta, Andrea Chenier,Fedora, Mme. Butterfly, and I threw in a live PIRA!!!!!    (36 min.)

The amazing Franco Corelli is heard in his early (1955-1958) recordings of arias from:

Fanciulla,Turandot,Adriana, Favorita, Werther (with his wife Loretta di Lelio), Trovatore, Otello, I Lombardi, and Un Ballo in Maschera   (35 min.)

The great Swedish tenor, Set Svanholm, sings scenes from Die Meistersinger (1939 Stockholm), Aida (1939 Stockholm), and Die Gotterdamerung act three (1942 Bayreuth).  (50 min.)

A glorious Luisa Miller from Palermo, 1963 under Nino Sanzogno. In the cast we have Antonietta Stella, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Cornell MacNeil (high A flat to DIE FOR!), Oralia Dominguez, Raffaele Arie (Walter), and Enrico Campi (Wurm)  (approx.73 min.)

I am doing so many of these this week, I forgot to eat,clean the house or myself, but look, it is a pleasure to serve you. Remember, any suggestions for future podcasts (and that includes anything that might help a young artist with a career), send to Placido21@aol.com

Highlights from a 1948 Radio Paris recording under Jules Gressier featuring Jose Luccioni, Maria Vitale, and Charles Gambon  (65 min.approx.)

 More material from Virginia Zeani's career. I present two scenes from Eugene Onegin, the second with her husband, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni. This is followed ny arias from The Consul, Der Freischutz, Aida, Assassino nel Catedrale (Pizzetti), Forza, and a brief interview concludes the program (73 min.)