This is the second compilation from early files. You might use them for an opera party, in which you give out cheap gifts to the winner(s). ENJOY!  (app.70 min.)

1. Grace Bumbry          Turandot:  "In questa reggia"

2. Fiorenza Cossotto   Trovatore:  "Condotta"  (Sounded "miked' in the theatre. An amazing singer.)

3. Nadezda Kniplova    Walkure:    "Hojotoho"

4. Cornell MacNeil/Renata Scotto   Rigoletto: "Si vendetta"  (WOW!!)

5. Lina Bruna Rasa      Andrea Chenier : " La mamma morta." (An example of over-done chest voice. She supposedly dived into the orchestra pit!!!)

6. Aprile Millo                Ernani:  "Ernani involami."

7.  Maxim Mironov      L'Italiana in Algeri:  Fabulous rendition of Lindoro's Aria.

8.  Elena Nikolaidi        Semiramide:       "Bel raggio"

9. Birgit Nilsson/Richard Tucker    Ballo in Maschera:  Love duet

10. Eugenia Burzio      Saffo aria  (less-known wonderful soprano.)

11. Piotr Beczala          Land of Smiles:  "Dein ist mein ganzes herz."  (His new album of operetta  arias just received a big prize, and deservedly so.)

12. Giuseppe Di Stefano   Faust:  The legendary "Salut demeure" with the phenomenal high C dimuendo.

The ONLY live video footage of Zinka!!!!!!!!  Can you understand why I went nuts...88 times......

SO..you vant to know vy Charlie Handelman vent NUTS at every Chenier? Leesen to the reprise of the "Ora soave" ven I do a double attack in ppp and seeng "O-Ora soave." Also leesen to my friend Bergonzi ven he starts his own "Or soave" in pianissimo. Thanks to God it vas not Meester Baum!!!!

  It may be distant, but Nelly Miricioiu shows us what an exciting Norma is!!!!! I am just discovering her...well,there is so much material. She is wonderful and has an enormous repertory. Check her out!!!!!!!!!!

  After the fabulous Mexico Aida in 1972, my dear maestro Armen Boyajian accompanies Marisa Galvany in the Vespri aria!!!!  High EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

WHY I think Virginia Zeani is the greatest!!!!! She is also for me the only link to singers of the past, and she still has E flats (on the phone).She is "family."

The first complete commercial Ring of the Nibelung was presented over several years. Georg Solti conducted a cast of absolutely phenomenal singers, and I thought those of you not acquainted with the set, or with Wagner's masterpiece in general, might enjoy some samples. The artists include:

Birgit Nilsson,Regine Crespin,Christa Ludwig, Gottlob Frick, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Gunther),George London, Hans Hotter and Eberhard Waechter (Donner.).

NOTE: When you arrive at the Donner hammer blow near the end of the Rheingold, be sure to warn your family and neighbors that no one killed anyone.

  Too exciting for the Met..CHEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  She is wonderful!!!!!!!!!

The guy is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Turkish tenor with a superb voice. Look at Youtube for many selections. Jose Cura, thankfully, only conducts.

From 1973 under Anton Guadagno, the great tenor Richard Tucker sings Eleazar in Halevy's "La Juive." The cast includes Yasuko Hayashi, David Gwynne, Michelle le Bris, and Juan Sabate.  (73 min.).

  Please note that I had,in error, published this podcast as a wave file, and have corrected it to the proper mp3 file.

  As I indicated in the narration, I have an incredible number of files from all the podcasts I have done, and I have decided, on occasion, to put together some of the selections for your listening enjoyment. The singers in this compilation,in order are:

Giuseppe Anselmi, Janet Baker, Daniele Barioni, Maria Callas, Franco Corelli, Mario Del Monaco, Barbro Ericson,Ellen Faull,Marisa Galvany, Nicolai Gedda, Renata Tebaldi and Rosalind Elias, Hans Hotter, Alexander Kipnis, Dorothy Kirsten, and Lotte Lehmann.  I hope you enjoy this new feature.   (73 min.

 A compilation of some rare selections from volume 21 of the superb David Wayne Collection, featuring French artists of the period 1904-5. I announce the selections, but here are the artists:

Jean-Francois Delmas, Ernest van Dyck, Leon David, Victor Capoul, Marie de Reszke, and Pedro Gailhard.     (40 min.)

