Some of you may have heard this clip, but it is so bizarre I  felt COMPELLED to upload it as a single podcast clip. I was  seated in the New York State Theatre at the debut of soprano  Ashley Putnam as Violetta, when, as you will hear, just before  tenor Henry Price was about to sing his act two aria, some insane  lady (as we later learned) let out a bloodcurdling Elektra geschrei   and ran out of the theatre.         The man next to me exclaimed, "Oh my Goddd!" as you   will hear. To this day, we never learned what motivated this   nutcase...but at least we have a "treasured memory" that will   endure forever.         I used to play this clip for my schoolkids and they demanded  I play it over and over..some of them would even run up to  the CD player to hear the scream loud in their little ears.         So..you thought opera people (beside me,of course)  were NORMAL?????

   The first podcast dedicated to the art of the legendary    Maria Callas. Selections include scenes from:

      Aida, Tosca, Norma, Nabucco, Aroldo, Armida,      Gianni Schicchi, Abduction from the Seraglio,       Andrea Chenier, Lucia, Tristan und Isolde, Gioconda,        Vespri Siciliani, plus the Proch Variations and Callas"          Farewell to her Julliard Students

(73 min.)

Highlights from a marvelous 1968 performance of Verdi's"Luisa Miller," featuring Richard Tucker, Montserrat Caballe,Sherrill Milnes, Giorgio Tozzi, and Ezio Flagello, conducted byThomas Schippers.

                            (60 minutes)

A Compilation of famous tenors of the "Golden Eras" in opera:

Pertile,Martinelli, Gigli, Bjoerling, Schipa, Thill, Slezak,Devries, Bonci, Tauber, Zanelli, Patzak, Sobinov,Smirnov, Tamagno, Clement.

                            (67 minutes)

 Scenes from Manon, Il Tabarro, Tales of Hoffman, and Roberto Devereux featuring Beverly Sills and Placido Domingo. 

(63 min.)                                        

More recently, I was captivated by soprano Irina Rindzuner (in photo) as Santuzza in the City Opera Cavalleria. As she began the "Innegiamo" my ears perked up and i said to myself.."Mamma mia!!!" (Go to her Fanciullas at Da Capo in April.).

Can you recall your first impression of some of the great voices and give us some details? Also, can you recall the exact opposite (i.e. a voice you adored on recordings and in person with which you were much less impressed (Jan Peerce for me.)

Best Charlie

My tribute to Aprile Millo, one of the finest (and nicest) artists I havehad the pleasure of hearing. I present her in scenes from:

Trovatore, Fanciulla, Rusalka, Andrea Chenier, Luisa Miller,La Gioconda, Adriana Lecouvreur,Tosca, and I Lombardi.     Also joining Mme.Millo in these scenes are Dolora Zajick,     Marcello Giordani, Vladimir Atlantov, Taro Ichihara,and     Vladimir Chernov.

                                   (67 minutes)

  A memorial tribute to the late Giuseppe Di Stefano ("Pippo") .

       The opera world mourns his passing and we present him in scenes from live performances of:

 La Favorita, Faust, Andrea Chenier, Turandot, Iris, Pearl Fishers, Ballo in Maschera (w.Maria Callas), La Boheme,Tosca, Werther, Manon, Mignon, and two Italian songs.

(72 min.)

A  comparison of Kunst(art) and Stimme (voice) sopranos.Included are the following divas:

Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Joan Sutherland, Martha Moedl,Kirsten Flagstad, Leonie Rysanek, Nina Stemme, Marilyn Horne,Conchita Supervia, Elena Suliotis, Maria Caniglia, Zinka Milanov,Edita Gruberova.

                                       (74 minutes)

Scenes from some of the great Rossini works as presentedon his birthday (Feb.29, born in 1792). Operas include:

Barbiere di Siviglia, Cenerentola, Viaggio a Rheims,William Tell, L'Italiana in Algeri, SemiramideL'Assedio di Corinto, and Armida. Featured artists are:

Marilyn Horne, Conchita Supervia, Vesselina Kasarova,Ewa Podles, Montserrat Caballe, Beverly Sills,Nicolai Gedda, Marcello Giordani, Fernando di Lucia,Norman Mittleman, Juan Diego Florez, Maria Callas, and Ruggero Raimondi.

                                  (73 minutes)