Here is Sondra Radvanovsky in the Act 1 finale of Lucrezia Borgia singing a really gargantuan high Eb to cap the act. The young tenor Grigolo sounds wonderful, and this is surely thrilling singing.

 

 

Here is a 1970 perfomance of Lucia, from the entrance of Edgardo until the act's end. The 58 year old Richard Tucker is rolling out the gold as the tenor, Edgardo.

Who is his Lucia here? She was an internationally known soprano and this performance is NOT from the Met.

 

Here, in a performance from Newark, NJ, in February of 1974, is the great tenor Richard Tucker singing the final Enzo in Gioconda of his career. This performance was given scant months before his passing, and yet the beauty of the voice and the special sheen was all there, still in tact. The top soared, and the legato was rolled out as sung liquid gold. This Cielo e mar is one for the ages, and I will cherish it always.

This same aria was sung by Tucker 30 seasons earlier at his Met debut on January 25, 1945, and brought him fame.

This performance is taken from an exceptional sounding in-house tape of this event, and the hysterical bravos into the mike at the end are courtesy of yours truly. I just couldn't help myself. I sat there with the full knowledge that the great Golden Age of singing was still alive and well with Richard Tucker.

Link: premiereopera.libsyn.com

In a few months, it was over, and nothing I have heard since has even come close to the greatness revealed here for all to hear and marvel at.

Best wishes,

Ed

This magnficent recent performance by Sondra Radvanovsky includes the "Flower Aria" that is rarely if ever heard. I believe it was performed at the world premiere, and then dropped.

Sondra's singing here is not only gorgeous, with those soaring high C's, but also inspired. It was one of the great things I have seen in opera in many, many years.

This and all Podcasts are available at http://www.premiereopera.com

Direct Link: premiereopera.libsyn.com

I am sure you will all enjoy this really special Podcast!

Best wishes,

Ed

Today, August 28, we celebrate the birthday of the great tenor, Richard Tucker. Many call Tucker the greatest American tenor ever. I agree, but go on to state that for me, he was the greatest tenor ever, of any nationality, and many agree with this sentiment.

Here, in the final year of his life, Tucker is still in top, golden form as he gives his all in a recital filled with arias, Jewish and Hebrew songs, French Songs, Italian songs, and Handel, Mehul, and Peri, among others! There are 23 selections to this Podcast, and I will list the program now:

1.  Handel- Floridante- Alma mia

2.  Mehul- JOSEPH- Champs paternal

3.  Peri- EURIDICE- Invocazione di Orfeo

4.  Torelli- Tu lo sai

5.  Durante- Danza, danza fanciulla

6.  Donizetti- L'ELISIR D'AMORE- Una furtiva lagrima

7.  Mascagni- CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA- Addio alla madre

8.  Meyerbeer- L'AFRICANA- O Paradiso

9.  Leoncavallo- Mattinata

10. Shir Hocherut- (Son of Liberation-) arr. Secundo

11. Issachar Miron- Ura Dor- (Come along)

12. A Du, Du, Du- (Jewish folk song) arr. Secundo

13. A Din Torah mit Gott- (A Plea with God) arr. Low

14. Fourdrain- Carnaval

15. Robey- Tes Yeux

16. Bizet- THE PEARLFISHERS- Je crois entendre encore

17. Falvo- Dicitencello Vuie

18. Nutile- Mamma mia che vo sape

19. Puccini- TURANDOT- Nessun Dorma

20. Raisins and Almonds- Traditional Jewish Folk Song

21. Puccini- TOSCA- Recondita armonia

22. Cilea- L'ARLESIANA- Lamento di Federico

23. Verdi- LUISA MILLER- Quando le sera al placido

Direct Link: premiereopera.libsyn.com

This and all Podcasts can be enjoyed at http://www.premiereopera.com

To end, I wish to say how fortunate I was to live in an era when I could hear Richard Tucker sing and bestow his great gift on us all countless times.

Best wishes,

Ed

My favorite tenor, Richard Tucker, is heard here in two rare audio clips.

First we have the beautiful Pearlfishers Duet, as sung in English from a radio concert in 1946 with the wonderful baritone, Robert Weede.

This is followed by an Improviso from a Gala Concert with Leonard Bernstein conducting the Israeli Philharmonic in 1963. I would imagine this is the only time Bernstein conducted the music of Giordano, but I certainly could be wrong.

Enjoy this interesting Podcast.

Direct Link: premiereopera.libsyn.com

This and every Podcast can be found at http://www.premiereopera.com

Please listen and comment! Thanks.

