HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A WONDERFUL TENOR AND THE SWEETEST GUY YOU COULD MEET!  (Except for me, of course)

Piotr Beczała (born December 28, 1966 in Czechowice-Dziedzice) is a Polish operatic tenor. Piotr Beczała was born in southern Poland and initially trained in Katowice. His first engagements were with the Landestheatre in Linz, after which he became a regular member of Zurich Opera. Between 2004-2006, Beczala made several major international house debuts. In April 2004, he made his debut at London's Royal Opera House as the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier, later returning in October of that year in the title role of Faust, then in June 2005 as the Duke in Rigoletto, and in September 2006, again in Faust. In November 2004, he made his San Francisco Opera and US debut as Lensky in Eugene Onegin. Beczała's La Scala debut came in January 2006 as the Duke in Rigoletto, the role in which he also made Metropolitan Opera debut on December 19, 2006.

In 2007 he was awarded the Munich Opera Festival Prize which acknowledges outstanding accomplishments by departments and members of the Bavarian State Opera as well as members of the Festival performance casts for his performances in in Rigoletto, Der Rosenkavalier and Werther.^[1]

Beczała appears as Alfredo Germont in the Farao Classics recording of La traviata which has been nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award.^[2] The cd is a live recording from the Bavarian State Opera's March 2006 production with Anja Harteros as Violetta, Paolo Gavanelli as Giorgio Germont, and Zubin Mehta conducting.

[edit] References

• musicOMH.com - Interview with Piotr Beczala by Dominic McHugh, September 2006.
• Joshua Kosman, 'Soaring Opera hits new heights in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin', San Francisco Chronicle, November 26, 2004.
• George Hall, Review: Faust at the Royal Opera House. The Stage, October 14, 2004.

  in Eugene Onegin. Beczała's La Scala debut came in January 2006 as the Duke in Rigoletto, the role in which he also made Metropolitan Opera debut on December 19, 2006.

P.S.Guess whose birthday is also Dec.28????  Francesco Tamagno!!!!!!!!!!  I told Piotr to stay away from Otello for at least one week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The amazing Magda Olivero in an Amsterdam concert, 1962. She sings arias from Manon Lescaut,Mefistofele, Tosca, Iris, Adriana Lecouvreur, and Risurrezione.    (32 min.)

Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNniGHmTrNo

This is the New York City Opera performance of Roberto Devereux of  October 24,1970. It marked the "second career" of Beverly Sills, as she began to essay the Donizetti Queen roles with tremendous success. The tenor is some young fellow named Domingo, and the baritone is Louis Quilico.

   NOTE: The double attack on the high D natural at the end of "Vivi,ingrato." In the theatre we held our collective breaths at this amazing sound!   (70 min.)

P.S. Amazon does sell the Devereux video from Wolftrap, but it costs about $90.00.

    Highlights from a glorious 1955 Covent Garden Tosca with Renata Tebaldi in fabulous voice (I saw about 5 of them at the Met in that period and I never recuperated). I forgot how gorgeous Ferruccio Tagliavini's voice was and of course the great Scarpia of Tito Gobbi is legendary. The conductor is Francesco Molinari-Pradelli.

 This is followed by some act two scenes from Brussels, 1958 w.Ettore Bastianini and Giuseppe Di Stefano.(HEY! The "Vittoria is GREAT!!")

                            (73 minutes of joy!)

  P.S. Why do those Englishmen/ladies not applaud the tenor arias?   Corelli would have screamed at them!

 This live Adriana Lecouvreur from 1977, San Francisco might be one of the greatest performances of the opera, along with the 1959 Olivero,Corelli,Simionato,Bastianini cast.

    Here we have Renata Scotto,Giacomo Aragall,Giuseppe Taddei, and Elena Obratsova conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni.   (72 min.)
     

    I bet you do not even miss my voice!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear friends,

           Until the audio portion of my podcasts is fixed and when I am again able to narrate podcasts, I am presenting operas that really need no detailed explanation by me, since they speak for themselves in their power and excitement to thrill you all.
              This 1962 La Scala Trovatore under Gianandrea Gavazzeni features a great cast:
   Antonietta Stella, Franco Corelli, Fiorenza Cossotto, Ettore Bastianini,
    Ivo Vinco.

              Again I say to you.."They don't make 'em that way anymore!!!!"              Happy Holidays

                                           The silent Charlie

   For whatever reason, my narration did not come out here, but what more can be said about this sensational Turandot..just listen!!!!! I was there and it was something that we will never forget.  Nilsson, Corelli, Moffo, Giaiotti,Guarrera, conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

     We held our breath at the end of the "In questa reggia!!!" NOTHING like that today, and glad to remember the great days of Moffo, who had too short a career. I know you will love this..now, I have to figure out why my voice did not record...After all,I have been a pretty good boy this year!   Love Charlie     (70 min.)

BTW, there is some silly dude who HATES poor Maria Callas and who writes dumb comments..naturally deleted by me..I think Santa will be putting some Callas recordings in his stocking (GGGG).

This 1951 Boheme is one of the finest performances of the great work you will ever hear. It features the following cast:

Mimi        Bidu  Sayao
Rodolfo    Giuseppe Di Stefano
Marcello   Giusppe Valdendo
Colline      Cesare Siepi
Schaunard   George Cehanovsky
Musetta       Lois Hunt
 
       Fausto Cleva   Conductor      (73 min.)

The third edition of opera oddities. Included are clips that are exciting, silly, unusual, even hilarious!   (68 min.)

I wish to send you to the site where my friend Donald Collup, who is up to volume 8 of his fabulous collection (How does he get all this stuff??),provides the complete volumes.  

http://www.collup.com/dczcdz/party.html

      Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Charlie

A magnificent Tosca from 1957 Covent Garden with Zinka Milanov,Franco Corelli, and Giangiacomo Guelfi conducted by Alexander Gibson.   You will love this one!!!    (55 min.)

 Dutch soprano Cristina Deutekom in a superb performance of Norma from San Francisco, 1975, conducted by Carlo Felice Cillario.

   Tatiana Troyanos    Adalgisa
   Robleto Merolla       Pollione
   Clifford Grant          Oroveso

                                  (69 min.)

