The great Verdi/Puccini tenor, Richard Tucker, sings florid Handel as remarkably well as he sings anything else. The incredible Tucker ring is here for all to hear on this magnificent live concert from The Hollywood Bowl in 1951. He then sings two arias: O Paradiso and Addio allla Madre. Awesome!!!

The great baritone voice of John Charles Thomas is heard here in his very prime, in songs recorded between 1931 & 1941. Thomas surely had one of the most magnificent voices ever. His opening song, My Hero, is one of the great baritone recordings I have ever heard. Enjoy this podcast. Here is the program:

1.  My Hero

2.  The Open Road

3.  The Lord's Prayer

4.  I Love Life

5. Ol' Man River

6. Home on the Range

 

If any singer had a more beautiful and natural voice than Robert Merrill, I have yet to here him or her. Merrill's way with these songs is simply magnificent, from the operatic type songs, such as The Lord's Prayer, and the more lyrical songs such as C'est magnifique. Merrill was and is the greatest.

 

This performance was given at the Robin Hood Dell in Philadelphia during the summer of 1973. Tucker was 60, and still singing this difficult role with thrilling ease. We present his part complete, with Elinor Ross as Santuzza, and Matteo Manuguerra as Alfio, and a surprise appearance by Frederica von Stade-Lola. The conductor is Lamberto Gardelli. This is thrilling singing!!

From Act 4 of Puccini's Manon Lescaut, Renata Tebaldi and Richard Tucker show us what great singing is all about. I have never heard two singers "give" as much as Tebaldi and Tucker do here, with the most thrilling high C imaginable in their great scene.

This thrilling performance is from Buenos Aires in the summer of 1966. The cast gives its all, and the performance is "white-hot!" Tucker and MacNeil especially get huge audience approval, with their big voiced, gorgeous singing. These highlights are stunning!

Cast:

Gioconda-  Elena Suliotis

Enzo- Richard Tucker

Barnaba- Cornell MacNeil

Laura- Rosalind Elias

Alvise- Paolo Washington

Bruno Bartoletti, con.

This and all podcasts can be found at www.premiereopera.com

 

 

 

In this Buenos Aires performance from 1961, Richard Tucker is heard in the complete role of Don Alvaro in Verdi's La Forza del Destino. It was one of Tucker's very greatest roles, and he is magnificent in this performance. He is joined by Giuseppe Taddei, Floriana Cavalli, and Plinio Clabassi.

The "Sleale" scene was missing from this performance, so for this scene only, the role of Don Carlo is sung by Mario Sereni.

The great American tenor, Richard Tucker, brings his golden voice to the music of Donizetti in this live performance of Lucia di Lammermoor. Except for the Sextet, the entire role of Edgardo is presented here as performed. Tucker's Lucia is none other then Joan Sutherland!

Act 4 complete from Andrea Chenier, with Fabio Armiliato and Daniela Dessi. This is exciting, thrilling singing. And the duet is sung in key! The first cast of this run in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago was Cura and Voight. In my opinion, this pairing of Armiliato and Dessi wins hands down, and I have heard both performances!!

Here is a real Italianate Chenier, sung less than two weeks ago. Why don't we get this at the Met??

The solemn and haunting Kol Nidre service as offered by Cantor Richard Tucker.

Scenes from a live performance of Puccini's La Boheme from 1957, featuring Richard Tucker, Dorothy Kirsten, and Ettore Bastianini. GOLDEN AGE!!!!

This early, complete Pavarotti recital finds the 38 year old tenor is truly magnificent form. He was on the verge of super stardom this year, 1973, with the recent triumph of the Met Fille in the very recent past. He generously gives us 22 selections, including encores. Viva Luciano, per sempre!!

 

Ed

This amazing radio concert, given in Mexico in 1950, stands as one of the supreme examples of tenor singing, any time, anywhere. Not just the best of Di Stefano, which it most certainly is, but the best of perhaps any tenor ever singing this music. The six songs have to be heard to be believed!!!

!.  Santa Lucia

2.  Ay, ay, ay

3.  Core 'ngrato- UNBELIEVABLE!!

4.  Mamma mia, che vo sape

5.  Estrallita

6.  Tu che non chiagne

The wonderful Sondra Radvanovsky pulls out all the vocal fireworks in the demanding finale of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia. To cap it off, she ends on an incredible high Eb!!!

The great Ukrainian baritone, Igor Gorin, is heard in his prime on this rare radio concert from December 10, 1945. The voice is gorgeous, and the tecnique is perfection.

Gorin was born in the Ukraine in 1904, and I believe he became an American citizen in the 1940's, if not ealier.

He made his one and only very belated appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1964, at 60 years of age, as Germont in Traviata. I was there, and the voice was still gorgeous and perfectly focused. It was not a huge voice, but carried extremely well.

I'm sure you will enjoy this 1945 radio concert. Please feel free to leave your comments.