Best wishes,

Ed

The young Renata Tebaldi, still in her 20's here, sings two arias associated with her career. The voice is all beauty and velvet, with the tone lush and gorgeous. These performances were taken from her American broadcast debut, during her run of operas in San Francisco in the Fall of 1950. These radio concerts, with Merola conducting, seem to exist in wonderful sound quality, as heard here. Brava Renata!!

1. Io son l'umille ancella- Adriana- 1950

2. Un bel di- Madama Butterfly- 1950

Direct link: premiereopera.libsyn.com

This and every Podcast are available at http://www.premiereopera.com

Enjoy this beautiful voice at its best!

Best wishes,

Ed

This is a two minute selection from Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. It is Richard Tucker as Riccardo, in his entrance aria, "La rivedra in estasti."

If it has ever been sung better, I have not heard it. The elan, and the musicianship is remarkable, as is the expansive high Bb (alright, high A# for the purists out there) to cap this wonderful piece.

Often famous arias are recorded by famous artists in the "wrong" language, meaning a language other than the language the aria was originally written in. Here are two fine examples by young Mario del Monaco.

1. Carmen- Il fior che avevi a me to dato- recorded 12/20/51

2. Lohengrin- Da voi lontan- recorded 11/22/48- as a 78 rpm!

 

This and all Podcasts can be found at http://www.premiereopera.com

Direct link:  premiereopera.libsyn.com

 

Enjoy and please comment on this Podcast!

Best wishes,

Ed

 

 

The magnificent Italian tenor, Mario del Monaco, is heard here in the very prime early years of his international career. His voice as heard here in magnificent monophonic sound conveys the steel, or, as I heard it live, the "buzz" in his sound that helped it to carry so well, and, if possible, sound ever bigger than it already was. Of interest is his soft singing in each selection. We hear del Monaco in both Mascagni and Leoncavallo operas, but not Cav & Pag! Here are the selections:

1. La Boheme- Leoncavallo- Testa adorata- recorded 9/51

2. L'Amico Fritz- Mascagni- Ed anche Beppe amo- recorded 12/20/51

3. Werther- Ah! Non mi ridestar- recorded 1/9/52

The conductor in all selections is Argeo Quadri, conducting the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano.

Direct link: premiereopera.libsyn.com

This and all Podcasts can also be accessed at http://www.premiereopera.com

This is surely thrilling tenor singing, when tenors were tenors!!

Best wishes,

Ed

It's Te Kanawa and Placido, and it's good!! This is among my favorite Puccini.

 

Ed

Early in his career, tenor sensation Franco Corelli recorded many arias from operas that were not in his repertoire. Here are three arias, only one of which, Trovatore, is from a role Corelli sang.

1.  I Lombardi- La mia letizia infondere- 1955

2.  Il Trovatore- Di quella pira- 1955

3.  Otello- Esultate!- 1954

Surely Corelli would have made a great Otello, and it is a shame that he never sang the role. His Pira has two of the most ringing high C's ever recorded by any tenor. Enjoy this podcast!

This and all Podcasts are also available at www.premiereopera.com

Best wishes,

Ed

Truly great Swedish tenor Jussi Bjoerling is at his incredible best in two arias taken from a live concert given in Hilversum, Holland on June 8, 1939. First we hear a gorgeous Flower Song from Carmen, sung in French, from an opera that Bjoerling never sang. Listen especially to what the Swedish tenor does on the high Bb.

This is followed by a magnificent Faust aria, sung in Swedish, from the same concert. The high C is a thing of wonder. Bjoerling attacks it a bit softly and swells to a tremendous, forte high C.

This and all Podcasts may be found at http://www.premiereopera.com

Best wishes,

Ed

The great American baritone, Leonard Warren, sings some lighter fare here.

His delivery of three beautiful Irish songs have long been favorites of mine, and I wanted to share this with all of the Podcast audience. The singing is ravishing, controlled, and both soft and ringing, when called for.

All Podcasts can also be accessed at http://www.premiereopera.com

1.  Danny Boy- recorded September 3, 1947

2.  Mother Machree- recorded September 26, 1950

3.  A Little Bit of Heaven- recorded September 26, 1950

 

I'm sure you will enjoy this Podcast!

Best wishes,

Ed

The great Yugoslavian soprano, Zinka Milanov, is heard here in four arias recorded in her very prime. The voice is gorgeous and the singing is beautiful. I hope you enjoy this podcast of rare Milanov recordings. Here is the listing or arias, with date recorded.