   Maria Callas in the years 1958-1959. First we present a Los Angeles recital under Nicola Rescigno, with arias from La Vestale, La Boheme, Macbeth, Hamlet, Barbiere, and Mefistofele.
    This is followed by some 1958-1959 material, with arias from La Boheme, Tosca, Ernani, Norma, and Mme.Butterfly.

     Have any of you die-hard opera lovers ever experienced the vicarious thrill of being able to identify with someone who at an early age, much like yourselves, loves music so much? Recently, a young boy of 13, Olivier Bergeron, who resides in Montreal, has been reminding me (poor parents) of myself at that tender age. He is a Callas authority, and so I specifically dedicate this podcast to him.
      Let us hope that his life will be as treasurable as ours, loving opera as we do. My problem with him is that his voice has not yet changed, and he must remember he ain't no Manrico (YET!).        (73 min.)

An array of divas who sang the music of Richard Strauss in Vienna. Except for the Rosenkavalier Presentation scene, the selections are from live performances.

The operas are:  Die Frau Ohne Schatten, Capriccio, Daphne, Arabella, Ariadne auf Naxos, and Der Rosenkavalier.

The artists are:

           Sena Jurinac, Irmgard Seefried, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Lisa della Casa, Anneliese Rothenberger, Christel Goltz, Gundula Janowitz, Elizabeth Schumann, Maria Olszewska, and Leonie Rysanek.                  (72 min.)

JUST APPEARED!!!!!!!!!!!

A live 1978 "Sola,Perduta" from Manon Lescaut, featuring my beloved Virginia Zeani!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnkC6L52PIE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNniGHmTrNo&feature=rec-fav-watch-cur_emp-farside_rn

Darling Magda, a miracle, turns 100 on March 25. Recently a friend of mine spent a few hours with her in Milano..She said, "If you can breathe, you can sing!!" She sure BREATHED!!!!!

                                    With love   Charlie

Highlights from Mascagni's much-neglected "L'Amico Fritz" featuring:

Beniamino Gigli, Gianni Raimondi, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Cesare Valletti, Roberto Alagna, Carlo Tagliabue, Rosanna Carteri, Mafalda Favero, Angela Gheorghiu, Rina Gigli, and Mirella Freni   (72 min.)

What more can one say about the legendary soprano Kirsten Flagstad, possessor of one of the greatest natural voices in opera history?
    This podcast features songs and arias from her career, from the early days to her farewell, plus some commercial recordings made later on. I know you will enjoy this marvelous soprano.

    Featured are scenes from Tannhauser, Gotterdamerung, Walkure,
    Parsifal, the World Premiere of the Strauss' Four Last Songs in 1950,  and some miscellaneous material as narrated.   (74 min.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKChjB7-aAc&NR=1

.....because they want only "pretty singing' and Muti hates high notes.....Charlie

A selection of great artists in Verdi material.In order, they include:

Alessandro Bonzi, Aureliano Pertile, Jussi Bjoerling, Giovanni Zenatello,
Tito Schipa, Enrico Caruso, Irene Minghini-Cattaneo, Ebe Stignani,
Elizabeth Retherbeg, Hina Spani, Esther, Mazzoleni, Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, Ezio Pinza, Nazareno De Angelis, Tancredi Pasero,
Alexander Kipnis, Ricardo Stracciari, Beniamino Gigli (w.Pinza and Rethberg.)                   (72 min.)

A new release on the BonGiovanni label of a live performance of Manon Lescaut, from Piacenza, 1974.( highlights ). The sound is pretty good, with some flaws, but I think you will enjoy the wonderful Virginia Zeani and Flaviano Labo in the leading roles. Alberto Rinaldi is the Lescaut and Leonida Bergamonti sings Geronte, conducted by Umberto Cattini.(66 min.)

Hi all,

Just a reminder that I am uploading and also taking clips from Youtube .so many wonderful video clips.If you click on "Favorites" you will be presented with a wide variety of material, in  addition to what is there that I personally uploaded. Have fun!!!

http://www.youtube.com/mrfriendofopera#p/f

Rosanna Carteri, one of the most emotional divas in my experience, is heard in material from Adriana, Lodoletta,Turandot, Mme.Butterfly (w.Carlo Bergonzi), Suor Angelica, La Traviata, La Boheme (w.Giuseppe Taddei). Bio to follow   (69 min.)

Rosanna Carteri (born December 14, 1930) was an Italian soprano primarily active in the 1950s through the mid-1960s.

Rosanna Carteri was born in Verona and studied with Cusinati and started singing in concert at the age of twelve. She won a RAI singing contest in 1948 which led to her operatic debut at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome as Elsa in Lohengrin in 1949, aged only 19. She made her La Scala debut in 1951. Other debuts were at the Salzburg Festival as Desdemona in Otello in 1952 under the direction of Wilhelm Furtwängler, San Francisco as Mimi in La Bohème in 1954, the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Marguerite in Faust in 1955, the Arena di Verona as Mimi in 1958, Covent Garden as Tosca in 1960, Opéra de Paris in 1961 as Violetta in La Traviata.

Carteri made a few recordings for Cetra early in her career, such as Matilde in Guglielmo Tell, opposite Giuseppe Taddei, La Bohème with Ferruccio Tagliavini and Suor Angelica. She also recorded La Traviata for RCA Victor with Cesare Valletti and Leonard Warren under the direction of Pierre Monteux. She participated in several television productions for RAI such as Le nozze di Figaro, La Traviata, Otello and Falstaff.

Carteri also participated in the creation of some contemporary works such as Ifegenia by Ildebrando Pizzetti in 1950, Proserpine e le straniero by Juan Jose Castro in 1952, Calzare d'argento again by Pizzetti in 1961 and Il mercante di Venizia by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco also in 1961.

Rosanna Carteri decided to retire from singing in the mid-1960s while still only in her thirties to devote herself to her family.

   I have selected commercial recordings of Verdi material as sung by my all-time favorite diva, Zinka Milanov. Since Nimbus has just put out two Milanov albums (one pictured), I thought I would celebrate the recordings made on RCA by Mme.Milanov. Featured are highlights from Aida, Trovatore, Forza, Ballo, and Otello. I have chosen scenes from the Nimbus album and from other commercial recordings...but again I tell you, you HAD TO BE THERE!               (69 min.)