From Munich in 1984 Algis Shuraitis conducts Pique Dame with the following cast:

Vladimir Atlantov-Herman

Julia Varady-Lisa

Elena Obratsova-Countess

Bodo Brinkman-Yeletsky

Alexander Woroschilo-Tomsky

       (73 min.)

 A recital by Mme.Caballe from Carnegie Hall on Mar.19, 1978 acc.by Miguel Zanetti. The selections (announced) include arias by Handel,Vivaldi, and Donizetti with songs by De Falla, Granados, Vives, Chapi, and Nieto/Jimenez plus 7 encores.  (73 min.)

  Rudolf Kempe conducts highlights from one of my favorite works, "Die Frau Ohne Schatten." The cast features Leonie Rysanek as the Empress, Hans Hopf as the Emperor, Josef Metternich as Barak, Marianne Schech as the Dyer's Wife, Lilian Benningsen as the Amme, and Kurt Boehme as the Spirit Messenger   (73 min.)

 One of the most treasured sopranos in opera history. Czech soprano Emmy Destinn (1878-1930), recorded over 200 arias and songs and I present some to you for your enjoyment.  I have announced the selections. (approx.73 min.)

  This is my first miscellaneous podcast, so there may be a repeat of one selection;I also am not sure if the narration came out, so I will give you the information here. Edoardo Sanzogno was a publisher who was instrumental in getting many operas brought before the public, especially verismo works.Here are scenes from some of them:

Cavalleria: Serenata (Caruso);Voi lo sapete (Bruna Rasa)

Pagliacci: Nedda/Tonio sc. (Pampanini and Galeffi); No,Pagliaccio non son (Caruso)

Boheme (Leoncavallo): Mimi Pinson (Storchio)

Zaza:  Buona Zaza  (Sammarco)

Andrea Chenier:  Improvisso (Pertile); Nemico della patria (Ruffo);La mamma morta (Cigna)

Fedora: O grandi occhi (Della Rizza);Amor ti Vieta (Gigli-to die for!!!!)

Siberia (Giordano): Qual vergogna (Caniglia)

Marcella (Giordano): Dolce notte misteriosa (Schipa)

L'Arlesiana: Lamento di Federico  (Tagliavini)

Adriana: Io son l'umile ancella (Olivero-who will be 105 in March.);Acerbe Volutta (Elmo);Poveri fiori (Muzio)

Sly (Wolf-Ferrari): Un orso in musoliera (Piccaluga)    (approx.65 min.)

 I saw Erin Morley the other night as Sophie in Rosenkavalier at the Met. She was radiant, but here she shows off high G!!!!!!!!!  If only one of these girls could sing Gioconda!!!!

  Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, it is still a time for me to give MY personal thanks to all of you for your continued support and interest and patience when there is a glitch. My life has been enriched so much by being able to spread the word to you about what opera means to me and to all of you, and to present great treasures of the past.  I wish you all my best!!  Charlie

   My dear friend, Elizabeth Carron sings scenes from a New York City Opera Suor Angelica and a Mme.Butterfly.(1973). She is a sweet lady with a personality as beautiful as her voice.  (30 min.)

  This is a new system, so I did not get the audio intro.but I will fix this in the future. Glad to be back!!!!!!!!

I am really so tired of being Galvany's unpaid agent...but i guess it is worth it,knowing how people adore her most remarkable singing. I think this is a sensational example of vocal technique.

  I think Zinka said, "The girl vill not last!!!!!!!"

NOTE: Use of chest voice (the word"muoja") and some "authoritative"attacks on certain phrases. This is a special artist for me, and I am so happy to have heard heard. We wish her the best!!!!

After the great Gilda of Mme.Lungu, I went to Youtube and was ASTOUNDED that this "little Gilda' was able to became a totally different soprano,according to this music...great low notes, much dramatic thrust..How many singers can adapt this way to various vocal challenges????

  She was also as lovable backstage as anyone can be!!!!!!

