Meme chanson, meme refrain
La Cieca is indebted to those Wellsungs for this idea:Â what’s your birth opera? Or, in other words, which opera (and cast, if applicable) was the Met performing on the day you were born? (You get this information, of course, from the Met Archives Database.)
Unfortunately, La Cieca, being a Leo, was born outside the regular Met season. So, for the purposes of this meme, she’ll look to the the Salzburg Festival for her birth opera:
Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni: