One fine day (Un bel di) in 1970, we started our Anna Bolena rehearsals with Marisa Galvany, me as Rochefort, and some new young guy named Sam Ramey. Imagine suddenly hearing that great voice for the first time, and subsequently we sang in Barbiere, Boheme,Hoffmann, etc.and to this day we have kept up a friendship (He is the "King of Facebook.") and so to dear Sam, not a devil of a guy in person, we wish the happiest of birthdays!!!!

 Maria Aleida Rodriguez....GEE...a "G".....Phenomenal!!!!!!!

Highlights from Kalman's "Countess Maritza", with Sena Jurinac, Karl Terkal, Anneliese Rothenberger, and Rupert Glawitsch, followed by highlights from Lehar's "The Land of Smiles," with Charlie's favorite tenor, Piotr Beczala and Camilla Nylund..  (73 min.)

 Can you spend two hours watching and listening to the GREATEST singing imaginable?????   I saw many of them!!!!!

Some people complain I love dead singers....Well,tough!!!! Can anyone these days do this?????

  Callas and Bechi in Nabucco scene.   To die for!!!!!!!!!

Not much left........Makes me cry...because it is a remnant of a sensational,if short, career......She uses a lot of chest...i think because she cannot do it any other way.....Such a sad end to a career.......But what she gave to music is something of a miracle,even in a short time. (56 min.)

  I saw Magda as Fedora circa 1972.(She was 62)......When she uttered, "LORIS..OVE SEI????" the chills ran up the spines of everyone. Here,with the great Mario del Monaco is the Fedora finale. Again,happy 103rd,dear Magda!!!!!!

As we celebrate Magda Olivero's 103rd birthday (Mar.25),just think of how we cried our eyes out...Note the last phrase,"Rimuuuuuuuuneri cosiiiii."THAT itself sums up what she was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Bless her!!!!!

   She was just a 65 year old kid here at the Met!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  It took me time, but Parsifal grew on me and it is SUBLIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Charlie

Magda is a baby here at 83, but I bet she still has a lot left.I will call her tomorrow,Mar.25, as I always do......I cannot imagine a world without her. She is a MIRACLE!!!!!!

  Maria Malatesta Calabro..Over 80..Go to her Youtube page..There is more!!!!!!!! This is just amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   I have been waiting since Maria died for another Norma......I am so happy we found one!!!!!

This documentary is a MUST for young singers, and having seen most of them,I tell you they are just tremendous. There is one very sad thing to say,and that is that shortly after this,tenor Ryan Smith died of cancer. Rest in peace!  If you have not seen this, it is something to treasure!!

Happy birthday to Dolora Zajick, who is the last of the "let it all hang out" singers..I was so happy when she had me give a demonstration lesson,with recorded examples, to her students....showing them how you need not fear to approach singing with power and strength..too few singers can do this today,.They prefer to be "safe." (Whatever that means.)

The dear late Rise Stevens sings music by Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, Cole Porter,and Irving Berlin.  (66 min.)  I will never forget her!

She was 80 here...She was the most captivating singer in my life!!!!!!! Flawed..yes...but no one could just stand there and take over the WORLD of opera!!!!!!!!

 Another of those blazing recordings from the Cetra Soria Archives. Angelo Questa leads the Radio Turino Orch.in 1955 in this Favorita with Fedora Barbieri,Gianni Raimondi,Giulio Neri, Carlo Tagliabue, Mariano Caruso, and Loretta di Lelio(Mrs.Corelli.)   (66 min.)

   In loving memory of the late Rise Stevens, I present a podcast of arias that feature this great artist in her prime years. I have announced the selections. In tribute to my beloved Rise.  (68 min.)