All podcasts are also found at www.premiereopera.com

Best wishes,

Ed

Here is the very young Richard Tucker in some of his first coast to coast radio appearances. These selections are taken from 1945-6, so this is how the great Tucker sounded when he first stepped foot on the stage of the old Met on January 25, 1945. His duet partners include Ribla, Lipton, and Weede. All selections are performaned in English, as was the custom of most of the opera concerts on radio in the mid 1940's.  The program follows:

1.  Aida- Nile duet- w. Gertrude Ribla- 1946

2.  Aida- Judgment duet- w. Martha Lipton- 1946

3.  Cavalleria Rusticana- Farewell to Mother- 1945

4.  Rigoletto- Though a lady- 1945

5.  L'Africana- O Paradise!- 1945

6.  Pearlfishers- I seem to hear her singing- 1946

7.  Pearlfishers duet- Within the temple there- w. Robert Weede- 1946

8.  Faust duet- Garden Scene- w. Gertrude Ribla- 1945

9.  Boris duet- From near and far- w. Martha Lipton- 1946

 

My own personal favorites are the gorgeous Pearlfishers duet, where Tucker and Weede blend their beautiful voices magnificently, and the Boris scene with Martha Lipton, where Tucker sounds as golden toned as is possible!

These and all podcasts are also available at www.premiereopera.com

 

Best wishes,

Ed

Here is the very young Richard Tucker in some of his first coast to coast radio appearances. These selections are taken from 1945-6, so this is how the great Tucker sounded when he first stepped foot on the stage of the old Met on January 25, 1945. His duet partners include Ribla, Lipton, and Weede.

Eleanor Steber and Jussi Bjoerling join forces for a wonderful 30 minute radio concert from early 1946. Both were in their absolute prime, and they sing two duets, in addition to solo pieces. Truly great, and historical.

All podcasts can also be found at www.premiereopera.com

 

 

One of the very greatest voices America has ever produced was the great baritone, Robert Merrill. What better way to help celebrate the 4th of July than to here Robert Merrill sing the songs of America. Recorded in the 1970's, this was one of Merrill's last recordings, and one of his greatest!!  The selections are:

1.  Battle hymn of the republic

2.  America the beautiful

3.  Hoe down!

4.  Beautiful dreamer

5.  Oklahoma

6.  Mademoiselle from Armentieres

7.  Camptown races

8.  Carry me back to the lone prairie

9.  Blow the man down

10. The Whiffenpoof song

 

Thanks, and a  happy 4th to all!!

Ed

 

Beverly Sills as Suor Angelica, from "Senza Mamma" to end of the opera. With deepest sorrow, and in loving memory.

Ed Rosen July 3, 2007

The great Cornell MacNeil is heard here at his formidable best. His gorgeous singing of the great baritone aria from Act 3 of Verdi's Ernani is the stuff legends are made of. The audience at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires give him a tremendous ovation, as you will hear.

 

Best,

Ed

Aldo Protti was a fine Italian baritone with a warm, expressive voice. He made many complete recordings for London/Decca in the 1950's, and had at least a 40 year career.

Here he sings the magnificent Pagliacci Prologue. I wish we had him today@@

The great Italian baritone, Piero Cappuccilli, sings the beautiful music Giuseppe Verdi wrote for the baritone's death scene in Don Carlo. This inlcudes two arias: the "Per me giunto" and "Io morro." Cappuccilli sings them with a wonderfully melting legato, and an unbelievable breath control. His Carlo is Jose Carreras, in this 1977 performance from La Scala, with Claudio Abbado conducting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The great Carlo Bergonzi is heard in the music of Giacomo Puccini. First is one of the most gorgeous recordings ever of Rodolfo's Che gelida manina, followed by excerpts from Madama Butterfly, also with Renata Tebaldi, Fiorenza Cossotto, and Enzo Sordello

Jeanette MacDonald and Robert Merrill team up in early 1945 for selections from Romberg's "Up in Central Park." Merrill was quite unknown at the time, and was asked to do the recording after MacDonald heard him on the radio! This Podcast has been filled with other various rare Merrill "cross-overs." The first 6 selections are from "Up in Central Park" by Sigmund Romberg, with the composer himself conducting!

1. Big Back Yard- Up in Central Park- Merrill- 1945

2. Small Carousel in the Park- MacDonald- 1945

3. Close as Pages in a Book- MacDonald/Merrill- 1945

4. It Doesn't Cost you anything to Dream- MacDonald- 1945

5. When you walk in a Room- Merrill- 1945

6.  The Fireman's Bride- MacDonald/Merrill- 1945

7.  If I loved You- Stevens/Merrill- 1951

8.  You're Just in Love- Stevens/Merrill- 1951

9.  So in Love- Peters/Merrill- 1953

10. Indian Love Call- Peters/Merrill- 1953

11. Io canto- "Pop" song- Merrill- 1957

12. Love Train- "Pop" song- Merrill- 1957

13. Gentle Annie- Merrill- 1947

 

Here is the relatively rare complete prison scene from Boito's Mefistofele as recorded in 1959 by Renata Tebaldi, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Cesare Siepi. This recording was never completed, and was redone the following summer with Mario del Monaco as Faust.

