'gilda'

i didn't find leonard warren's cry of 'gilda,' when he finds out that roberta peters has been kidnapped, but i did find one, when his daughter from 14 years before, bidu sayao, was

jussi bjorling...was sayao's...amoroso

how would you like to see that...triangle...in action

bjorling & de los angeles, in love -- in puccini love

maybe the best boheme...on record

then, from act 3

their butterfly...together

the swedish-italian connection; rigoletto comes to cleveland

yesterday (or was it the day before), i heard this incredible rendition of 'o soave fanciulla'...by jussi bjorling and renata tebaldi

all right -- i don't like the word 'incredible'...so much -- it was, certainly,...gorgeous -- amazing -- spine-tingling -- profound -- well,...you fill in...your own....

well, that combination...of a swede and an italian...connected, nicely, with my recent meeting of marco stella, the product of another...swedish-italian...duo -- marco's father is italian; his mother is swedish -- macro lives in gothenborg (pronounced 'yot'ti'bori' -- i think i got that right) -- and he's a very good guy

marco's in cleveland, to play rigoletto, on june 15, in a production by our local...opera circle -- in a return of opera to downtown cleveland -- playhouse square

i met marco, wednesday, after he performed with dorota sobieska, with her husband, jacek (yat'sek) on piano -- in a preview concert

i only caught part...of gilda's death scene...of the concert -- i'd come from the much-more-important concert of my nephew's fifth-grade...orchestra/band/chorus -- he plays the flute (like me, when i was a couple of years older than him)

speaking of...me -- my...musical...involvements -- i tried out for rigoletto's chorus -- joined in...two rehearsals -- couldn't cut it -- can't read the stitches on the fastball, couldn't hit the curve -- why, i couldn't even tell the difference between a fastball and a breaking pitch -- didn't know the count -- my batting stance...was a mess -- swinging...at all kinds of pitches -- fishing.... -- it was fun...fishing, though -- i'll keep on fishing

i might still get...to walk on stage

someone who will definitely be on the stage...is christina carr, as maddalena -- i met christina, a couple of months ago, at the wagner symposium, in walsh college

i just told marco about the great bjorling-tebaldi duet, and asked him if there's anything special -- in opera -- in history -- culturally -- between italy and sweden

'no,' he said, 'i think i'm writing that chapter'

i told him i was going to write this, and he...very helpfully...suggested a link...to a sample of his singing -- why didn't i think of that -- where does he get off,...telling me...how to do my job,...what to do

here goes

by the way, marco...loves his uncle bob

well,...here's another swedish-italian...coupling -- bjorling and pavarotti -- also from 'la boheme'

where do they get off...doing that duet

look what love can do...to you: lacrime

leading off, enrico caruso -- what a great lead-off hitter

batting second, beniamino gigli -- look out, though,...he's got a gentle touch -- he can lay one down

batting third, jussi bjorling -- maybe he should be batting cleanup, but...i'm kind of batting them, by age

cleaning up, our female...member -- our token female -- nana mouskouri -- hey, we need a woman, don't we, to clean up

batting fifth, mario lanza -- man, i'd like to have him...on my team -- he was...batting third, but then i saw...gigli...at the other end of the dugout

in fact,...there's lanza again, stealing second -- stealing the scene

next up, fritz wunderlich -- our switch-hitter, swinging...with a german bat

batting seventh, luciano -- he's touchin' all the bases

next up, domingo -- remember, he pronounces his name...plathido (as in throw)

and batting ninth, josep carreras

wow -- what a lineup -- how'd you like to have those guys...in the bottom of your order

on the bench, we've got some youngins -- all,...from the latin leagues

the king of the high seas...can hit 'em out of the park -- and here,...he sails around the bases...twice -- a rare feat, especially nowadays

rolando's also going around the bases twice -- what's going on here

and look -- one of our regulars, doing double-duty, waving ramon vargas in from third

here's marcelo alvarez, back when he was with an argentinian minor-league team -- no hesitation step...from the kid