Through my tears, I am trying to find words to describe was Rise Stevens meant to me in my life. The first singer I ever met at 15 was Rise, and we went to her home every year in the club we had for her. She was as kind and gracious as any human being could be, and at this moment I think back to all those years, onstage and off, and the pleasure she gave to us.
         I see that Octavian as she came down the stairs with the rose for Hilde Gueden, the elegance, the beauty, the rich voice as she began the Presentation Scene; I see the gorgeous Delilah with Mario Del Monaco; I recall how we used to wonder how many times they had to sew up the curtain at the end of Carmen, where she fell and died in that production.
         But most of all, I think of the lady who was the first "star" I ever met, and i actually never forgot the "greasepaint feeling" on my palm as she shook my hand as if she always knew me
           That is all I want to say at this moment about Rise, as I try to remember more and more of the beauty of this woman, who brought many others to opera, and who will remain in my heart forever.
             Dearest Rise, rest in peace....you will never be forgotten.

                                                                         Lovingly, sadly, but happy she was a part of my life.........and that of so many.    Charlie

 One of the world's greatest aingers, Lilli Lehmann recorded a wide variety of material (announced) and I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Remember,she was almost 60 here.  (66 min.)

Lehmann sang in the first Bayreuth Festival in 1876, singing in the first complete performances of The Ring Cycle as Woglinde and Helmwige. She performed in London in 1884, and appeared at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1885–1890. Together with her Met colleagues Fischer, Alvary, Brandt, and Seidl, she helped to popularise Wagner's music in America. By remaining in America beyond the leave granted her by the Berlin Opera, she faced a ban following her return to Germany. After the personal intervention of the Emperor, the ban was lifted.

She appeared at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1899 and sang in Paris and Vienna in 1903 and 1909 respectively. In 1905, she sang at the Salzburg Festival, later becoming the festival's artistic director. Lehmann was also renowned as a Lieder singer. She continued to give recitals until her retirement from the concert stage in the 1920s.

Her mature voice, of splendid quality and large volume, gained for her the reputation of being not only one of the greatest Wagnerian singers of her day but also an ideal interpreter of Bellini's Norma and the operatic music of Mozart. She was considered unsurpassed in the rôles of Brünnhilde and Isolde but sang an astonishingly wide array of other parts. Indeed, across the span of her career, she performed 170 different parts in a total of 119 German, Italian and French operas. She was noted not only for her rendering of the musical score, but also as a tragic actress.^[1] She was also a noted voice teacher. Among her pupils were the famous sopranos Geraldine Farrar and Olive Fremstad.

In 1888, she married the tenor Paul Kalisch.

Portrait with signature, 1903

Lehmann founded the International Summer Academy at the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1916. The academy's curriculum concentrated on voice lessons at first but it was extended later to include a wide variety of musical instruction. ^[2]

The Lilli Lehmann Medal is awarded by the Mozarteum in her honour. Her voice can be heard on CD reissues of the recordings which she made prior to World War I. Although past her peak as an operatic singer when she made these records, they still impress.

   Just watch and listen and i am sure you will understand why I have always placed Diana in the category of the greatest singers in my opera life. Muzio would approve!!!!!

  Here are scenes from the ancient (1952) recording of Il Trovatore, featuring Stella Roman, Gino Sarri,Antonio Manca Serra, AND the true model of proper Italian diction, Sylvia Sawyer as Azucena. Anyone who wishes to learn Italian must use Sawyer as a MODEL, but if you follow her example and travel to Italy, someone may throw you off the leaning tower of Pizza.  (46 minuti di non so che)

Here's a really exciting Cav. with Rysanek,Domingo,Benito di Bella, Ruth Falcon, and the great Astrid Varnay as Mamma Lucia. It is from Munich 1978 under Nello Santi, and i know you will enjoy it.  

(69 minutes)

 More of my beloved friend Diana Soviero, the very last of a breed.They do not like this kind of singing anymore...With Scotto, Diana constitutes a "lost art."  Happy Birthday again,Diana, and to my other beloved diva, my ma. March 19 was a great day!!!!