You will LOVE this one!   Sixteen divas singing cabalettas..Lots of trills,thrills, high notes,etc...Have fun!!!!!!

Lili Pons, Mado Robin, Beverly Sills, Katya Ricciarelli, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Federica von Stade, Shirley Verrett, Antonietta Stella, Maria Chiara, Magda Olivero, Zinka Milanov, Leontyne Price, Joan Sutherland, Monserrat Caballe, Christina Deutekom, and Virginia Zeani.

                  ( 68 min.of carrying-on)

Volume 2 of exciting divas, including:

Maria Spacagna, Maria Dragoni, Linda Vajna, Anna de Cavalieri, Margherita Roberti, Maria Chiara, Emma Renzi, Gigliola Frazzoni,Nora de Rosa, Tiziana Fabbricini, Elena Suliotis (in photo), Clara Petrella,
Anita Cerquetti, Rosanna Carteri, and Caterina Mancini.  (68 min.)

The first of two podcasts that celebrate the careers of some of the divas who perhaps did not receive as much recognition as I believe they deserved. Remember, if you are not an avid collector, you do not necessarily have access to the (mostly live) performances they gave.
Therefore, enjoy listening to them:

Angeles Gulin, Lucia Aliberti, Luisa Maragliano, Josella Ligi, Mariana Niculescu, Rita Orlandi, Cesy Broggini, Ilva Ligabue, Gina Cigna (in photo), Maria Vitale, Margherita Grandi, Virginia Gordoni, Milena Dal Piva, and Maddalena Bonifaccio. (71 min.)

Vol.2 of the "Pace,pace" sopranos. Here we listen to the voices of:

Maria Caniglia, Maria Nistor Slatinaru, Carla Martinis, Aprile Millo, Antonietta Stella, Leyla Gencer, AND two of the greatest "party tape divas" (Proceed at your own risk), Olive Middleton and Vassilka Petrova.

   The podcast concludes with three versions a sung by my all-time favorite singer, Zinka Milanov (1952, 1953, 1956).  (70 min.)

NO PEEKING!!!!!    (If you wish to use this podcast as a quiz for yourself and/or others. This is volume one of the "Pace,pace" podcast with 11 sopranos and I hope you enjoy it.Here they are:

Eileen Farrell, Elizabeth Barbato, Stella Roman, Raina Kabaiwanska, Gre Browenstijn, Monserrat Caballe, Elinor Ross, Maria Callas, Leontyne Price, Adriana Guerrini, and Renata Tebaldi.   (71 min.)

                   More to come!!!!!!!!!!!

A thrilling compilation of tenors who had the reputation of being able to knock  your socks off with brilliant top notes. I know you will enjoy them, as long as you do not expect The Dichterliebe.

Mario Gilion, Eduardo Garbin, Antonio Paoli, Giovanni Zenatello, John O'Sullivan (pictured), Leon Escalais, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, Bernardo De Muro, Galliano Masini, Mario Filippeschi, Gino Penno, Mario del Monaco, and Franco Corelli     (73 min.)

You will be thrilled by this superb HOTTT Mexico City 1952 Rigoletto under Umberto Mugnai, and featuring Maria Callas in one of her rare appearances as Gilda. Also starring are Giuseppe Di Stefano and Piero Campolonghi.   (70 min.)

By popular request (ME), here are some more wonderful excerpts featuring the beloved Virginia Zeani.I hope you enjoy the scenes from:

Piccolo Marat (w.Giuseppe Gismondo), Elisir d'amore (with Nicola Rossi-Lemeni),Mefistofele, La Boheme, La Rondine, Forza del Destino, Il Console, Tosca, and La Sonnambula, plus a brief interview.  (72 min.)

Highlights from Charpentier's "Louise." Featured are the following artists:

Georges Thill and Ninon Vallin (commercial recording) of act one opening.

Grace Moore and Raoul Jobin and Beverly Sills and John Alexander in act three scenes.

Grace Moore, Ezio Pinza, and Doris Doe In act four material.
Renee Fleming and Sam Ramey in the final scene.   (69 min.)

OH!!! Did you think I meant Beverly SILLS????  Although the great Beverly Sills is represented on this podcast, I did this one for a fine young lyric soprano by the name of Beverly Thompson, one of the talented Dolora Zajick students.
   This is the third podcast for one of these young artists, where I ask them about their repertory and their favorite artists and, adding some of my choices, I offer them an opportunity to sample some of the beautiful performances that are out there.

   Included here are selections  by:
 

      Beverly Sills, Leontyne Price, Renata Scotto,Kiri Te Kanawa, Elizabeth Grummer, Irmgard Seefried, Virginia Zeani, Diana Soviero, Renee Fleming, Renata Tebaldi, Mirella Freni, Eleanor Steber, and Bidu Sayao.
       I sincerely hope Beverly and all of you enjoy them.(65 min.)

A compilation of mostly Russian bassos (or bassos who sing in the Russian mode):

Maxim Mikhailov  (Sadko)
Len Sibirjakov      (Prince Igor)
Fyodor Chaliapin   (Don Quixote)
Yvgenyi Nesterenko  (Life for the Czar)
Nicolai Ghiaurov (None but the lonely heart)
Paul Plishka   (Eugene Onegin)
Boris Gmyria   (Yolantha)
Mark Reizen (in photo)  Walkure
Alexander Kipnis (Tannhauser)
Alexander Pirogov (Tsar's Bride)
Sergei Aleksashkin  (Mazeppa)
                       (74 min.)

Opera scenes featuring the exciting Italian soprano, Adriana Guerrini (1907-1970). Mme.Guerrini. Featured are arias and scenes from:

Il Trovatore, Mme.Butterfly, Manon Lescaut (with Beniamino Gigli at 60), La Forza del Destino, and many scenes from her recording of La Traviata with Paolo Silveri and Luigi Infantino.   (72 min.)