 How thrilling to discover a new voice. Irina Lungu's Gilda was so gorgeous, and as a person she is as radiant as her voice...I hope she does more and more here because we NEED her brand of soprano....LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From 1969..I never knew about this....I thought i knew of every BREATH she took...Imagine the chest voice and then the e flat.......

 Guardian of the fountain in last night's FRAU...He is a Met audition winner..He hit one top note that made me feel he would major talent!!!!!

  Hi all,

     Still have a few glitches, although not quite as bad as our Healthcare computer site, but i will send you some nice videos to keep you busy until I resolve this. I do not want to lose my fan club!!!!

       It was the greatest delight for me this evening to open up Opera News and read this article about Diana Soviero, who has been a friend since 1977, when I was astounded at her Mimi, and felt she was a rare throwback to the days of Albanese,Tebaldi,De Los Angeles,etc. When I asked her something like, "Who are you?" and mentioned that I had not heard a soprano who combined the finest elements of both Stimme and Kunst divas, and who made me think of Tebaldi, she told me how Tebaldi has kissed her when she was a young lady. THAT FIGURED!!
       All you need to do is go to Youtube and watch her final scene from Suor Angelica and you will best understand, as it mentions in the article, that she falls into the Zeani,Scotto, Olivero, Freni mold. I know people who have told me that a regular sized hanky is not enough for them, and they needed more of a large towel to catch the tears!
           I have always believed that it is a rare trait of Diana to be able to sing so beautifully, with lush tone, great range, and CHEST VOICE (which practically no one uses today) and at the same time emote with the kind of depth that more often a "flawed" diva possesses, but she also sings so flawlessly, and does not have to "compensate' in any way.
          In the article she speaks of singing sick, and that reminds me of the "Bronchial Violetta" at City opera, where I did not know she was ill, and we were literally banging on the proscenium to witness a Violetta for the ages.
            Another very special element in Diana's art is the way she uses even one WORD to express a certain emotion, as for example the "Lui" in act one Tosca in the phrase, "Ed io veniva a LUI tutto dogliosa." It is an example of how she uses a single word to bring out the depth of emotion. (cf.Magda Olivero's career.)
         I am so happy for her, and for all of her many students who will be able to learn so much of what she has to offer, but as you well know, I am still waiting for another such diva, but perhaps she can produce some as a result of her amazing ability to convey emotion,while improving vocal technique.
          So tell us,O Charlie, what you think of her?       Best always, Charlie      
 

What opera should be (and mostly AIN'T these days), when the PRODUCTION counts more than the artists!!!!!!

This Rysanek Met farewell in Pique Dame will illustrate the adoration we all felt for her, born Nov.14, 1926. She knew of her prognosis at the time of her farewell, a courageous woman. Yes, she had vocal flaws, and went through a bad period in the early 1960's, but NO ONE was more committed to the stage in our experience, and she "owned" roles like the Frau Empress and Senta in the Flying Dutchman. She will remain forever in our hearts.

 We first heard Latonia in the beautiful aria from Puccini's "Edgar" and she brought the Carnegie Hall house down with that fabulous voice. However, our beloved Met head, Mr.Gelb, gives her nothing.  Note the last notes (Like Tebaldi!!!)

  She is also a "fun" person...see Facebook!!!!!

This weeks marks a year that dear Marisa lost her dear husband, but she is starting to do some small recitals and Master Classes in Raleigh,N.Carolina. I hope she does well...she has so much to give, and we know that when we lose a loved one,we must be strong and go on.

Anyone who knows the work of dear Joyce di Donato will tell you that she has been one of the greatest singers and most darling people you might know.

   I still think of the first time I met her and told her my name and she said,"OH..you are famous on the internet" and I said "I think maybe more INFAMOUS!!!!

 Born Nov.9, 1929.The great man sings high B flats. A legendary singer!!!!

Born Nov.9, 1885, Pertile was the very first tenor I ever heard, when at age 14, I lugged the 78 r.p.m. set (remember 78's???) of Aida to my home. The man was one of the greats. Zeani told me she worked with him and adored him.....

Born Nov. 8, 1921..Here is the great Jerome Hines in his last perf.at 80...He was a STALWART FORCE in opera!!!!!!!

  Sorry!!! Some computer problems (again) and will solve them and be back soon..Meanwhile,enjoy the videos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!