Ferruccio Tagliavini had an incredibly beautiful

"Gigli-like" voice. Here is an aria from a rare

Refice work, "Chopin."  He did not even have

a recording of it, saw my catalogue, sent me a 

request and I sent it to him!!!

   8/14/1913.  More to come.

  I saw this marvelous baritone

in Macbeth and I wish to show you

this clip on his birthday, Aug.12 (1966.)

                    FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Imagine attending a performance with your four

favorite singers in their respective voice categories.

   The matinee 1956 for me was something never to forget.

Zinka,my all-time favorite singer, is absolutely at her

PRIME!!!!  The B flat pp on "Invan la pace" is

UNREAL and the last "Maledizione" is sensational.

I was standing all the way down across the orchestra

pit.  Yes, I live in the past!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweetest nicest guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

8/8/79    Happy Birthday!!! Wonderful voice.

GREAT HIGHS!!!!!!!!

Lovable in person also!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Hilarious Traviata w. Carreras,Ricciarelli,Baltsa,Raimondi

Great cast!! (well,almost!)  

Milanov,Baebieri,Siepi,Warren. They had

to Baum, but that's life!!!!! DelMonaco

did other shows, but this is what did

occur at times.

I decided this morning to trace the stats 

for a given time period. In only three hours,

I observe,for example that there were 40

"hits" in this time period. I guess you have

not deserted me (like in that opera in

the desert where the soprano sings,

"Sola,perduta,e abbandonata."). I thank

you for years of support,despite some glitches (and

the flu). Please send me personally any comments

(Placido21@aol.com), as I cannot open 

the comments page here, or I will get

all sorts of ads. We are up to over a million and a

half "hits."  Keep listening!!!

   Lovingly   Charlie

I totally disagree with Placido singing baritone.

He has an amazing amount of voice at

75, and he was also born on a famous

day,Jan.21 (like me, but I sang the right stuff.)

Some of you will disagree,but I feel

he does not do proper justice to

the Verdi line. BUT here he shows what

a great singer he has been.

So there we were in the first row at Carnegie

and just before Tebaldi launched into this

aria, she looked down and winked at us! We

were sure she sang just for US!!!!!

Absolutely RIVETED by the Amfortas of

Ryan McKinny. I have seen the best, as 

you well know:London,Uhde,Schoeffler,etc.

This artist is a true STAR!!!

I do not believe that there has ever

been any soprano with the combination

of gorgeous voice quality and

Wagnerian volume.. When she sang "Pace"

at the Met in a concert with Bastianini

and Del Monaco, I thought the roof

would come down on the "Maledizione." I

so miss our yearly birthday (Feb.1) phone 

calls. NO artist was as sweet and dear

to us in our youth..and funny!

  One of the most riveting scenes in opera.

  It makes one cry!!!!!!! I met Silja once

and asked her for the Makropolous formula

so I could live 356 years so I could

listen to my collection. She must have thought I was nuts!! (I was!)

  Dear sweet funny Rolando had to

 see many doctors until he found

what was causing the vocal problems.

  I miss him..such fun we had with him.

After his Traviata debut we all walked

down Broadway and he was so excited

he almost hit his head on the glass

bus stop..I SAVED HIM!

  Sorry! My fonts were too big and some text is cut.I will be careful in the future.

I love singing the end of act two of my favorite opera and the video is of a show we did.I was the King (on left) BUT until I saw the tape, I did not realize that the great Sue Hassel thought she was Callas. How did I get involved in this mess?

Sue supposedly vocalizes on the NY Ed Koch bridge,walking home..This accounts for all the recent accidents!!!!

How do these people think they can sing??????????????

A marvelous compilation of the Aida E flat, made famous first by Callas.

I recall meeting Sondra long before she became one of our present great singers. You must be there is person to hear the incredible resonance of the voice, where she sounds as if she is singing in your ear!