    Each August 30th, I present my special tribute to Regina Resnik, one of the greatest artists in the world of music. As I have previously stated, not only had Mme.Resnik sung as both soprano and mezzo with remarkable success.(This year is the 65th anniversary of her Met debut), but as teacher,coach,filmmaker,producer, director, she has distinguished herself in the opera world in a totally unique way.
     In this podcast I present to you some extended scenes from some of her greatest roles:

Klytaemnestra in Elektra with Inge Borgkh
Sieglinde in Walkure with Ramon Vinay and Astrid Varnay
Fricka in Die Walkure with Jerome Hines
Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera
     
        I am happy to present this podcast in honor of dear Regina Resnik"s birthday, and I know you will enjoy it as you have enjoyed my previous celebrations of her art.   (70 min.)

http://handelmania.libsyn.com

   Some opera lovers feel that just because you know artists personally, they can do no wrong;this is totally untrue,especially since one tends to be MORE critical of artists one knows for fear that you will be accused of "personal prejudice.". Also, you "discovered" them on stage or on records and the personal relationship followed as a result of your enjoyment of their art, and their honest appreciation of your feelings.
      Virginia Zeani sang 648 Violettas, but the unusual element in this 1960 Covent Garden performance is that she substituted for Joan Sutherland with less than a day's notice, flew to London, met her tenor on stage for the first time, and what emerges is in my view one of the greatest performances of the role of Violetta (and I have heard great ones).
       Her tenor is William McAlpine and the Germont is Jess Walters, conducted by Nello Santi (who almost kills her in the "Sempre Libera," but she does beautifully, not to the mention the high E flat.)
       I sincerely hope you will enjoy the performance.    (66 min.)
   

Joseph Calleja, one of the finest tenors in the world of opera, and a great dude!!!!!

PICTURES ARE NOT PODCASTS UNLESS YOU SEE THE USUAL BUTTON AT LEFT!!!!!
(I thought it would be nice to add some photos to the site.Little by little I will delete some and add new ones.)

Piotr Beczala, My dear friend Maria, the greatest Placido fan in the world (except for Marta), and yours truly.

We are all hoping that dear Rolando Villazon returns to us soon. He is one of the most affectionate dudes I have ever met, and he is slightly more hyper than even me.

Irina Rindzuner and Elinor Ross with Charlie after a Puccini concert in 2008.

      (Unfortunately the role is no longer in my extensive repertory.)

A podcast dedicated to the beloved Bidu Sayao:

 I failed to identify the first selections which are:

 "Batti,batti' from Don Giovanni, "Deh vieni,non tardar" from Le Nozze di Figaro, and an aria from Gomes' "Il Guarany."
     These selections are followed by five Brazilian folk songs, and then the Rigoletto finale w.Leonard Warren, "Mi chiamano Mimi," and the third act Mimi/Marcello Scene from la Boheme w.Giuseppe De Luca.
      Following are Juliette's Waltz song from "Romeo et Juliette," the Manon "Adieu,notre petite table" and the St.Sulpice duet with Charles Kullman.
        Concluding the podcast is the famous 1945 premiere recording (done in one take) of the Cantilena from Heitor Villa-Lobos" Bachianas brasileira," op.45.                   (74 min.)

Welcome to TENOR HEAVEN!!!!!

    There are so many superb tenors in the opera world today,I thought you would like a sample of their art.They include:

Lawrence Brownlee, Eric Cutler, Jan Botha, Salvatore Licitra, Ben Heppner, Marcelo Alvarez, Ramon Vargas, Roberto Alagna, Juan Diego Flores, Jonas Kaufmann, Rolando Villazon, David Daniels (countertenor), Marcelo Giordani, Joseph Calleja, Piotr Beczala (in photo).        (70 min.)

   A podcast tribute to a lady who possessed one of the most phenomenal voices in opera history,Dame Eva Turner. I was first introduced to her by someone playing her ?"In questa reggia," and ever since I have marvelled at the beauty and power of a voice that thrilled thousands for almost 30 years.  The material I have included is as follows:

  Arias from Tosca. Aida, Gioconda, Mme.Butterfly, Cavalleria Rusticana, Il  Trovatore.
  "Homing" by Del Riego
   "God save the King" with chorus from the live 1937 Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
     "In questa reggia" and the Riddle Scene from a live 1937 Covent Garden performance of Turandot, with Giovanni Martinelli, conducted by John Barbirolli>
         I sincerely hope you enjoy this miraculous voice.
 

The famous Zerbinetta aria from Strauss' "Ariadne Auf Naxos" as sung by six marvelous coluratura sopranos. They are:

Rita Streich, Hilde Gueden (in photo), Edita Gruberova, Ruth Welting, Natalie Dessay, and Beverly Sills (1912 version.)   (71 min.)

A mini podcast that features five tenors singing the famous  "Fille du Reggiment" aria with the nine high C's. You therefore get to hear a total of 45 of them!!!!!!

Included are Grayson Hirst, Enrico De Giuseppe, Alfredo Kraus, Luciano Pavarotti, and Juan Diego Flores.    (41 min.)

P.S. After you hear this, try it yourself...So what if your family disowns you!!!!!!

 This is the second podcast in which I feature singers and repertory at the request of one of Dolora Zajick's group of truly amazing young artists. If you click the following link, it will take you to the "Seguidilla" from Carmen, as sung by the bright young mezzo, Allegra de Vita (in photo.)
 

                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6BLYCj3i28

   I have therefore presented a pot-pourri of mostly lyric mezzos singing some of the works tht Mme.De Vita is studying, plus some additional material I feel appropriate. The artists are:

Janet Baker, Magdalena Kozena, Joyce di Donato, Sonia Ganassi, Susan Graham, Sarah Connolly, Josephine Veasy, Elina Garanca, Viveca Genaux, Vesselina Kasarova, and (the only more dramatic mezzo), Shirley Verrett. 
      I sincerely hope this podcast will be a useful aid to Mme.De Vita's studies and we wish her our best for future success.    (70 min.)

Highlights from three recordings of Verdi's early opera, "La Battaglia di Legnano."  I wish they would perform this fine work more often. The three casts are as follows:

Caterina Mancini, Amadeo Berdini, Rolando Panerai
Antonietta Stella, Franco Corelli, Ettore Bastianini
Leyla Gencer, Giovanni Gibin, Ugo Savarese
                                 (56 min.)
                             

   The third volume of "Che gelida manina" as sung by 15 tenors. 
     Included (in order) are:

Enrico Caruso, Dino Borgioli (abridged), Jan Peerce, Jerry Hadley, Neil Shicoff, Rolando Villazon, Jose Carreras, Giacinto Prandelli, Giacomo Aragall, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Sandor Konya, Hipolito Lazaro, Giuseppe Lugo (In French), Gianni Raimondi, and Roberto Alagna.
                             (74 min.)