1. Suicidio- La Gioconda- February 14, 1946

2. Voi lo sapete- Cavalleria Rusticana- May 17, 1945

3. Pace mio Dio!- La Forza del Destino- May 17, 1945

4. Ritorna vincitor- Aida- February 14, 1946.

And interesting coincidence is that the Cavalleria and the Forza arias were recorded on her birthday. I believe she was celebrating her 41st birthday in 1945.

This and all podcasts can also be found at http://www.premiereopera.com

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this podcast.

Best wishes,

Ed

Many opera lovers know about the Mexico Aida, and the Lisbon Traviata. I call this the Tel Aviv Trovatore.

Performed in Tel Aviv on July 9, 1973, it features the following cast:

Manrico...............Richard Tucker

Leonora...............Gilda Cruz-Romo

Azucena...............Mignon Dunn

Di Luna................Sigmund Nimsgern

The conductor is Zubin Mehta. This was the next to last Manrico of Tucker's life, the final performance being in Hartford, CT, about 6 weeks before his passing, and also featuring the truly wonderful Gilda Cruz-Romo as Leonora. Tucker's voice knew no years, as can be heard here. The freshness of his singing, and his enthusiasm, and, of course, his golden voice, remained untarnished by time.

I am proud to present the complete Act 4, Scene 2 of Il Trovatore, dedicated, with love and admiration, for my friend, Richard Tucker.

This and all Podcasts can also be found at http://www.premiereopera.com

Best wishes,

Ed

The great tenor, Beniamino Gigli, is heard in all of Pinkerton's solo parts in this historical Podcast. The recording was made in Rome in July of 1939, and Gigli was in the 25th year of his career, with an amazing 16 years still to go! As always, his singing is golden and caressing to the ear.

The role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly is sometimes thought of as not worth the effort of a truly first rank tenor, but it is, IMO. The role is long- since he sings for about an hour with little break in Act 1, and comes back in Act 3 for a beautiful trio and his big aria.

Surely the major recording companies have always cast the role of Pinkerton from strength. Tenors who have recorded the role complete have been, in addition to Gigli, such as Tagliavini, Tucker (twice,) Bergonzi (twice,) Pavarotti, Domingo (twice,) Carreras. These are certainly all first rank tenors. In the theater, the two best Pinkertons I ever heard live were Bergonzi, in 1962 with Tucci at the Met, and Carreras in 1975, with Teresa Kubiak, in London.

We have the entire opening scene, starting with "Dovunque al mondo" right up to the entrance of Butterfly, followed by the gorgeous trio in Act 3 and the famous tenor aria, "Addio, fiorito asil." The Sharpless is Mario Basiola, and Suzuki is sung by mezzo Vittoria Polomgini. The few lines we hear of Goro are sung by tenor Adelio Zagonara. The wonderful conductor is the legendary Oliviero de Fabritiis, who seemed to conduct forever. His career spanned at least 5 and  possibly 6 decades.

This and every Podcast can be found at http://www.premiereopera.com

Enjoy this great tenor singing!

Best wishes,

Ed

Tenor sensations Juan Diego Florez and Rolando Villazon teamed up for a rare, first ever joint concert in Paris about a month ago.

Here are three excerpts from this exciting event.

1.  Ah! leve toi- Romeo- Florez

2.  O Souverain- Le Cid- Villazon

3.  Otello duet- Rossini- Florez & Villazon

 

This and all podcasts may also be accessed at http://www.premiereopera.com

Best wishes,

Ed

On October 14, 1975, the great tenor Jose Carreras gave his very first solo American recital. The venue was beautiful Carmel, California, and I was privileged to accompany Jose both at the recital, and on the ride to and from San Francisco, where he was appearing as Nemorino in L'Elisir d'amore. The recital was a great success, and the voice is at it's youthful best. The four selections here are:

1.  Ideale- Tosti

2.  Malia- Tosti

3. L'albe separe dalla luce lombra- Tosti

4. Nessun dorma- Turandot- Puccini

 

This and all podcasts are also accessible at http://www.premiereopera.com

I know you all will enjoy this beautiful Podcast.