 I want more chest voice from her, but in one opera I recall she sang more lows, and wrote on the program, "How did you like the chest,Charlie??"

Thinking of how  our 1971 Bolena rehearsal introduced us to a guy named Sam Ramey and how I looked down Marisa Galvany's throat when she hit those high notes.

  Now I see two people I know, Steven Costello and Sondra Radvanovsky in Bolena rehearsal...They seem to have fun, as we did back then.

Great mezzo Margarete Klose was born on 8/6/1899. Together with my favorite mezzo,Ebe Stignani, I am thrilled by the richness of her voice.

Another great new tenor????????????????

Madre de Dios!!!!! Really superb....but can't we have ONE Tebaldi?????

This guy is superb.Go to YouTube for more!

   I flipped out at "Loris,ove sei" when I saw her live..A miracle!!!!!

Norman Treigle left us too soon, but his accomplishments were legendary. I saw him in almost everything he did at City Opera...Unforgettable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scotto,Domingo (and MacNeil) sing this fabulous scene to thrill audiences at the Met!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 HEY!!! Lots of new stuff for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Despite the noise of the wind, my two favorite tenors, Piotr Beczala and Michael Fabiano sing "O sole mio" in outdoor park.

Who is the other guy?

 Two of the GREAT singers of today and wonderful guys!!!!

What a night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First time we heard them live. Corelli holds the all'armi forever and the ovation for her after the "D'amor" went on and on and on.

Dear Dmitri returned two years ago for Trovatore. However, things are not going too well now. We pray he may be able to fight his serious health problem. God bless him!!!!!!!

He came back in May and sang "Cortigiani" in the Gala It was labored, but he is a fighter.!

I always got the two kisses on the cheeks....I am glad I finally found out it was the custom!!!!!

Not always an easy voice to take..but a MONUMENTAL MAN!!!!  My friend became close with this great icon..In person the voice must have ben a sensation....a bit "white" in color...but nevertheless a great man.

He told my friend, "Del Monaco sings like a truck driver but McCracken is the TRUCK!!!!

  For next season,Susi Sommers replaces Peretyatko. Audience must wear earplugs.

Even Larry Brownlee does not have a high T over L.

  Piotr loved the late Nicolai Gedda so much. Once he put on a jacket in a Paris Faust, and the label inside read "Nicolai Gedda."

 Here is a tribute to Gedda, who always sang this so beautifully. I sang it for my mother (lower key) and she said, "Good...but I prefer Gedda!"

When dumb Met audiences laugh at some titles during act one Tosca (You know "Make her eyes black") I get mad.In Chicago once, Eva Marton was furious at the "Give her black eyes" title.

Well, I am a big crab. I feel like Jon Vickers in a Dallas Tristan (Dristan??) where he told the audience to "shut up."

   Hey, I am putting lots of stuff here..and even some old podcasts, which I am sure you forgot about!!!!!

Nice party for Willfred Pelletier with Licia and Tucker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sad how intolerance kept Afro-Americans out of the Met until Marian Anderson in Ballo 1955.I was there!

I spoke to Camilla Williams, a friend of Virginia Zeani,shortly before she passed away. She was my first Butterfly at City Opera. A great voice and a lovely lady!

I saw 5 of them in 1954!!!!!! Trouble with top notes but she did lose the C in the 50's....However for me the greatest singer in my life..saw her 88 times...well 88 and a half,as she fainted during a Verdi Requiem.

  She sounded so bad that night the "faint" might have been faked!

The tenor was Gino Penno..loudest top I ever heard, but did not last long. Blanche Thebom was Adalgisa and Cesare Siepi was Oroveso.

IN MIA MAN in last act is an example of her greatness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Caterina Mancini and Rolando Panerai in duet from La Battaglia di Legnano.She thrilled me since age 17 on Cetra recordings..I have a letter from her.

    My dear buddy Diana Soviero in Romeo et Juliette.  The GREATEST

  Some of us (including some great singers) LOVE this stuff...I hope you do also!!!!!