   I cannot wait for March 19!!Here is the first of the Diana Soviero clips. I have posted it before, I believe.Get your big towels ready for the most emotional singing you can imagine. I have know Diana since i almost fell out of the balcony at her Mimi in 1977, and I have not changed my mind as to her greatness as a singer..last of the verismo ladies.

     You'll get more later this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 A 1978 Toronto,Canada recital by Renata Scotto and Carlo Bergonzi,two of the most famous artists of the past generation. (Contents announced.)     (60 min.)

From the Teatro Massimo "Bellini" in the 1990's (no date noted in my info.) we present a most exciting Puritani under Richard Bonynge, with soprano Mariella Devia, tenor William Matteuzzi (with  the high "F"), Paolo Washington (Giorgio), and Christopher Robertson (Riccardo.). (68 min.).

    I do strongly advise you not to attempt the "F" at home, unless you wish to scare someone.

 Zinka who????? I almost gave her up at the 1956  Antonietta Stella Met Aida debut. Luscious, sumptuous,gorgeous voice..Born Match 15, 1929..She remains for me one of the all-time greatest!!!!!

SORRY ZINKA !! NO ONE in a given role ever thrilled me as much as Christa Ludwig in Frau. I cannot describe adequately what that was like!!!!!!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

  A rare appearance by the great Gedda in Tosca.This is from Nice,France in 1987 under Tchakarov. The Tosca is Olivia Stapp and the Scarpia is Theo Adam. The performance is recorded live so there is some distance, but to hear Gedda in a rare role for him is worth it. (72 min.)

An interesting German Radio (Koln) 1950 performance of Tales of Hoffmann under Eugen Szenkar with Rudolf Schock, Alexander Welitsch, Wilma Lipp, Martha Moedl, Elfriede Trotschel, Maria von Ilosvay(Niklaus), Otto Von Rohr (Crespel),  Willy Hofmann (Spalanzani), Walter Kassek (Franz and Pitichinaccio),  Marion Matthaus (Mother's voice), and Robert Blasius (Schlemil).   (73 min.)

  Beginning in 1830, Vincenzo Bellini embarked on a project to compose an Ernani, but he never got to complete it. Very few fragments remain, and we present them here, with the Oltenia Phil.Orchestra under Franco Piva. The cast is as follows:

Ernani        Patricia Morandini (a travesti role written for Giuditta Pasta)

Elvira          Rosanna Savoia

Don Carlo   (a tenor in this version)   Paolo Pellegrini

Don Sancio   (also a tenor)     Patrizio Saudelli

Ines               Nina Batatunashvili  (mezzo)

       I hope you enjoy this rare set of excerpts.          (37 min.)

  Claudia Novikova was born on Mar.9 ,1895. This has to be one of the most charming (and funny) renditions of ANYTHING!!!!!  La Perichole "drunk aria."

  Christina is due to come to a comedy show near you!!!!!!!!   This is a riot!!!!!!!!!

Which one do you like the best???? For me it was Del Monaco,who walked across the Met stage holding the note and we went ballistic!!!!!!!!

Wilhelm Furtwaengler conducts scenes from a 1937 Covent Garden Gotterdamerung with Kirsten Flagstad, Lauritz Melchior, Kerstin Thorborg, Herbert Janssen, and Ludwig Weber  (71 min.)

 In the 1970's (I do not have the exact date), the great tenor Nicolai Gedda gave a recital (broadcast) from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Musica Aeterna Orchestra was conducted by Frederick Waldman, and the French horn soloist was Antony Miranda (in the Britten piece.).

    Gedda  sings the Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings by Benjamin Britten, followed by arias of Rameau and Gretry.    (39 min.)

 A fine cast in this Scala 1968 Bellini "I Capuletti e i Montecchi" under Claudio Abbado, featuring Renata Scotto (Giulietta), Giacomo Aragall (Romeo),  Luciano Pavarotti (Tebaldo), Agostino Ferrin (Capellio), and Alfredo Giacomotti (Lorenzo.)   (72 min.)