Best wishes,

Ed

The great American baritone, Robert Merrill, sings Songs you Love, from a 78 rpm album recorded in 1950. Gorgeous is the adjective that comes immediately to mind. Here is the program:

1. I'm falling in love with someone- Herbert

2. Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life- Herbert

3. Yours is my heart alone- Lehar

4. Sylvia- Speaks

5. Trees- Rasbach

6. Always- Berlin

Here are seven diverse that represent among the best of tenor great Richard Tucker. Tucker was as versatile as he was great, and his singing through the years remained golden and gorgeous. Here is the program of this Podcast:

1.  Thine Alone- Eileen- Herbert- 1950

2.  Song of Songs- 1949

3.  For you Alone- 1949

4.  Core 'n grato- 1954

5.  La riverdra- Ballo- Verdi- 1974

6.  Lamento di Federico- L'Arlesiana- Cilea- 1966

7.  O tu che in seno- Forza- Verdi- 1969

Tenor Stephen Costello sings the beautiful Tomb Scene in a recent performance of Lucia di Lammermoor. Costello sings with great beauty and feeling, as well as the great emotion that this music calls for.

I am sure you will enjoy this wonderful performance by Costello.

We are back and up and running with our Podcasts again, and I wish to thank all of you who have written me about them.

All poscasts can also be enjoyed at http://www.premiereopera.com

Best wishes,

Ed

Richard Tucker sings Rondine al nido.

The great Italian tenor Carlo Bergonzi gives us a benchmark performance of the famous aria from Puccini's La Boheme, "Che gelida manina." Bergonzi sings this aria in key, with a magnificent high C to cap it off, and the most gorgeous of legatos and phrasing and dynamics. Truly one of the greatest tenors ever.

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

 

Ed

Here are five selections from a recently discovered operatic concert that the great tenor, Richard Tucker, sang with the Winnipeg Symphony in March of 1972. Tucker greatness was ageless, and the voice is still in it's warm golden form. He was about 60 years old here, and sounds like a tenor about half that age. He sings arias here from Ballo, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, Pagliacci, and Leoncavallo's Mattinata. Also sung, but not on the recording, were arias from L'Africana, Cavalleria Rusticana, and L'Elisir. The singing is truly awesome!!

 

Enjoy!!

 

Best wishes,

Ed

A few wonderful excerpts from Stephen's great performance of Romeo last night!!! Enjoy!!

Tucker came late to Samson, performing it for the first time in Phila. in 1970, and then doing a run at the Met in 1971-2 with Bumbry. I found him thrilling in this role, and dramatically, it was one of his finest. Here the Jewish leader rallies his troops, in French, but as a great Cantor just the same!!

Here is an early (1949) recording of Richard Tucker, singing the gorgeous "Thine Alone" from the operetta "Eileen" by Victor Herbert. This is one of my 3 or 4 favorite Tucker recordings. He sings with such beauty and clarity, and makes the high tessitura sound easy, and, just for good measure, he transposes the second verse up a half tone, to make the high tessitura virtually impossible, but, again, Tucker makes it sound easy.

For me, this is as gorgeous as it gets!!

 

Ed

In my opinion these selections from Verdi's Ernani, as sung by the great Cornell MacNeil, defies description. Words cannot do it justice. Just listen and be amazed!! And no, we don't have any baritones who sing like this anymore. We only had big Mac!!

Here is every note that the great tenor, Giuseppe Di Stefano recorded in the studio of Boito's Mefistofele in the summer of 1959, along with Renata Tebaldi and Cesare Siepi, with Tullio Serafin conducting. Only the scene with Elena is not recorded, thereby preventing commercial release.

Amazing singing by both Petrella and Di Stefano. This is good, old "giving" Italian singing at its best. I just received this fine sounding copy, and wanted to share it with you, to further remember the great Pippo!!

Jose Carreras sang his first ever American recital in Carmel, California on October 14, 1975. I was there and he was wonderful. Here he sings a beautiful aria from Rossini's Pietra del Paragone, Tosti's Ideale, and Puccini's Nessun Dorma! Bravo, Jose!!

In one of his earliest performances, here is Giuseppe Di Stefano at the age of only 22, singing a beautiful Una furtiva lagrima from Elisir d'Amore. The sheer beauty is simply overwhelming.

 

Ed

Here is prime Di Stefano and de los Angeles in the famous and beautiful love duet from Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Ardently and beautifully sung by both artists, this is a treat for the ear.

 

Ed

This magnificent scene from Mascagn's rarely performed "Iris" contains some of the greatest singing that Di Stefano ever committed to disc. The music is of the greatest difficulity for the tenor. Nothing is above an A natural, but so much of the music is between F and A natural as to make it a virtually unsingable tessitura. However, Di Stefano conquers, and had a great triumph on this opera when it was revived in Italy in 1956, the same year as this recording. His voice is ravishing here, as well as melting. Carteri is a wonderful duet partner.

