The program below speaks for itself:

LAWRENCE TIBBETT

1.   I got plenty of nuttin'

2.   Oh Bess, Oh Where's my Bess

3.   Ol' Man River

4.   Without a Song

JOHN CHARLES THOMAS

1.   I Love Life

2.   Home on the Range

3.   Open Road

4.   My Hero

LEONARD WARREN

1.   Haul-A-Way, Joe

2.   On the Road to Mandalay

3.   A Little Bit of Heaven

4.   The Lord's Prayer

ROBERT MERRILL

1.   It Ain't Necessarily So

2.   Juanita

3.   If I Loved You

4.   Soliloquy

5.   Io Canto

6.   Love Train

===================================================

It was more than a pleasure putting this podcast together. Four of the greatest voices ever, and all American baritones. Italy may have the top spot with tenors, but America has been #1 for great operatic baritones. In this podcast they shed their opera costumes, and sing, and in some cases, croon! No wonder Merrill was called "Bing Crosby with high notes!!!"

Please leave your comments about this podcast.

And- please check out our website at www.premiereopera.com

Thanks,

Ed

Due to many requests, we are presenting Ballo highlights recorded in 1955. This historical LP was never issued on CD for reasons that I cannot fathom. The cast is the same as the prima of a big revival in January of 1955, except Peerce replacing Tucker because of contractual constraints. Tucker had an exclusive Columbia contract, and they weren't "lending" him out quite yet. It was unfortunate, since Riccardo in Ballo was one of Tucker's great roles, and he never got to record it. Peerce is featured on the complete Ballo conducted by Toscanini from the previous year, 1954, also released by RCA.

The most historical aspect of this big revival was the appearance of the great Marion Anderson as Ulrica, thus becoming to opera what Jackie Robinson was to baseball; breaking the color barrier. Miss Anderson was the first African American to appear at the Met, and her big scena is a major part of this highlight LP.

With Milanov, Peerce, Warren, Anderson, Peters, conducted by the great Mitropoulos, this is a podcast to keep!

Please check our website at www.premiereopera.com

Thanks, and enjoy the Ballo.

Best wishes,

Ed

Richard Tucker and Grace Bumbry were a great team, and sang in many operas together. Included on this podcast are scenes from Samson, Trovatore, Carmen, and Gioconda. Bumbry sings the mezzo roles in all except the Gioconda. This Gioconda was performed in Newark in February of 1974, less than a year before Tucker passed away in January of 1975. His voice is firm, fresh, gorgeous, and ringing. The Bb's to conclude the "Cielo e mar" literally blew the roof off the  house, as you will hear, and drove the audience into a great and prolonged ovation.

Tucker was around 60 for these podcasts performances, and in his 60's for the Gioconda. I have put his aria last on this podcast, because I consider to be the real crowning glory of all the music presented here. I am sure Grace Bumbry would agree.

The two of them make sparks together, and it is a pleasure to present two singers that never recorded commercially together in these live performance excerpts for you enjoyment.

Please leave your comments, and check out our website at www.premiereopera.com    This particular CD is #176 in our CD listings.

Thanks, and best wishes and happy listening to all,

Ed

If there is an opera lover who doesn't like La Boheme, I have yet to meet him/her. My introduction to La Boheme was this very LP, recorded in 1951, and long out of print, and never on CD. It is a hilight album, and features the all star cast of Albanese, Di Stefano, Warren, Munsel. The singing is gorgeous and glorious. Licia Albanese and Giuseppe Di Stefano sang often together at the Met and other theaters in the 1940's and 1950's. Among the operas they appeared in together were Gianni Schicchi, Falstaff, La Traviata, La Boheme, Manon, Madama Butterfly. They never recorded together, save this single LP.

Leonard Warren never sang the role of Marcello, as far as I know. What a luxury bit of casting this is! And Warren sings the high Bb along with Albanese, Di Stefano, and Munsel near the end of the Act 3 quartet!

The last act finale is complete, from the "Sono andate," and features George Cehanovsky as Schaunard and Nicola Moscona as Colline.

Please check out our website at www.premiereopera.com

Thanks, and enjoy, and feel free to leave your comments.

Ed

This magnificent performance of the Covent Scene from Forza is from Vienna in 1974, and is among the very best I have ever heard.

Gilda Cruz-Romo was a perfect Leonora. Beautiful voice, lovely piani, and real involvement in the role. I was fortunate enough to see this great soprano in Forza at the Met, as well as such operas as Ballo, Trovatore, Suor Angelica, Traviata, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, Aida, and more. She was always a complete singer, and one of the very finest sopranos in the world during her wonderful career.