Gina Cigna, born March 6, 1900,lived to 100!  Here is Met 1937 broadcast with Martinelli and Castagna. Thank God,I never knew of this perf.I sang along with the Cetra,where she did not take the D..otherwise I would have ruined my voice at 16!!(What voice???)

Highlights from a Dresden 2011 Gala under Christian Thielemann. It features excerpts from Lehar's Giuditta, Land Of Smiles, Paganini, and Der Zarewitsch.   (28 min.)

Wanna laugh????????????????????????????????????????????????????

  A not-too-well-known opera by Saverio Mercadente ( 1795-1870), "Elisa e Claudio" with the following cast:

Virginia Zeani                Elisa

Agostino Lazzari           Claudio

Domenico Trimarchi     Tricufazio

Ugo Trama                      Arnaldo

Giovanna Fioroni            Carlotta

         From San Carlo, Naples, 1971 under Ugo Rapalo                     (69 min.)

  I mentioned the Stella Fanciulla Poker Scene in my podcast.Here it is,with Anselmo Colzani. Note her nervousness and how she finally gets her way. Wonderful!!!!

 Verdi and Puccini arias (announced) by the wonderful Antonietta Stella. I have always placed her as one of my all-time beloved divas!   (67 min.)

YES, Ruby Helder, born March 3, 1890, was a female TENOR!!!!!!!!

 An interesting compilation of scenes from operas of German Composers of the 20th Century.

1-2 Franz Schmidt  "Notre Dame" (w.Gwyneth Jones)

3-5  Alexander Zemlinsky  "Es War Einmal"

6.  Zemlinsky  "Der Traumgoerge"

7.  Zemlinsky   "Der Kreiderkreis."

8-9   Zemlinsky   "Der Koenig Kandaules"

10.  Franz Schreker  "Der Ferne Klang"

11. Schreker   "Der Schatzgraber"

12-14  Manfred Gurlitt  Three scenes from "Wozzeck"

Lucine is a"baby" here at 70, but for her March 1 birthday we wish her the best, and go to Youtube to find a clip of her singing at 87! How many artists can sound youthful after over 65 years of singing? We wish her well, and trust me, she is as much fun as anyione could be.(But i will not tell you her jokes...this is a "family" site.     LOVE TO HER!!!!!

A sample from Jonas Kaufmann's new Wagner Album. "Der Engel" from the Wesendonck Lieder. Go BUY IT!!!!!!!

An exciting Tosca on Cetra (the label that I was bought upon),with Adriana Guerrini, Gianni Poggi, and Paolo Silveri under Francesco Molinari-Pradelli. (70 min.)

       PODCASTS ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  One of the GIANTS of our music culture!!!!!!! Rest in peace@!!!

Feb.27, 1888,the great great lady was born.....If I had to see ONE diva in my life from the past..it would be this remarkable lady!!!

 The very first Met telecast. Renata was a bit "chubby" here......butso what....Listen to that EMOTION!!! LOVE HER!!!!!

        As we celebrate the 79th birthday of Renata Scotto on Feb.24, I think back to the period when so many people (including yours truly) spent so much energy trashing her, largely owing to her essays into heavier repertory, and the extremely flawed top voice. Yes,indeed, like my beloved Martha Moedl, she was a "flawed Kunst diva," but when we stop and take note of the body of work that Scotto produced, and realize that,along with Diana Soviero, she has been the very last of the kind of "verismo sopranos" whose emotional intensity recalls the now-forgotten era of Muzio,Favero,Zeani,etc.
              There is so much more in singing than just "voice," and we can point out many artists who might be deemed "unlistenable" to those who do not delve more deeply into their over-all contribution to music. Callas would be a prime example, as would be Leyla Gencer, Gwyneth Jones,Conchita Supervia,  Magda Olivero,Raina Kabaiwanska,and others who were not simply "producers of gorgeous vocal tones," but who bring so much deep emotion to singing...the phrasing, the importance of even a single syllable, the love of the vocal line, the unforgettable "golden moments" that we may remember so well, even despite some rather "strange" sounds,like Leyla's scoops, Jones' taking three hours to get on the correct pitch of a note, Moedl's not knowing what will come out, Supervia's "goat-like' vibrato,etc.
           So we wish Mme.Scotto a very happy birthday and those of us who can shed some of the "baggage of the 1980's" must revere what she has meant to opera;sadly, there do not seem to be any singers today who can bring us the kind of depth of feeling that,for example, Muzio singing "O del mio amato ben" or just Moedl standing there as Brunnhilde without even uttering a single note, can offer.
                  Thanks to you,Mme.Scotto, and I humbly apologize for some of my rants!!!                                                    Sincerely,  Charlie
              

