Opera
and
Opera Discussions
This is a general page where I will post some interesting things related to my opera interests. For more weighty matters on opera, please use the blog.
Metropolitan Opera House
NYC
Franco Corelli as Calaf in Turandot
Franco Corelli as Rhadames in Aida
It is difficult in a a few words to express the immense talent of some individuals in any given art or science. Corelli, IMHO, stood alone and I have added these few LIVE vocal excerpts for you to judge.
Listen and hear the prompter.
Fritz Wunderlich, a great german lyric tenor, who died in a tragic accident before his 36 birthday, is another treat for your ears. Here are two versions of "Dein is mein ganzes herz" with an interpolated D flat at the finale of the second version.
Fritz Wunderlich in Lehar "Das Land des Lachelns"
Here is another voice that has never been duplicated. Again, another tragedy when he fell to his death on the stage of the Metropolitan in 1960 at the age of 48 from a cerebral hemmorage. Just click on the YouTube request. Some of you might notice Jan Peerce, another fine tenor, in the background video. I have no idea where or when this was filmed. Looks like an early TV kinescope
Leonard Warren singing the prologue from Pagliaccio
Warren and Robin Mado from Rigoletto
Listen to the last note from Warren
Paul Muzio, a knowledgeable person about matters operatic, who is currently in charge of the NY City College high performance computing facilities, located in Staten Island, and a good friend, recalls hearing an Aida with Corelli, I believe sometime in the late 1960's where he was close enough to see Franco "prepare" for the diminuendo on the last B flat and crack. Evidently, he took it in stride and went on to deliver a spectacular performance for the remainder of the opera. Paul can comment on this in the blog. So, people made too much of his fear to sing. Or perhaps this was more of the stage animal just plowing on.