   I take great pleasure in presenting a podcast, the first of several, in which I specifically choose material to assist the young students in Dolora Zajick's program with their repertory, allowing them to sample some of the great artists of the past and present, and offering examples chosen from their requests.
   At the same time, all of you have the opportunity to continue to enjoy the artistry of many of our superb singers, in various vocal categories.     We start with the tenors:

Mario del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Carlo Bergonzi, Jon Vickers, James King, Rene Kollo, Jonas Kaufmann, Wolfgang Windgassen, Peter Schreier, Lauritz Melchior, Set Svanholm, Stephen Gould, and Jose Carreras. (66 min.)
      
       Let us wish these young artists our best, and let us praise Mme.Zajick, one of opera's greatest treasures, for her efforts.
     

   As a special tribute to the great Mario Del Monaco, born on July 27, 1915, I present highlights from a La Scala 1954 Otello, conducted by Antonino Votto, and featuring the great Renata Tebaldi and Leonard Warren.
    I saw this exact same cast a year later, on the occasion of Mme.Tebaldi's Met debut, and it remains one of the great events of my operatic experience.
    Let us remember one of the greatest tenors in the opera world on the occasion of his birthday.          (66 min.)

Highights from the 10 Wagner operas featured in a new Decca 33 cd set (only 65.00 on Amazon). These are live performances from Bayreuth, and feature some of the greatest Wagnerian artists.The highlights are as follows:

Die Meistersinger       Hannelore Bode, Karl Ridderbusch
Fliegende Hollander    Anja Silja, Franz Crass, Josef Greindl
Tristan und Isolde       Birgit Nilsson,Wolfgang Windgassen
Parsifal                       Peter Hoffman, Waltraud Meier
Lohengrin                   Anja Silja, Astrid Varnay, Ramon Vinay
Tannhauser                 Wolfgang Windgassen, Grace Bumbry
Das Rheingold              Theo Adam, Erwin Wohlfart
Die Walkure                 Leonie Rysanek
Siegfried                       Birgit Nilson, Wolfgang Windgassen
Die Gotterdamerung      Birgit Nilsson, Thomas Stewart, Josef Greindl
                                 (71 min.)

Best way to get this is to use this link!!!!!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00159679S?ie=UTF8&coliid=&ref%5F=olp%5Ftab%5Fnew&me=&qid=1248454681&qid=1248454681&sr=1-1&sr=1-1&seller=&colid=&condition=new

  Several years I was delighted to hear Argentinian soprano Fabiana Bravo as Giorgetta in "Il Tabarro" and at a concert as well.I found her voice what we call "old style," with mixed chest voice and quite a depth of emotion. I present three excerpts from her new CD and hope you enjoy her.

        The selections are from Verdi's "Il Corsaro," Giordano's "Andrea Chenier," and Puccini's "Edgar."

   The album is on the KLEOS Classics label,Number KL5149 and you might search on Helicon Records Site.

  (I get NO commission!!!!)

We honor the 96th birthday of the legendary Licia Albanese (born on July 22, 1913) by featuring highlights from two of her greatest performances:

Mme.Butterfly  1941  w. Armen Tokatyan, John Brownlee, and Lucille Browning.

Manon  1951  with Giuseppe Di Stefano

           All our best to this great lady!!!!!!!!!

                          (66 min.)

 I know that Signore Riccardo Muti (senza acuti**) would be scandalized at the kind of singing this Trovatore features. However, this is the kind of exciting singing that makes one's hair (if he has any) stand on end.
   This 1957 Naples Trovatore, conducted by Franco Capuana and featuring Antonietta Stella, Mario Filippeschi (who encores the "Di quella pira"), Fedora Barbieri, and Aldo Protti is an example of "white-hot" Verdi singing, and I wish there were more such performances today.
         (70 min.)

(**  without high notes) 

As a special birthday tribute to the great Nicolai Gedda, who turned 84 on July 11, 2009, we present him and Joan Sutherland in highlights from 1963 live performances of La Sonnambula and I Puritani. The singing is truly amazing, and I know you will be thrilled!  (65 min.)
                                              

On July 13, 2009, we celebrate the 85th birthday of Carlo Bergonzi, one of the greatest singers in opera history. His singing serves as a true "vocal lesson" for singers, and we have been blessed by his presence on opera and concert stages for over 50 years.

    This podcast, the second in his honor, features songs by Verdi, Caccini, De Curtis, Schubert, and Donizetti plus arias from Martha, La Boheme, Il Trovatore, Tosca, La Forza del Destino, L'Arlesiana, Mefistofele, and I Lombardi.
     Bergonzi always ended his recitals with "Non ti scordar di me," and we will surely never forget him!

                                      (71 min.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjvjU4QmVK0

Go to the above link to watch and listen to Stephen Costello, one of opera's finest young artists, as Romeo. Stephen will be the recipient of this year's Richard Tucker award, and will be singing in the Tucker Gala in November. Those of us who have followed his career,including his Met Edgardo, will attest to the fact that he is one of the brightest lights on the opera scene.  ENJOY!!!!!     Charlie

These photos are too big to place here...Go to this site and you will get a feeling for what I saw in the old Met...especially those gorgeous Zinka photos from her last performances......Nothing will replace these treasured memories...

http://images.google.com/images?sa=4&imgc=&imgsz=&q=color+opera+source%3Alife

From a poster on RMO:

Sorry to report that Ms DiDonato slipped over on the raked stage last
night during Act 1 of Barbiere di Siviglia at Covent Garden and broke
the tibia bone in her leg. It was opening night and the
accident happened during a recitative with Figaro (after "Una voce poco
fa"). She was rushing over to the corner of the stage and just seemed to
fall without any obvious reason, landing in a heap. She
continued to sing the recit, although noticeably much more quietly than
usual and then got up afterwards, carrying on as normal but obviously
with something not right about the way she was walking
Before Act 2 started an announcement was made that she had sprained her
ankle, was in a great deal of pain but would bravely struggle on
nonetheless. She re-appeared on crutches, hobbling around the
stage with the help of her colleagues JDF and Ferruccio Furlanetto.
Ironically, the first line she had to sing in Act 2 was the recit
claiming that she had cramp in her foot - and the entire audience
exploded into laughter, clapping and cheering for almost a minute. Her
singing was flawlessly brilliant throughout and she kept on smiling - a
real trooper. She even negotiated a very difficult scene where
Rosina goes on a furniture-trashing rampage during the temporale
- knocking over a chair, a harpsichord, a music stand and a huge
cupboard. She used her crutch to violently smash one of the
stage lights - it was very funny.