Cesare Siepi sings like a god! This uniquely gorgeous voice was perfect as Guardiano, and here, about 35 years into his truly great career, his singing is still of the highest level possible.

The Melitone is Sesto Bruscantini, and the performance is conducted by Riccardo Muti.

I feel sure you will enjoy this wonderful performance. Please leave your comments, and visit our website at www.premiereopera.com

Thanks

Ed

Here is our longest podcast yet. 55 minutes of great music from La Forza del Destino, recorded by an all star cast in 1955. This LP has been out of print for over 40 years, and was my very first exposure to Forza as a young teenager, in the late 50's. Milanov actually came to the NY studio and only recorded two numbers. First was the act 1 aria, followed by the final trio. Her other selections on this LP release were taken from her great album, "Milanov Sings," recorded two years earlier in 1953. This hilite recording captures her in greater shape than her complete recording of Forza, made in 1958. Her singing is of the grand, grand style and the voice is absolutely gorgeous. Peerce did not sing Alvaro live until about 1962, and did very few performances of the opera, but he is a fine Alvaro as recorded in 1955. Leonard Warren was a towering Carlo, and his singing is magnificent. This is the opera in which he tragically died on stage at the Met in March of 1960. He sets a benchmark for this role. Met bass Nicola Moscona joins Milanov and Peerce for a beautiful final trio.

Please leave your comments on this podcast, and visit our website at www.premiereopera.com

Thanks

Ed

Since I goofed yesterday night, and left out the last 6 minutes or so of the Santuzza-Turiddu duet, I have posted it in this special edition podcast. Now you can enjoy the complete scene, curse and all!!

To complete the podcast, I decided to stay with the team of Tucker/Ross and give you some highlights from a great performance of Turandot given at the old opera house in Philadelphia, by the now extinct Philadelphia Grand Opera Co. This was a white-hot performance, and I was lucky enough to have been there. The sound is fair, but the performance is unsurpassed.

As always, please leave your comments, and thanks for listening.

Check out our website at www.premiereopera.com

Ed

On Easter Sunday I am happy to present a rare performance of Cavalleria Rusticana. It was given at the outdoor Robin Hood Dell in Philadelphia in early July of 1973. Richard Tucker is Turridu, always one of his greatest roles, but one which he sang infrequently after 1970, when he first undertook Canio in Pagliacci. He is simply magnificent here. Elinor Ross is his equal as Santuzza. She was under-rated, and gives a real verismo, gutsy Santuzza, sung with a warm, rich, beautiful tone. Matteo Manuguerra is the Alfio, and a better one I have never heard. The conductor is the late Alfredo Silipigni, and he was always a Maestro who seemed at his best in verismo.

We present the opera abridged for this podcast, with most all of the major vocal portions present.

This particular performance is available at www.premiereopera. com under CD number 126-1.

Please enjoy this wonderful performance, and kindly leave your comments. Thank you, and a Happy Easter, and Passover, to all.

Ed

This is truly one of the great live Butterfly performances that exist on recording. Scotto is in her very prime, in this, perhaps her most famous and greatest role. The 26 year old Jose Carreras produces vocal gold the likes of which are rarely heard. They blend beautifully in the great love duet, and both cap the duet with a soaring high C.
This one is a keeper!

It can be found on our website as CD #150.

Website: www.premiereopera.com

Thanks, and enjoy, and leave comments, please

The great Marilyn Horne is featured on this podcast. Miss Horne has earned a worldwide following by virtue of her glorious voice, incredible technique, and technical ability, her warm, good natured manner, and for being one of the very greatest mezzo sopranos of all time. It is an honor to present her in these selections.

First we present two selections from a concert given on Feb. 6, 1975. This concert featured many of the biggest names in opera, and was presented as a tribute to Richard Tucker, who had passed away less than a month earlier. Horne sings the beautiful "Mura felice" from La Donna del Lago, and a sensuous, gorgeous "Mon coeur" from Samson. This is followed by the big mezzo scena from L'assedio di Corinto, from La Scala on April 14, 1969. She simply stopped the show, and stole the show!

We complete our Marilyn Horne podcast with selections from "Americana" songs. One very simple, and the other two quite bravura. But they are all sung as if written for the one and only, truly great, Marilyn Horne. Enjoy this, and please leave your comments. Thanks.

Please check our website at: www.premiereopera.com

Ed

 

Due to unprecedented demand (my mother) I am publishing this podcast for your interest and amusement. (Hopefully not too much of the latter!!) These were all impromtu and totally unrehearsed, as you can probably tell.