  Why did that Parma audience go NUTS????  Here is an example!!!!!

 After that Parma Tosca, the audience demands an encore at end of opera...I love it!!!!!

Feb.22, 1927 was the birthday of one of the greatest sopranos ever,Regine Crespin. It was an amazing voice, and here she sings the aria from The Damnation of Faust.She will never be forgotten!!!

The finale of an unusual production of one of the greatest operas,Die Frau Ohne Schatten. It is available on DVD complete (Salzburg 2011).Look it up on Amazon..It is totally UNCUT and takes place in a studio...this is the staging..but the singing is truly remarkable.

Yes,she had her flaws...but LORD,Leonie Rysanek remains in our hearts one of the most exciting singers EVER!!! Here is the duet from "Aegyptische Helena" with Bernd Aldenhoff.

She just continues to thrill me NO END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you all seen this wonderful scene from the Video "The Golden Ring?" Birgit enjoyed the joke!!!!!!!!

Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993)^[1] was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. Music critic Alan Blyth said "Her voice was a rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty."^[2] Most of her singing career was spent performing in concert and recital in major music venues and with famous orchestras throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965. Although offered roles with many important European opera companies, Anderson declined, as she had no training in acting. She preferred to perform in concert and recital only. She did, however, perform opera arias within her concerts and recitals. She made many recordings that reflected her broad performance repertoire of everything from concert literature to lieder to opera to traditional American songs and spirituals.^[2]

Anderson became an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States during the mid-twentieth century. In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused permission for Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. The incident placed Anderson into the spotlight of the international community on a level unusual for a classical musician. With the aid of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. She sang before a crowd of more than 75,000 people and a radio audience in the millions. Anderson continued to break barriers for black artists in the United States, becoming the first black person, American or otherwise, to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 7, 1955. Her performance as Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera at the Met was the only time she sang an opera role on stage.

Anderson worked for several years as a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and as a "goodwill ambassadress" for the United States Department of State, giving concerts all over the world. She participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, singing at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Anderson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.

I was there and saw her debut.A historic occasion,paving the way for so many wonderful Afro-American artists.Sad so many suffered under the prejudice of others, but at least she made it.I was there!

 Rigoletto on radio today from the Met. They no longer allow the Rigoletto to sing "AVRAIIIIIII".Instead,he says "avrai" and then the duet..and is thre anything like this????Leyla's glottal attacks and a fabulous ending.......

  I love compilations like this. If you like high notes...have fun!!!!!  I hope the podcast glitches are fixed soon. Thanks for your patience.

   I have been informed that since Placido has nothing much else to do these days, he will probably be taking over the Pope's job, and besides, he LOVES the costume. Unfortunately, he will have to sell Madrid (es propietario de la ciudad) and as far as Marta goes...well,look, you can't have everything!!!   Buena Suerte, Placido!!!!!!

  May I wish you all a most happy Valentine's Day. Ella Fitzgerald has the kind of style in pop that many of our great opera stars possess in their fach. (Skip the AD!!)

                                          My best wishes to all of you....Charlie

ANOTHER great voice for Wagner, although it was Farrell's decision not to sing a complete Wagner opera..Preferred JAZZ...well, in opera,one of the great voices of all time, and a very funny lady!!!