Elsewhere in the cast, JDF turned in another stunning display of
technical virtuosity and his "Cessa di piu resistere" brought the house
down - the applause went on for nearly 5 minutes and everyone was
screaming for an encore that never happened. Alessandro
Corbelli and Furlanetto were also brilliantly funny as Dr Bartolo and
Don Basilio respectively and Pietro Spagnoli was a very respectable
replacement for an indisposed Simon Keenlyside as Figaro

It was a fantastic evening - really funny and the musical standards were
truly extraordinary. When I got home I read on Joyce's blog
that her leg was actually broken and is now in a plaster cast - but she
valiantly intends to go on with the rest of the performances regardless.
Brava!

   THEY ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So many singers are up there sick or injured, and we never know...That is the miracle of these great artists and what they do for us!!!!

GO HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://parterre.com/2009/07/07/but-cha-are-joyce/

One of the most sumptuous voices in my opera experience has been that of mezzo Olga Borodina. Here is a podcast that features some of her magnificent recordings:

Songs by Borodin and Tchaikowsky
Falla's Siete Canciones Populares
Arias from:
            Semiramide, Favorita, Gioconda, Maid of Orleans,Les Huguenots, Samson et Delilah, The Damnation of Faust.
                                      (71 min.)

 I present highlights from the English National Opera Ring of the Nibelung under Reginald Goodall. The singing is superb, but I really cannot understand the English translation. Perhaps you are better than I at deciphering what they are saying, especially with the ladies' voices.
     The cast includes:

                Rita Hunter - Brunnhilde
                Norman Bailey -Wotan
                Margaret Curphey- Sieglinde
                Alberto Remedios - Siegfried
                Anne Collins - Erda
                Derek Hammond-Stroud -Alberich
                Aage Haugland - Hagen
                                  (75 min.)

This podcast features scenes from Wagner's "Lohengrin" in languages other than German. The selections are as follows:

Arias by Nelly Melba, Fernando de Lucia, Tancredi Pasero, Francisco Vinas (in photo.) (In Italian)
The Bridal Duet with Renata Tebaldi and Gino Penno (Italian)

  Emili Vendrell singing the farewell.  (Catalan).

  Marjorie Lawrence and Yvonne Brothier in act 2 scene (French)

   Scenes with Ivan Koslovsky, Elisaweta Schumskaya, and a great mezzo, Eugenia Smolenskaya.   (75  min.)

From volume 4 of the wonderful series, "The record of Singing," I present some marvelous singers from what is known as the "German School." They include:

Ludwig Weber, Gottlob Frick, Erich Kunz, Paul Schoeffler, Hans Hotter, Julius Patzak, Anton Dermota, Rudolf Schock,Irmgard Sefried,Elizabeth Schumann, Maria Stader, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Erika Koth, Elizabeth Grummer, Maria reinging (in photo), Inge Borgkh, Sena Jurinac, Gre Brouwenstijn, and Leonie Rysanek. (75 min.)

The legendary couple in material from film, live and commercial recordings.
  Kiepura sings arias from Boheme, Tosca, Martha, Pearl Fishers (unpub.), and a Di quella pira (TWICE!) from the film, "So Ends Our Night," with the CHORUS as the accompaniment.
   He also sings  "Ob Blond"(Stolz), "Prayer for Poland,"(an arrangement of a Chopin song), and "Processional"with Gladys Swarthout.

   Mme.Eggerth is heard in "Mi chiamano Mimi," songs from Lehar's "Zarewitsch," "Die ganze Welt" (Lehar), and from a 1992 Vienna concert in 1992, at age 80, "Das Lied ist aus."(Stolz.).
    She is then heard in a Merry Widow Medley and "Wien,Wien" from a 2002 gala.(Amazing!!!).
      The podcast concludes with Eggerth and Kiepura singing the "Neapolitan Duet" from Lehar's "Der Zarewitsch," ending on a fabulous  piano  high C by the great tenor.   (68 min.)

MAMMA MIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        Virginia just told me this was released!!! I am so thrilled they added the great Zeani to their fabulous library of great artists. Go to Amazon.com..Only 14.99....TRUST ME!  You will love it!! Charlie

 Composer Italo Montemezzi himself conducts this brilliant performance of his rarely-heard "L'Amore dei Tre Re." The legendary Ezio Pinza sings Archibaldo, and we hear Grace Moore as Fiora, Richard Bonelli as Manfredo, and Charles Kullman as Avito.
   Why this opera is not performed more is sad, because it is so exciting and I think you will agree that it deserves more recognition.
                                                 (72 min.)

    Highlights from a riveting performance of Wagner's Der Fliegende Hollander" from a Bayreuth 1959 performance under Wolfgang Sawallisch.
     Featured is the amazing Leonie Rysanek as Senta, and the equally remarkable George London as the Dutchman. Also in the cast are Fritz Uhl as Erik and Josef Greindl as Daland.
                                  (52 min.)

The podcast features songs and arias as sung by Dominic Cossa, one of the finest baritones the opera world has known. His career spanned over 30 years and he appeared in many opera theatres, including the Met,San Francisco Opera, City Opera,etc. The selections are:

Bella siccome un angelo (Don Pasquale)
Cruda funesta smania and cabaletta  (Lucia)
Albert's aria from Werther
Avant de quitter  (Faust)
Scintille,diamant (Contes d'Hoffmann)
O Holy Night  (Adam)
Mamma, mamma  (Most Happy Fella)
Pierrot's Lied  (Tote Stadt)   
                         (36 min.)