good guys...to have on the bench

and we're back to the top of the order

moffo, merrill, candid camera, burl ives, bjorling

in her last interview, moffo talks about her relationship with robert merrill

moffo and merrill -- 'ditte alla giovine'

then there's this great appearance by merrill,...on 'candid camera'

here, she sings 'chacun le sait, chacun le dit,' from "la fille du regiment,'...on burl ives's tv show (1964); then, with ives, 'turn around' ('where are you going, my little one')

finally, merrill -- very funny -- talking about jussi bjorling, and a recording of the quartet

for more quartet -- quartets -- including one...with bjorling

quartet-mania

i just saw the movie 'quartet' again -- even better, second time around -- really moving (like opera -- like...good opera) -- brought tears to my eyes, many times -- although, i've been a bit teary-eyed, of late

so, i'm on another...quartet-high -- and...i'm going to share....

so, get ready...to be deluged...by quartets -- quartets...to the...quadruple power

i can't help it -- there are...so many...incredible renditions

something else...about this -- i know of no other scene...in the history of literature (and not only...musical theater), as beautifully set,...set up,...developed, as exquisitely choreographed...as this -- dramatically speaking -- and, when well acted, well sung, it's...incomparable -- the height of...everything

well, if any one...knows of another scene -- whether by the bard, the blind bard, aristophanes, anybody...that matches this -- comes close -- i'd love to hear about it (see it, read it, imbibe it) -- a few years ago, i was...kicked in the gut...truly wrenched, inside,...by a scene or two (or more) in oedipus -- but,...hard to imagine...a scene...being set -- played out -- with character-development,...characters' motivations, depth of feeling...to match this one

so, here goes -- feast your eyes, your ears...your soul

first -- and you could, just as well, stop right here -- the legendary pairing of pavarotti and dame sutherland -- one for the ages, this performance -- and, of course, one mustn't forget isola jones and leo nucci -- how could one

here, luciano...takes it from the top, in this great film version -- with edita gruberova as gilda, ingvar wixell as rigoletto, victoria vergara as maddelena, and ferruccio furlanetto as sparafucile

here's an exquisitely rendered -- not to mention, elegant -- quartet,...from 'classic' american television -- with cesare valetti, blanche theborn, roberta peters & cesare siepi -- those were the days

another, with dame sutherland -- and nicolai gedda, mildred miller & tito gobbi -- all of whom act beautifully and sing exquisitely -- and versa vice

another great...pavarotti quartet -- with renata scotto, bianca bortoluzzi & kostas paskalis

jussi bjorling, anna roto, roberta peters & robert merrill

one, starring the great mexican tenor ramon vargas, with elina granaca, anna netrebko & ludovic tezier

another, anchored the splendid argentinian...marcelo alvarez -- with judith howarth, denyce graves & bryn terfel

i just came across another tour de force by alvarez -- here, with cecilia bartoli, mariella devia & leo nucci

maria callas -- with giuseppe di stefano, adriana lazzarini & tito gobbi

a recent one, with juan diego florez, christa mayer, diana damrau & zeljko lucic -- with an interesting...dramatic twist

i just came across this collection of superstars -- pavarotti, june anderson, florence quivar & sherrill milnes

finally, a couple...from the record books -- literally -- from the records -- and, even, before...records

caruso, from 1907, with bessie abott, louise homer & antonio scotti

caruso, from 1917, with flora perini, amelita galli-curci, giuseppe de luca -- read about the picture

finally, john mccormack & lucrezia bori, from 1914

in the comments (posted on youtube, under this video), there's a lovely story...about mccormack and caruso...in an elevator -- mccormack greets caruso: 'and how is the world's greatest tenor today?,' to which caruso replies, 'and since when, john, did you become a baritone/'

i could go on and on (and i already have -- and i will,...anon -- i just came across a domingo duke (and others), and i'll look for a better quartet con 'la bellissima' -- but i have to stop, for now) -- you may (go on and on) -- and...share

all of this...led me to wonder, if there's a collection of the quartets -- if it's possible, to make a record -- cd -- of just the quartets -- i did a quick search on amazon -- didn't find anything -- i wonder, of course, if copyrights...would prevent... -- something...to think about