 

Ed

 

As requested, here is Giuseppe Di Stefano in his gorgeous rendtiion of "Non piangere Liu" from Puccini's Turandot.

Every Italian or Italianate tenor worth his salt sang "Core 'ngrato" but nobody sang it like Di Stefano. The gorgeous tone (just listen to the first two words, "Cateri, Cateri" and you will melt) combined with the passion and love of singing is unsurpassed by any tenor ever.

There are so many recordings to remember Di Stefano by, but I think this one particular recording of a beautiful Italian song says it all. Adddio a Pippo, e grazie per sempre!!

 

Ed

Here is the great Sleale scene from Verdi's La Forza del Destino. Richard Tucker and Robert Merrill sang together often in Forza, and this is a thrilling rendition of this scene.

Two great American artists, soprano Eleanor Steber and tenor Richard Tucker, bring us a beautiful rendition of the gorgeous final duet from Verdi's Don Carlo. Steber and Tucker also had the same voice teacher, tenor Paul Althouse!

Two all time greats of the Italian opera stage, mezzo Ebe Stignani and tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano join forces to sing this beatiful music from Donizetti's La Favorita. Stignani had already been singing for almost 30, but sounds fresh and youg, and Di Stefano really was a fresh voiced, young singer in 1952!!

Squillo to burn!! Not a gorgeous voice, but one of great excitement and squillo!!

In a rare RAI concert from January 30, 1960, soprano Rosana Carteri and tenor Carlo Bergonzi joing magnificent forces in this thrilling version of the geat love duet from Puccini's love duet, capped by a joint high C that is held forver, and ever!! Grande!!!

Victoria de los Angeles sang very few performances as Micaela in her illustrious career, so we are indeed fortunate to have a sample of what she sounded like. From a performance in the mid 50's, she sings perhaps the definitive version of this beautiful aria.

The exciting "Sleale" scene from Verdi's La Forza del Destino, as performed by Mario del Monaco and Ettore Bastianini, makes for incredibly thrilling listening. This scene was often omitted from performanes 40 or 50 years ago, due it's very demanding music for the tenor. del Monaco is at his best, as is the Italian baritone, Ettore Bastianin. Together they sing this scene with great slancio!!

 

Ed

Richard Tucker, in his second recording of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, sings the opening arias of this beautiful music with a combination of great vocal beauty, legato, and soaring ease in the many top notes. Price sings as glorious an entrance as I have ever heard

The great Giuseppe Di Stefano lavishes his golden voice on the famous aria, Che gelida manina, from La Boheme. To listen is to revel in this incredible sound!!

Three more tenors sing for us. Jussi Bjoerling sings an astoundingly gorgeous Amor ti vieta, from a 1957 recital, followed by the beautiful voice of Fritz Wunderlich, singing Dies Bildnis from Zauberflote, and Jon Vickers sings an interesting, non-Italianate Celeste Aida!

The beauty of Jose Carreras' voice is heard in these wonderful Italian song. His Core 'ngrato is full of fire and passion, and his Santa Lucia Luntana is meltingly gorgeous, with lovely high soft tones. Golden singing by any standard!!

The young Mario del Monaco, in some of his earliest recordings, sings arias from L'amico Fritz, Werther, and Lohengrin. He sings everything in his native Italian, and his voice and "ring" seem like young miracles of sound!!

The young Domingo sings a warmly vocalised Boheme aria from 1967, and a very moving Flower Song from Carmen in 1968.

The great prison scene, or the death of Margherita, as it is called in the score, of Boito's Mefistofele, is one of my very favorite scenes in all of opera. As sung by three of the geatest voices of the 20th century, it is  irresistible

This excerpt starts after the L'altra notte aria, so to fit in the space allowed. Tebaldi, Di Stefano, and Siepi are unequaled in this music.

Enjoy!!

Ed

The great, great Beniamino Gigli sings what I consider to be the definitive recording of Una furtiva lagrima. This was recorded in 1927, when Gigli was at the very pinnicle of his great powers.

The great Franco Corelli doing one of the many things that he did best: singing Italian canzoni. Here are "I te vurria vasa" & "Cor 'ngrato" from a live concert given in 1968. Amazing!!

From a gala concert, the great Leontyne Price sings a ravishing Depuis le jour from Louise. It's one of the most gorgeous things I have ever heard!!