An exciting compilation of various interpretations of the finale of the Traviata Gambling Scene (Act 3 or Act 2 scene 2 in various productions.) The casts are as follows:

Renata Scotto, Carlo Bergonzi,Mario Zanasi  (1970)
Renata Tebaldi, Giacinto Prandelli, Gino Orlandini  (1952)
Maria Callas, Alfredo Kraus, Mario Sereni  (1958)
Licia Albanese, Richard Tucker, Leonard Warren  (1954) 
Joan Sutherland, Giacomo Aragall, Sherill Milnes  (1970)
Diana Soviero, Carlo Bergonzi, Garbis Boyagian  (1983)
Virginia Zeani, Aldo Bottion, Franco Bordini  (1967)
                                    (75 min.)

Two great Borises: Ezio Pinza (In Italian) (1939), and Alexander Kipnis (In Russian), (1943). The Pinza scenes also feature Alessio de Paolis,Kerstin Thorborg, and Leonard Warren.   (67 min.)

   In keeping with my promise to select certain live opera performances and present highlights, I chose a marvelous Bayreuth 1954 Lohengrin. It is conducted by Eugen Jochum and features the following cast:

Lohengrin   Wolfgang Windgassen
Elsa            Birgit Nilsson (age 36)
Ortrud         Astrid Varnay
Telramund   Herman Uhde
King Henry   Theo Adam

               I trust you will enjoy this podcast, and I will always select certain works to highlight for you. (72 min.)

    Those of you who have tuned in to my podcasts already know what love and admiration I have for Diana Soviero, whom I consider one of the greatest exponents of the "Verismo" style of singing, a style that reminds us of the era of Claudia Muzio, Mafalda Favero, Virginia Zeani.
      I am presenting highlights from the very first Tosca of Mme.Soviero, Montreal 1991, featuring Tony De Paolo as Cavaradossi and Harry Dworchak as Scarpia, conducted by Joseph Rescigno.
       I  believe you will concur that Mme.Soviero has been one of our greatest artists, and presently is hailed as one of our finest teachers and coaches. I consider myself most fortunate to have followed Mme.Soviero's career for the past 30 years, and hope you enjoy this superb performance.  
( 70 min.)

Highlights from an extraordinary performance of Rossini's "Semiramide." Featured are two of the greatest exponents of Bel Canto singing, Marilyn Horne and Montserrat Caballe. Featured also are Samuel Ramey and Francisco Araiza, conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos (Aix-en-Provence, 1980)                                      (72 min.)

   The first real live opera star I met, at age 16, was dear Rise Stevens, who celebrated her 96th birthday on June 11. We had so many lovely afternoons at her home since we had a club for her, and she was always a dear gracious person. 
     One of her greatest roles was Octavian in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, and we present highlights from a superb 1949 performance that also features Erna Berger, Eleanor Steber, and Emmanuel List. I know this special tribute to this great artist will be appreciated by all.
                                              (70 min.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qQqsyPPRhM

Can you imagine that at 99 Magda Olivero can still sing??

 This is a brief scene from Francesca da Rimini.

    I am so touched.....  Cent'anni,Magda!!!!

  Here is a compilation of arias and duets from Donizetti operas as sung by many great artists of the early 20th century. The selections are:

 Maria di Rudenz:
             Mattia Battistini   "Ah! Non avea piu lagrime."

Linda di Chamounix:
              Rosina Storchio     "Oh luce di quest'anima"

Lucrezia Borgia:

               Carlo Albani       "Di pescatore ignobile"
Don Sebastiano:
                Alfred Piccaver    "Deserto in terra."

La Favorita:
                Aureliano Pertile  "Una vergine"
                 Giacomo Lauri-Volpi   "Spirto gentil"
                 Riccardo Stracciari   "Vien,Leonora"
                 Sigrid Onegin      "O mio Fernando"
                  Ezio Pinza         "Splendon piu bel in ciel."
                  Marcel Journet   " Balthazar Aria"(In French)
 L'Elisir d'amore:
                   Fernando de Lucia and Ernesto Badini  Duet,act one.
                    Tito Schipa "Una furtiva lagrima"
Don Pasquale:
                     Giuseppe Anselmi     "Sogno soave e casto"
                     Olympia Boronat      "So anch'io la virtu magica"
                      Lucrezia Bori and Giuseppe de Luca     Duet
Lucia di Lammermoor:
                      Luisa Tetrazzini   Act One arias
                                         (74 min.)

   One of the most hilarious singers ever to record (some nerve!!). Sylvia Sawyer recorded mezzo roles in Ballo, Aida, and Trovatore on Capitol records in the 1950's. The rest of the cast of the Aida and Trovatore was respectable, and included Stella Roman, Gino Sarri, and Antonio Mancaserra.
   However, Mme.Sawyer sounds like a little kid (even with chest tones), and her Italian diction has caused many opera lovers to become hysterical over the years. I hope you will not mind a little more levity in this sea of great music.             (71 min.)

Highlights from one of the greatest performances of opera. This is the Maria Callas debut at Covent Garden as Norma in 1952. The great Ebe Stignani is the Adalgisa, Mirto Picchi is Pollione, Giacomo Vaghi is Oroveso, and a newcomer by the name of Joan Sutherland is the Clotilde.   Vittorio Gui is the conductor.  
(70 min.)             

Highlights from a magnificent performance of Tristan und Isolde from Florence, May 21,1957.It is conducted by the very famous Arthur Rodzinski and features:

Birgit Nilsson        Isolde
Wolfgang Windgassen   Tristan
Grace Hoffman      Brangaene
Gustav Neidlinger   Kurvenal
Otto von Rohr        King Marke
                                                 (71 min.)

One can hardly find adequate words to describe the intensity and the committment that the great Leonie Rysanek offered to her audiences. Here are some scenes from  Richard Strauss operas that show her to her very best:

Salome, Ariadne, Elektra, Aegyptische Helena, Die Frau Ohne Schatten

   I know these excerpts will thrill you as much as they thrilled countless audiences for so many years.

                    (71 min.)

A most exciting compilation that features some thrilling baritone top notes. Included are:

Piero Cappuccilli,Gino Bechi, Giangiacomo Guelfi, Cornell MacNeil (in photo), Sherrill Milnes, and Leonard Warren.

                                                      (75 min.)

   On November 16, 1959, the legendary Jussi Bjoerling made his return to the Met after a few years absence. The opera was Cavalleria Rusticana, and it starred Giulietta Simionato as a great Santuzza.
    Walter Cassell was Alfio, Thelma Votipka was Mamma Lucia, and Rosalind Elias was Lola. It was conducted by Nino Verchi.

