community theater rigoletto

look what a little...moonlight can do

old friend jason budd...directed this rigoletto, for valley lyric opera, in sharpsville, pennsylvania

leonard warren,...and the curse of 'forze'

i just read that leonard warren, who sang that incredible rigoletto i was listening to, a couple of days ago, died, on stage -- he was 48

as a result -- or, maybe,...from even before -- 'la forze del destino' was considered a cursed opera -- pavarotti wouldn't touch it -- an opera director of 30 years, who provided sets and costumes to houses across italy, wouldn't touch those for 'forze'

la maledizione

'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

leonard warren & roberta peters's rigoletto, 1959

this evening, on sirius radio, they were broadcasting the rigoletto from 1959, starring leonard warren and roberto peters -- fantastic

here are a few clips (just the audio), from that...same...show -- march 28

oops -- can't...include the videos, in this post

then,...the links

his 'pari siamo!'

then, again,...some...i can

figlia! mio padre!... quanto dolor

o veglia, o donna, questo fiore

they just...sing...together

his 'gilda,' after he discovers she's been kidnapped, is...blood-curdling...shiver...inducing -- i haven't found an audio,...on youtube

cortigiani, vil razza dannata

mio padre.. parla... siam soli... tutte le feste... piangi, fanciulla

chi è mai, chi è qui in sua vece? v`hotmail.com ingannato

n.y.c.o. rigoletto: wow!

just finished watching this 1988 'rigoletto'...from new york city opera -- what a trio -- and quartet -- with beverly sills, introducing...and narrating the behind-the-scenes...scenes -- who could ask for anything more

the sparafucile, mark s. doss, we are told by the broadcast announcer, is from cleveland, and the amazing gilda, faith esham, was born in portsmouth, ohio

quanto dolor

for my friend duraid -- and those who have loved him

bastianini-scotto rigoletto duet

another...gilda-rigoletto duet...by renata scotto and ettore bastianini -- this one, from the first act -- just...amazing -- spine-tingling

interview with the cleveland rigoletto & maestro

an interview with our marco stella, the lead of this weekend's 'rigoletto' (he belongs to us now) -- preceded by an interview with the conductor, andrea raffanini

yesterday, we rehearsed in playhouse square's ohio theater, where the opera circle production will take place, saturday evening -- it was a lot of fun -- like seeing the opera, two, three times, in one night -- such...incredibly beautiful music -- and...what gorgeous singing -- the choral pieces, along with...all the rest

in honor of marco stella, here's ettore bastianini, one of marco's favorite baritones -- if not his favorite -- along with renata scotto, in the concluding scene of act two -- the full scene -- with...so much....

i love this scene -- the music, the singing, the...feeling -- feelings -- especially the feelings -- the depth of emotion -- gilda's high notes -- soaring -- flying -- in the sky, above everything -- 'piangi -- piangi -- piangi, funciulla -- fanciulla, piangi' -- love it -- actually,...love...doesn't...say it -- doesn't...say enough -- how deeply...it touches me -- rigoletto's 'non's -- 'mia figlia...mia gilda'

as soon as the pictures arrive in my e-mail (from my phone), i'll put them here

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

la-la...la-la...la-la...la-la...la-la...la-la...la-la

i love this scene -- heart-rending -- love the use of the laugh...as music,...a verdi...specialty

julia novikova

where's she been,...all my life

my excellent canton adventure

i attended the saturday portion of this weekend's wagner symposium -- part of my...opera education -- it was organized by the wagner society of ohio, and was held in walsh university, in north canton

in the afternoon, i was introduced to the singing of jane eaglen -- a revelation

she held a master class, then talked about her career -- the interviewer, wagner society board member steve charitan, did a very nice job of pairing her recordings, and singing, of isolde and norma -- she's an amazing singer, and her rendition of casta diva...is incredible

i've added it to my...collection

one of the pupils in the master class, christina carr, will play maddalena, in opera circle's production of rigoletto, mid-june -- in playhouse square -- i gave her...my two cents' worth...on the quartet -- actually, it's...a couple-millions' worth [may 4: christina carr had said that she wasn't familiar with the part, the scene, and...had just purchased the libretto, during a layover in new york, on her way to cleveland]

in the evening, the canton symphony orchestra performed four wagner pieces and stravinsky's rite of spring

i was really impressed by the orchestra -- amazed to see...some...dozen cellists, and, maybe,...eight bassists -- although i was informed (by two members of the wagner board) that this was necessitated by wagner's music, and that the orchestra brought in musicians from indiana, pittsburgh, and other...points...unknown

the conductor, gerhardt zimmermann, has been there since 1980

hometown girl amy yekel (who was sponsored by the ohio wagner society) sang the liebestod from tristan und isolde and brunnhilde's immolation scene from gotterdammerung

the sublimity -- the sublimeness -- of the liebestod...struck me,...for the first time

in between, the orchestra played ride of the valkyries -- which always brings to mind...my main man bugs bunny's classic 'what's opera, doc?' -- years ago, i played for my nephews and niece, when they were...littler

in looking for the bugsie classic, i saw, to my amazement, that it's been done, on stage -- here are two productions

then, of course, there's robert duvall, who's one of my favorites

before the concert, i found, by chance, in belden village, a really good italian fast-food place -- piada -- part of a chain -- a woman in line told me she'd been to one in columbus -- i'll see about getting one...to these parts

i just looked for them, on-line, and,...lo and behold, there's one on cedar, just west of warrensville -- you'll find me...there

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

il quartetto encore: quattro più...e...una 'tutte le feste'

a domingo duke -- with isola jones, ileana cotrubas & cornell macneil

an anna moffo quartet -- with alfredo kraus, rosalind elias and robert merrill

something else, from the movie 'quartet' -- i noticed, and really enjoyed, the slow...instrumental-only...renditions of the quartet -- beautiful -- and...various parts of the piece too -- works...great -- just...tremendously beautiful music

cruising around on youtube, i came across, from that same '77 met production, ileana cotrubas & cornell macneil's 'tutte le feste al tempio' -- beautiful,...gorgeous,...spell-binding

jose carreras -- apparently, from one of the two times he played the duke...with new york city opera (in 1973) -- with patricia wise, margaret yauger, louis quilico

another pavarotti-sutherland pairing -- this time with huguette tourangeau and sherrill milnes, in the studio, in 1971 -- with sutherland's husband, richard bonynge, conducting

funny -- or, is that...mad

i didn't now this existed -- that there were...enough...madness out there

i came across the album cover, while looking for a picture of sutherland & sherrill milnes (for their duet)

how often does this happen

i hear -- understand -- that it used to happen, all the time -- in 'the old days' -- i wonder when...it started...to wane -- and, then,...stopped

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

father-daughter...tugs at the heart

seeing the met's production of 'rigoletto' (with zeljko lucic & diana damrau -- both, outstanding), i've fallen in love with the father-daughter duets -- not to mention, their solos -- and, of course, the quartet -- i've gone...quartet-crazy, of late

here's one of the duets (tutte la feste al tempio), with anna moffo and robert merrill -- just heart-...rending