She is the 567th cover for Flute next yr.

One of the GREATS  Born 7/17/14.  Saw her many times!!

At least he has cojones grandes.........

  Mrs.Fischer-Dieskau (Who??) sure can sing Nabucco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   The great Piotr Beczala in a new DVD from Dresden w.Anna Netrebko. It is a gorgeous performance and I urge you to purchase it, since he gives me five bucks for every copy sold.

Semiramide aria as sung by the superb Elena Nikolaidi.

I will be doing some shorter audio clips, plus videos until I can do longer podcasts.  Enjoy!!!

  She retired rather early. One of the most touching singers in my experience.

One of our great stars    Born 7/23/1960

  Happy Birthday,Licia Albanese

Born 7/22/05..Made it to 105!!!

One of the greats of opera!

Met Opera singer.."The Drunken tenor"

Amazing new tenor from the Phillipines. I am so thrilled. This is an era of these types of tenors who can sing coloratura and sail up to high Z!!!!!!

I sure find them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Listen to the LOWS especially..NO ONE sings like this today!!!!! thrilled.

Sign him up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tim Jon Sarris...superb young tenor....

I always find them...superb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear friends,

  I have always felt so bad that Lybsyn cannot allow feedback from you, because if I allow comments, I get all sorts of ads from companies.

  My e-mail is Placido21@aol.com and I wish you could comment on any of my podcasts.I welcome your feedback.

  My best  Charlie

My dear Piotr Beczala does a BIS. His Lohengrin will be out soon on DVD.I had given him the CD set of Gedda's only Lohengrin..He adored Gedda.

Nicest guy in the universe, and a great artist.

  Until I do the audios, I am sending lots of videos.,,,Have fun!!!!!

Videos

Dmitri has cancer and it does not look good. We adore him.This is last month....I wish him love....

Luciano...Perche mangia tanto????

Riccardo Stracciari,Incredible voice..My favorite baritone.

Gorgeous new voice..From S.Africa

p>6/26/1902  Made it to 104.

I am fixing the site..Here is darling Virginia...my "sister"

Hi again.

  I see by the stats you are still with me. Until I get those glitches fixed, I am sending clips and also you can use the archives and listen to past material.

 Sorry for the delay. Libsyn made some changes and I must adapt.   Love  Charlie

I miss him at the Met!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great guy! Some people do not like the squillo,as he tells me..Tough!!!!!

 I Lombardi aria

My old buddy...Sam Ramey. I asked him if Sam Jr. sang Mefistofele...Probably RAP!!!!!!

Joseph Calleja met me for the first time once. Said,"Are you Charlie??You are more famous than I am"......big hug...I always remind him of this.

Until I get things worked out again,here are some old clips:The first is my dear Piotr Beczala Prince Igor Aria.

Nicest guy in captivity!!!!!! (He actually reads my posts on Facebook)

Stats still show people are still here...although I have not been lately..Good....scroll down all over and listen to old stuff..there is plenty until I work out the glitches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear friends (I hope),

Please forgive me, but the glitches are killing my podcast files. Hope to get back soon.

Love   Carlo Magno Traditore

Hi...Libsyn is changing format so have to adjust to it. Sorry for delays but will be back to bore you soon.....Love  Charlie

Jennifer Zarchy's HERO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My darling Virginia Met 1967 debut..My favorite part of the opera.

Not easy for her at 91.....She is my "family."

Bad knees...never wore knee pads (died 365 times plus rehearsals) since she felt knee pads placed her "out of character."

While I am working on the glitches, will post some earlier files.Here is the fabulous Hans Hotter in a section of Siegfried Act 3

Hi..Sorry for delay.......will be back as soon as possible...glitches!!!!!!

Non mi abbandonare

ch

FLU got me...went to rehab for legs..sang in the gym...back soon......

FLU GOT ME>>BACK LATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!