                                            (50 min.)

To quote Dante (with one alteration):

    "Lasciate ogni speranza voi che ascoltate!"

       This is the party recording of all time, the second and third acts of Tosca, as recorded on Remington records in 1950. It was the dawn of the LP era, although this recording made things sem more like "Gotterdamerung."
          The Tosca is Vassilka Petrova, who paid for this recording, and the unsuspecting Eddy Ruhl and Piero Campolonghi complete the cast.
           If you are a purist and/or have any sensitive little animals in the room, I advise you not to listen;otherwise, please "enjoy" the great Petrova, whose high C's are almost as good as mine were.
                                   (69 stunning mintues)

Highlights from a glorious performance of Verdi's "Don Carlo" from Salzburg, 1960. The excellent cast features:

  Sena Jurinac, Regina Resnik, Eugenio Fernandi, Ettore Bastianini, and Boris Christoff, and is conducted by Nello Santi.

                                      (72 min.)

Volume Two of the Siegfried Finale Compilation.Included are:

   Gwyneth Jones and Manfred Jung  (Boulez)
   Florence Easton and Lauritz Melchior (Various)
   Astrid Varnay and Wolfgang Windgassen   (Keilberth)
   Rita Hunter and Alberto Remedios  (Goodall)
   Gertrude Grob-Prandl and Gunther Treptow  (Moralt) 
   Kirsten Flagstad and Set Svanholm  (Furtwangler)
                                 (74 min.)

Part One of two podcasts devoted to the great finale of Wagner's "Siegfried." Featured here are:

Anne Evans and Siegfried Jerusalem (in photo)  (Barenboim)
Hildegard Behrens and Reiner Goldberg   (Levine)
Martha Moedl and Ludwig Suthaus    (Furtwaengler)
Nadezda Kniplova and Gerald McKee   (Swarowsky)
Helen Traubel and Set Svanholm       (Stiedry)
Birgit Nilsson and Hans Hopf  (Kempe)
                                  (73 min.)

The third volume of selections as sung by the wonderful Marisa Galvany. I sincerely hope you will enjoy them as much as you have on previous podcasts. The selections are from:

Turandot, Medea in Corinto (photo with Charlie), Cavalleria Rusticana, Marin Faliero, Il Trovatore.
   The tenors are:   Harry Theyard (Turandot)
                            Jerry Lo Monaco (Trovatore)
                            Placido Domingo (Cavalleria)

                                      (70 min.)

By extremely popular request:
        More highlights from the career of dear Marisa Galvany, one of the most exciting and versatile sopranos. I hope you enjoy this podcast, and more to come soon. On this podcast we have scenes from:

           Nabucco, Salome, Ballo in Maschera, Medea

                                          (72 min.)

    Reminder: Volume One is in the archives on 12/28/07

A tribute podcast to the very first singers I heard in my youth. The great tenor,Aureliano Pertile, was featured on the 1929-1930 Aida and Trovatore sets (on 78 r.p.m. discs).
   In addition, one of the most exciting mezzos, Irene Minghini-Cattaneo, sang the Amneris and the Azucena. Sadly she died in a bombing of her villa in 1942.
    These recordings have special meaning to me, since they were the very first recordings of opera that I ever heard.

                                    ( 67 min.)

An exciting comparison of versions of the last scene of Bizet's "Carmen."
Included are the following artists:

Grace Bumbry/Jon Vickers
Regina Resnik/Placido Domingo
Rise Stevens/Mario DelMonaco
Rise Stevens/Giuseppe DiStefano
Giulietta Simionato/Franco Corelli (In Italian)
Ebe Stignani/Beniamino Gigli  (In Italian)
Irina Arkhipova/Mario DelMonaco (In Italian and Russian)
                              (70 min.)

  Live selections from the amazing career of Lucine Amara, whose voice to this day, remains as youthful and bright as when her professional career began, over 60 years ago. Selections are from:

Tosca,Tote Stadt, Oberon, Suor Angelica, Tales of Hoffman, Eugene Onegin, Aida,Turandot, Pagliacci, and Cavalleria Rusticana.

                                         (71 min.)

  I cannot apologize for feeling extremely "jaded" when I listen to this remarkable performance of my favorite opera. I saw this cast and the memories are still vivid. The cast includes:

Zinka Milanov
Mario del Monaco
George London
Blanche Thebom
Jerome Hines

     Conducted by Fausto Cleva              (68 min.)

Highlights from a truly magnificent performance of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" from a 1952 Bayreuth performance under Herbert Von Karajan.

Martha Moedl- Isolde
Ramon Vinay-Tristan
Ira Milaniuk-Brangaene
Hans Hotter-Kurvenal
Ludwig Weber- King Marke
Herman Uhde- Melot

                                                (72 minutes)

A tribute to four German tenors, famous for their work in operetta. Sadly, three of them met an early tragic death. They are:

Peter Anders  (1908-1954)
Josef Schmidt (1904-1942) (In photo)
Fritz Wunderlich (1930-1966)

Also, the great Richard Tauber (1891-1948)

                                   (68 minutes)

Two wonderful mezzos with names that often get confused:

Elena Nicolai (Bulgarian mezzo with a HUGE voice!)

Elena Nikolaidi (Greek mezzo with a luscious voice.)

       I hope you enjoy this podcast, especially if you are as big a mezzo fan as am I.                         (71 min.)

                                                        My best  Charlie

(Note:In my narration, the Macbeth aria comes AFTER the Don Fatale.)

Highlights from one of the greatest (in my humble opinion) Met broadcasts. This Simon Boccanegra features a stellar cast of:

Lawrence Tibbett,Elizabeth Rethberg, Giovanni Martinelli, Ezio Pinza, and, in his debut season, Leonard Warren, conducted by Ettore Panizza.
                                           (70 min.)

As I indicated, please feel free to request any specific performances and I will surely comply with your wishes.
                                                  My best always,
                                                          Charlie
    

Highlights from a Met Carmen of March 28,1936 featuring Rosa Ponselle, Rene Maison, Ezio Pinza and Hilda Burke
                  (The conductor is Louis Hasselmans)
                                      (70 min.)