This is a great baritone, who never, as far as I know, sang the role of Figaro in Barbiere. He did, however, sing the big aria, in English, at a gala concert. Here he is. Please name the voice, and tell us what you think of this performance!!

The great Richard Tucker gives his all in this thrilling rendition of the famous tenor aria from Martha. He sings it here in English, in a 1961 revival. At the final performance of the run, he sang this in the Italian that Met audiences were used to from his great predecessors , Caruso and Gigli!! I know. I was there!!!

Name the opera, and name the singers, if you can!!

Remarkable freshness of voice and joy of singing, the great Gigli give a lesson in sweet tenor singing in this beautiful aria from Elisir d'amore!!

You're good if you can name the mezzo singing the great aria from Verdi's Don Carlo, O don fatale! She is featured on many live performance recordings, but recorded very little commercially. BTW, although there is no audience, this is from a live performance done in a radio studio.

Carlo Bergonzi, well known for his great taste among Italian tenors, throws all caution to the wind, and delivers a Pazzo son that even outdoes Gigli and Tucker when it comes to sobbing, and emphasizing certain words for effect. It's great, and I love it!!!!

It doesn't get much better than this, ever in recorded history. The combination of Gigli/Rethberg/Pinza is certainly more than Golden Age. It is one of the greatest operatic recordings ever made. Listen to Gigli singing the two  high B naturals along with Rethberg, and both singers holding the notes to make it more exciting. The notes are written for the soprano, but not for the tenor. Caruso also sings these B's on his recording of this trio.

This one's for the ages!!

Ed

Here is the gorgeous trio from Verdi's I Lombardi, taken from a live broadcast of 1//31/43, with Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony, and soloists Vivian della Chiesa, Jan Peerce, and Nicola Moscona.

Name this tenor singing the cabaletta, O mio rimorso, from Verdi's La Traviata!

Here is the complete, uncut "Sleale" scene from Verdi's La Forza del Destino, as sung by those two paragons of Verdi style, tenor Carlo Bergonzi and baritone Piero Cappuccilli. The reason this duet was so often cut is mostly due is it's tremendously difficult tessitura, and dramatic outbursts by the tenor, Alvaro. He has at least 4 or 5 high Bb's, and two high B naturals near the end of the scene. And more A's and Ab's than I can count!! The conductor here is Lamberto Gardelli, who I usually like, but find quite slow in this scene.

From 1953, here is a rare recording of the final trio from Faust sung by a very young Roberta Peters, a very middle aged Jan Peerce, and a very old Ezio Pinza.

This RCA 10" LP release was taken from the soundtrack of the Sol Hurok film biography, "Tonight we sing."

Name the singer of this song. Hint: it's not Ethel Merman. She's a very famous opera singer.

Here is a wonderful rendition of the florid ending of La Sonnambula, complete with an incredible sustained high F. Who is this mystery soprano??

Here is THE great scene from Act 3 of Massenet's Werther, starting with the great tenor aria, Pourquoi me revellier. Both Villazon and Koch give their all in this exciting scene.

The best of Caballe. The lady doesn't believe in breathing it appears. This is being posted thanks to a request just received from the conductor!! A thrilling performance!!

Tenor Rolando Villazon sings an operatic concert in Paris on January 28 of this year. Presented here are four exertps.

1.  La dolcissima- Adriana

2.  L'anima stanca- Adriana

3.  Questa e quella- Rigoletto

4.  Quando le sera- Luisa Milller.

Villazon sounds wonderful in these selections. I am sure you'll enjoy this podcast!

Best wishes,

Ed

Two great duets from the Barcelona performance of Verdi's I Vespri Siciliani, from Barcelona in 1974, with Eve Queler conducting. First Domingo is joined by baritone Franco Bordoni in the exciting first tenor-baritone duet. This is followed by the soprano-tenor duet where Domingo is joined by Caballe.

Josef Schmidt sounds magnificent in this beautiful aria from Korngold's Die Tote Stadt. The recording dates from 1933.

From a recording of Carousel originally issued by RCA in 1955, the ever versatile Robert Merrill sings a glorious rendition of the great Soliloquy. Merrill was a great crossover artist long before there was such a word as crossover!! Great singing by any definition!!

It was my thrill to share the stage with the above named singers. In this scene, I, as Sciarrone, enters to give Scarpia the bad news, and Tucker laughs at me!! And then sings some Bb's that literally made my ears hurt!! What a thrill and how lucky I was to sing in a performance with my idol, Richard Tucker!!!