The frist two selections are from 1975. Katia and Jose would come by with a few others, and would just want to sing, like two kids. (They were both still in their 20's!) Jose had never seen the music before for either the Trovatore excerpt (final trio, where he sings a full voiced high Db at the end) nor the Forza duet from the final act, but his voice is simply magnificent.

The last two selections are from an opera night at Le Belle Epoque restaurant in 2001. Charlie and I, in the (in)famous "duetti di pirati" of "Suoni la tromba" from Puritani, followed by the Nile Scene duet from Aida, where my absoltuely golden voiced daughter is none other than the great Aprile Millo, who was in the audience and got up and sang because she is so nice and so special. Again, nothing was rehearsed!

I am now waiting for the wisecracks, but all in all, these were fun times for me, and I do hope you enjoy them. They were fun, and have much great singing from the famous names.

My motto for this is, "It's my podcast, and I'll play what I want to!!" Seriously, enter into the fun of the occassions, and you'll find things to enjoy, and also laugh about, in a good natured way.

Ed

In this podcast, Richard Tucker lends his magnificent voice to the famous, "schmaltzy" Viennese songs that have been loved for over a century. You will recognize the melodies, in their updated English translation.

Following this, Tucker sings Neapolitan songs, as only he can. I have never heard these songs sung more beautifully and convincingly by an non-Italian tenor, and most Italian tenors!! The final selection, "Rondine al nido," was a personal favorite of Tucker's. He once told me that if he had to be remembered by only one song,  or aria, this would be the one!!

Please check out our website at www.premiereopera.com for thousands of great performances, and thanks to all of you for your wonderful e-mails and posted comments.

Ed

It is difficult to believe that it has been about 20 years since Aprile Millo made her Met debut as a very young soprano. When I first heard her, in 1985, I realized there here was a soprano that sang in the style of the "old school" of Ponselle, Muzio, and Tebaldi.

Today she is the only remaining exponent of that glorious style. Her gorgeous voice imbues the music with such emotion and passion as to take one's breath away. Millo's very recent triumph in such operas as Adriana, Gioconda, Fanciulla, Zaza have shown a new side and a growth in artistic level. Her recent Ballo at the Met showed us that she is still, today, the reigning Verdian soprano.

I am proud to live in the era where I can see Aprile Millo sing, just as I saw her great predecesors, Zinka Milanov and Renata Tebaldi. Both of these great ladies were admirers of Aprile Millo, as are countless thousands of others today.

Brava, Millo!!!

Ed

Cesare Siepi was simply the greatest bass voice I ever heard live. His rich sound has not been matched since he stopped singing, and probably never will.

In this podcast, taken from a very rare TV recital from 1962, Siepi himself announces his program before each selection. Only the audio portion is known to exist from this telecast.

The entire CD is available from Premiere, though it hasn't been assigned a number yet.

Please go to www.premiereopera.com and view our thousands of CDs and DVDs. 

Thanks,

Ed

1.  Faust- Avant de quitter ces lieux- 1949 recording

2.  Hamlet- O vin dissipe la tristesse- 1946

3.  Herodiade- Vision fugitive- 1946

4.  Hoffmann- Scintille diamant- 1949

5.  Thais- Te souvient- w. Kirsten- 1947

These beautiful, early recordings of the great Robert Merrill show the rich baritone sound that was at his command while still in his 20's!! I cannot imagine anyone singing these selections more beautifully than Merrill does, and, except for Faust, these are all from operas in which he never appeared. Listen and savor the magnificent voice of Robert Merrill.

Visit our website at www.premiereopera.com for our listings of CDs and DVDs. Thanks.

Ed

Our podcast today features Caballe & Tucker in the following program:

1. Manon Lescaut- Act 2 duet- Tu, tu, amore, tu- Buenos Aires 1966

2. Manon Lescaut- Guardate! Pazzo son- Tucker- B. Aires 1966

3. Ballo- Love duet- Philadelphia concert 1971- taped in house

These performances catch the soprano and tenor in the white heat of live performance, and they both deliver the goods as only they could. In Manon Lescaut, Tucker was singing his favorite role of Des Grieux, and really tearing his and our hearts out in his especially passionate and thrilling "Pazzo son." Both he and Caballe are moving and involved in the Act 2 duet from this opera, and the Ballo duet is equally thrilling and passionate, capped with a great top C from both Caballe and Tucker.

Please visit our website at www.premiereopera.com for performances just like this on CD & DVD. Thanks, and enjoy. Please leave your comments.

Ed