This is one of the truly great Tebaldi scenes, and especially her singing of the "Spunto, l'aurora" is ravishing, and deeply moving.

Please feel free to leave comments!

This and all podcasts can be found at www.premiereopera.com

Best wishes,

Ed

Jan Peerce, presented here before his Met debut, in live radio appearances. Here the Peerce voice is truly lovely, with fine soft singing, and a soaring top voice, as is demonstrated especially in the opening piece, the beautiful Irish song, "Macushla."

The program is all from 1935, which was a full six years before Peerce's Met debut.

1. Macushla

2. La donna e mobile

3. Vesti la giubba

4. O sole mio

5. The Bluebird of Happiness

 

Here is the best of the best, IMO. Richard Tucker shone as Andrea Chenier, and his four big arias, all contained here, show exactly why. His golden voice, along with that deep emtional attachment, and that thrilling delivery are something I never seem to hear among tenors any longer. He is joined in the two big duets by the supremely great Renata Tebaldi. Together they will thrill you!

A note of interest: these excerpts are taken from various venues, and perhaps one of the most interesting is the Improviso, which is the very first selection. This is conducted by Leonard Bernstein, during a concert given in Tel Aviv with the Israeli Philharmonic. It's is most probably the only time Bernstein ever conducted this music in public.

 

Best wishes,

Ed Rosen

Here is opera on radio as it used to be. From 1944, we hear Licia Albanese in her very prime, and a young, unknown barititone, Robert Merrill, singing his audition on the air. Milton Cross is the announcer. This is followed by a 1949 show of Music American Loves Best, which starred Robert Merrill. This show includes, among other musical numbers, the much discussed "Ghost Riders in the Sky." This show is announced by Merrill, who introduces all the selections. This was performed at Symphony Hall in Boston in 1949.

These two shows last for a total of just about one hour.

Enjoy these wonderful echos of Opera on Radio as it used to be!!

Best wishes,

Ed

The Italian tenor, Giuseppe Filianoti, sings a gorgeous "Lamento di Federico" in February of this year, and an encore is demanded. Those that were there will never forget this moment of great tenor singing!

Listen to operetta at it's best in this long out of print 1960 RCA stereo recording. Tozzi is magnificent, and Andrews sparkles!!

Here again is the 28 year old Robert Merrill, in a radio show broadcast on Armed Forces Radio on May 17, 1946. There is nothing to add to what I wrote yesterday for the first of his shows that I posted. The voice is so beautiful that it literally defies description.

Here he sings his theme song, "Ma Belle" and four songs, plus an incredible Pagliacci Prologo!!

Enjoy this rare example of live, young Merrill, and please leave your comments.

Best,

Ed

Here is old time radio at it's finest. The young Robert Merrill, still in his 20's, stars in The Robert Merrill Show a mere 2 months after his Met debut. The voice is one in a million, and his singing is as natural as it is gorgeous. Enjoy!

The great Renata Tebaldi sings the act 4 scena of Desdemona from Verdi's Otello. If this has ever been more beautifully sung, it is beyond my imagination.

Please feel free to comment on this podcast.

All podcasts can also be found at www.premiereopera.com

Thanks and best wishes,

Ed

To celebrate today, January 25, we present a big chunk of Tosca, Act 1 with Renata Tebaldi and Richard Tucker. January 25, 1945 was Richard Tucker's Met debut, as Enzo in La Gioconda. For 30 consecutive seasons he starred at the Met in over 30 operas and over 700 appearances.

He was without doubt the greatest tenor I ever heard live. I will remember him always, as a tenor, and as a dear friend.

Renata Tebaldi's birthday is about to be celebrated, and she was one of Tucker's very favorite partners to sing with.

Listen to them both, and the Golden Age of Singing will come back to life right before your very ears!!

Best,

Ed

All podcasts may also be accessed at www.premiereopera.com

With the St. Lukes Orchestra at Caramoor in July of 2006, two selections from West Side Story- Maria, and Tonight, featuring tenor Andrew Drost.

Listen to high D natural as audience reacts.

Richard Tucker, Robert Merrill, and Jan Peerce were all of the Jewish faith. They all recorded some of the beautiful music for Christmas, which I am proud to present in this podcast. These recordings were all made between the mid 1960's and mid 1970's. All are in fine stereo sound. Merrill actually recorded an entire Christmas album in London in about 1972. Here is the program:

1.  Tucker- O Little Town of Bethlehem

2.  Tucker- The Lord's Prayer

3.  Merrill- White Christmas

4.  Merrill- I'll Be Home for Christmas

5.  Merrill- O Holy Night

6.  Peerce- Adeste Fidelis

This and all of our podcasts may be found at www.premiereopera.com

Please feel free to leave your comments.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!!

Ed