It was my thrill to share the stage with the above named singers. In this scene, I, as Sciarrone, enters to give Scarpia the bad news, and Tucker laughs at me!! And then sings some Bb's that literally made my ears hurt!! What a thrill and how lucky I was to sing in a performance with my idol, Richard Tucker!!! This performance was given at Hofstra College in Hempstead, NY on December 29, 1971.

The gorgeous voice of living legend Leontyne Price is heard at its pristine best is this rendition of the great aria from the last act of Verdi's Il Trovatore. This performance is from an operatic concert in 1971.

Cornell MacNeil sings the great baritone aria from Verdi's Ernani in a recital in 1975. MacNeil had been stopping the show with this aria since he first sang this opera in the late 50's in Italy, and stole the show from the likes of Price and Corelli at the Met in the 60's! Listen to the absolutely inbelievable ending!!

Cesare Siepi opened a 1975 recital with this piece, which is unfamiliar to me. I no longer have the program, and would appreciate it if somebody can identify this music for me. I believe it is from an early opera. Perhapa Monteverdi?? I really don't know. Please help me identify this selection. Siepi ends this on an incredible low D!!!

Thanks,

Ed

Name the Otello and Iago in this exciting performance of the Si! Pel Ciel duet from Act 2 of Verdi's Otello. Both had great fame in this opera!!

Name the four leading singers in this performance of the Sextet from Lucia. All were very well known, and three of the four had very long careers at the Met and other houses, and were super stars of their time. An unusual recording!!

Well, you asked for it, and here it is!! So what do you think???

Name the two singers in this performance of the Act 1 duet from Puccini's Tosca!

First we have the actual first notes sung in public by Villazon in many months, as he makes his first entrance in Werther on January 5,2008. The usually staid Viennese audience greets him with an ovation before he sings a note! Then we here him singing La Reve from Manon, on January 18, 2008.

Here is Richard Tucker officiating as Cantor for the Ya-aleh from the Kol Nidre service. I think this is incredible singing by any standard. The tremendous runs and leaps, musically, the trills, the tessitura, show why Tucker was such a great and celebrated Cantor.

Here is my tape of that great night in 1968, with Elinor Ross singing a great In questa reggia. She is absolutely thrilling. Tucker joins in at the end, and sings a totally blazing high C. Has to be heard to be believed!!!

Richard Tucker and Antonietta Stella sing excerpts from Meyerbeer's rarely performed opera, L'Africana in this 1972 performance. Tucker starts with a gorgeous "O Paradiso" followed by the rousing cabaletta, "Deh ch'io ritorni," with an incredible interpolated high B natural near the end. He brings down the house twice within 10 minutes. The long duet with Stella finds both singers in thrilling form. The tenor music is particularly high and for the most part, lyrical, with high B naturals and high Bb's aplenty. In the part that begins "O mia Selika," Tucker does some of the most gorgeous lyric singing I have ever heard him do. He was about 60 at the time, but the voic still had it's usual golden sound. He handles the very high tessitura with ease, and his soaring high B near the end is so easily produced, that it's hard to believe it is a B natural! This is lovely music, and makes one wish for a revival of this opera. The role Vasco DaGama would seem like a natural for Marcello Giordani!!

 

Here are two selections from the return recital of tenor Rolando Villazon. He first sings Massenet's "Ouvre tes yeux," followed by Tosti's "Ideale." Rolando's voice sounds as beautiful as ever!

Richard Tucker sang a recital at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in November of 1967 which still stands as the greatest evening of singing I have ever heard from any singer ever. The program is staggering in it's length and difficulty, and I knew I was in the presence of true greatness that night. He began the evening with a long and difficult Mozart concert aria, and ended the evening with Richard Rodgers "You'll never walk alone!"  In between he sang countless difficult arias (how many tenors have ever included the Forza aria in a piano recital!!!) and many Italian songs. Also a few selections from the Yiddish and Hebrew literature, including a long cantorial piece. Neopolitan songs, English songs, and on and on. Every note was perfect, and I want to post the entire concert for you to listen to and marvel at. The selections:

1. Misero, o sogno

2. Invocation of Orfeo- Peri

3. Dilli, non t'amo piu

4. Nina

5. Che fiero costumi

6. Lamento di Federico

7. O tu che in seno

8. Addio alla Madre

9. The Shepard

10. Ura dor

11. Dudele

12. Hebrew Song

13. Cantorial selection

14. The Abbott of Derry

15. The Abbott of Derry (encore)

16. Hanging Hill

17. Do you remember

18. Dicentacella vuie

19. Mamma mia che vo sape

20. Mattinata

21. De miei bollenti spiriti

22. You'll never walk alone

From Buenos Aires in the summer of 1968, here are Cornell MacNeil and Renata Scotto driving the audience to an absolute frenzy with their incredible singing to end Act 3, as I was brought up to learn, of Rigoletto. Their "Si, vendetta" duet is what legends are indeed made of!