 I just LOVED this lady....Magnificent voice..Born Feb.13, 1938. She should be more noticed. I saw her in Tosca, Ariadne,etc. She would be the GREAT Wagnerian of today!!

Born Feb.12, 1940, Gilda Cruz-Romo today would be QUEEN of the dramatic sopranos!!!!!!What a marvelous,exciting artist!!!!!

  In 1967,Beverly Sills was "discovered" in this role..but she was always wonderful. We came close to falling out of the balcony at the way she sang this music!!!!!

Magda Olivero and Richard Tucker in Manon Lescaut,Act 4. Just phenomenal!!!!!!

 This is not my week..Another Libsyn glitch..so meanwhile,I will give you some videos..PACENZA!!!!!

 One of the joys of my life is when a marvelous artist shows such a lovely personality, and also is interested in singers of the past, and even visits this site. Stefan Kocan, a Slovak bass,currently at the Met as a sleazy Sparafucile in the Las Vegas Rigoletto. Stefan is not just a fine artist, but a "regular guy" and i am so happy to have met him and enjoy his amiable personality.

In 1965, we did Tchaikowsky's beautiful and less-known "Iolantha." This was when I met Marisa Galvany, since I was her doctor (we did it in English.) The Met will do it in a few years, with these two great singers, Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala, LOVE THEM!!!!!!

 In my effort to please you all, I was told I could make my podcasts longer;however, if you only want the podcasts shorter than 74 min.because you want to burn them to a CD, I will keep the format the same. Please write me at Placido21@aol.com if you feel I should NOT lengthen the podcasts. I will then keep everything the same.

                                         As ever    Charlie

 Do we know of any Violettas who can conclude "Sempre Libera' like this??All she had to do was take a high E flat..Well,what more can we ask of this great lady???

  Several years ago,I sang the Sacristan in a Tosca with a superb artist, Dorothy Bishop. Since then, Dorothy, one of the sweetest and most talented individuals I have ever met, has been a HUGE hit all over the globe.This is from Helsinki,Finland. How many Toscas do you know who can belt out pop songs, hilariously imitate some of our personalities (She did Sarah Palin BETTER than Sarah Palin), and hit high D's????

  Have you ever wanted to yell at some idiot(s) at the opera who talk,eat,text, and annoy you? I am happy Patti blasted this guy for taking a FLASH photo!

Turandot from 1985, Rome with Gwyneth Jones,Diana Soviero, Nicola Martinucci, Alessandro Corbelli. Great Performance!! (72 min)

Podcasts have returned!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leonie Rysanek tears up the stage in a scene from act two Jenufa...There cannot today EXIST anything of this nature!!!!! LORD! How we miss her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 This is why Dolora Zajick is so UNIQUE these days.Even at 60, and with Asthma, she drives us NUTS with that fabulous voice, a throwback to the "biggies" I used to hear. She has FUN!!!!

Here is the Comte D'Ory aria sung by our newest discovery, Pretty Yende. She has thrilled NY audiences these weeks.!!!

Our new sensation from S.Afrika..Pretty Yende, who replaced Nino Machaidze on short notice in the Met "Comte D'Ory." What a wonderful lady!!!!! a true STAR!!!!

Could we cast my favorite film as an OPERA?? Every time Madeline LeBeau utters the words, "Mugir ces feroces soldats," with the tears streaming down her face, it gets to me...every time...

  Still some glitches on the podcast site....I will "entertain" you meanwhile with some more videos..Thanks for your patience.

                                                      Charlie

Now LOOK, it is nice to have some smaller opera groups perform for an audience. I think Mr.Gelb should give serious consideration to changing the new Ballo to this cast and production. Note how the Riccardo cannot get the papers out of his pocket..that is even funnier than his singing..I think!)

I know..I am mean!  However, this just made my day!!!!!