The beautiful Cherry Duet from Mascagni's lovely "L'Amico Frirz is performed by a young tenor and soprano. Can you name the voices?

The gorgeous Cherry Duet from Mascagni's lovely "L'Amico Frirz is performed Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello in a concert given early this year. It is beautifully sung by the young soprano and tenor

Listen to the young Renata Scotto and Luciano Pavarotti sing this beautiful duet from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. In 1967, Scotto was a much bigger name than Pavarotti. Their singing is wonderful in this excerpt from an RAI broadcast of October 10, 1967. Francesco Molinari-Pradelli is the conductor.

Zinka Milanov sings two great arias from Verdi's La Forza del Destino. Recorded in her very peak years, the Croatian soprano is simply magnificent in two arias from one of her greatest roles, that of Leonora in Forza.

1. Madre pietosa Vergine

2. Pace mio Dio

The beautiful voice of Zinka Milanov is heard to wonderful effect in a song by Hageman, "Do not go my love." Simply gorgeous!

Young tenor Stephen Costello sings Salut! demeure from Faust, from his very recent recital in London.

From the film "Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick," the gorgeous voice of Robert Merrill is heard singing Still Water. This song is unfamiliar to me, but is very beautiful.

Name the voice of this soprano heard in My Lord and Master, from The King and I, and the entire "bench" scene from Carousel, where she is joined by a mystery baritone!!

A very strange sounding duet, with Vivian della Chiesa and Robert Merrill!! To me, it sounds as if two men are singing!!

Listen to Richard Tucker as Manrico in 1969, at the Blossom May Festival, under the young James Levine. In particular, listen to what Tucker does at the end of the "Ah si, ben mio." Usually this scene is taxing enough, but this ending is spectacular. Tucker is in magnificent voice, in his 57th year. I'm sure you will enjoy this.

Best wishes,

Ed

Dramatic Verdi singing at its finest is featured in this pairing of Maria Callas and baritone Giuseppe Taddei. This is the famous Mexico performance from 1951.

From RAI in 1960, a young Alfredo Kraus is joined by the great Italian baritone, Giuseppe Taddei in an Italian language verson of the beautiful Pearlfishers duet, with the "Italian ending," as recorded by such as Gigli'De Luca. This is lyrical singing at its best!!

Here are the great singers, Renata Tebaldi and Giuseppe Taddei in the Garden Duet from Verdi's La Traviata. The performance is from San Carlo di Napoli and was given on January 17, 1952. Both great Italian singers were young and in their prime. This performance is quite rare and difficult to find. It is a treasure.

Name the voice! The beautiful "Arrigo, a parla ancor" sung in the original French in a remarkable performance!!

Here is the magnificent love duet from Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.Our mystery soprano and Tucker deliver a thrilling and beautifully sung performance of this famous and difficult, capped with a great high C. Tucker, amazingly, was 60 years old at the time of this performance! Simply amazing!!

Here is the magnificent love duet from Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.Cruz-Romo and Tucker deliver a thrilling and beautifully sung performance of this famous and difficult, capped with a great high C. Tucker, amazingly, was 60 years old at the time of this performance! Simply amazing!!

Here is the magnificent love duet from Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. Nilsson and Tucker deliver a thrilling and beautifully sung performance of this famous and difficult duet, capped with a great high C.

Here is the young Sherrill Milnes in 1968 singing Miller's aria and cabaletta from Verdi's Luisa Miller. After this, we hear the final two minutes of Act 1, with Tozzi, Tucker, Caballe, Milnes. Please leave your comments!

 

Best wishes,

Ed

This great performance was given in Caracas in June of 1972. Tucker was 60, and Olivero was two or three years older than that!! They sing with the greatest passion imaginable, as they sound like the young lovers they are in the opera. This is the only time these two greats sang together.

This great performance was given in Caracas in June of 1972. Tucker was 60, and Olivero was two or three years older than that!! They sing with the greatest passion imaginable, as they sound like the young lovers they are in the opera. This is the only time these two greats sang together.

This historic performance was never broadcast. It is a wonderful, stereo house tape that Richard Tucker gave to me the day after he returned from Caracas.