                             Sweet memories of Funny Renata "Tosca Quotes"

       Renata was so funny and I recall some of her humorous quotes, both from Tosca:

1. At a big hotel party, she grabbed the knife to cut the cake and exclaimed,    

"Questo il bacio di Tosca!!"

2. When we saw her off on the train to Philly.(The Met went there on Tuesdays), the baggage handler opened the door of the open last car where she stood, and she said, "Spoleta,CHIUDI!"

      I will add that when us kiddies sat in the first row at Carnegie for a Bell Tel.Hr. appearance, she looked down at us, winked, and then DESTROYED the place by starting the "Inflammatus!" We felt the show was just for us.

  This act two Fanciulla scene in 1970 caused us to tear programs and throw them down!!!!!

     So how can anyone not think of her the way we all did..and still do????

                           
                            Do we need more words to describe the great Renata Tebaldi, on her birthday,Feb.1? Little did us "kids" know, when we first met her,on the occasion of her Met debut,Jan.31, 1955 as Desdemona, that she was celebrating her 33rd birthday. Her performances were "events" and the love she brought across the footlights and after the show was something that has remained with me all these years.
                             On this day,let us all remember one of the most treasured singers in opera history. Your friend "Carlos" remembers you. (When I met her, her English was bad, as was my Italian, so I spoke in Spanish and thus,she called me "CarloS."
                                                               With all my love,

                                                                           "Carlos"

More of our Feb. 1 birthday girl, the sensational Renata Tebaldi. I guess singers today would be scared of using chest voice...That is why so many are boring!!!!

We miss the late Cornell MacNeil.He had the HUGEST baritone voice I ever heard,even bigger than Warren. This is an Example of how he ROCKED the Met!!!!

For Renata's birthday on Feb.1, I present an example of the most phenomenal voice imaginable..A Wagner-like sound,with the greatest beauty you can imagine...and as lovable offstage as anyone could be. More coming!!

 Even if you are not Italian, you will enjoy (?) Mari Lyn's wonderful Trovatore aria. (with interesting titles.)  Be warned!  I do not advise eating or drinking before watching this.

   I have just been in contact with Met head Peter Gelb, who watched the travesty of Beyonce lipsynching the National Anthem. He agreed with me that some singers,who were contracted several years ago, and who cannot sing, should be allowed to do a "Beyonce" in a few cases.

    I am not going to mention any names,because you know how tasteful I am, but the thought of a Milanov/Tucker Chenier next season might be a revelation. Also, I would like to have Justin Bieber appear as Norma, with Maria doing the voice.

    By the way, the Rondine this week, except for the glorious Kristine Opolais, should have had the rest of the cast miked. Do NOT believe the coming broadcast. It LIES!!!

Virginia Zeani may not hit the E flat here, but she did on the phone on my birthday!!!!!

  How come all the great stars celebrate birthdays this week? Marcello celebrates on Jan.25 (b.1963), and we had Joe Calleja on the 22nd and what's his name and me on the 21st.

   We love Marcello, possessor of a brilliant voice, fine technique, and one of opera's favorites. I hope he has a great day and many,many more!!!!

                                                                           Carlo

  You all know when I get started on a great new voice, I inundate you with clips...Why not? This is a truly gorgeous voice and I hope you love it as much as i do.

   I am always so happy to "discover" new divas.You all know I have seen the greats, and so when someone like Mme.Opolais comes along, I am so thrilled. She not only has the voice, but she has the kind of depth of emotion that is so important in opera.

   I have just returned from La Rondine at the Met with the Latvian soprano, Kristine Opolais, as Magda. What a wonderful treat to add another superb diva to our array of wonderful sopranos.

   What a gorgeous rendition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Talk about "nice guys!!" Joseph Calleja,born Jan.22, 1978, is one of our finest tenors. His voice in some ways harkens back to the style of De Lucia,Bonci,Anselmi. He is a great artist, and one of the most "regular dudes" one could know. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!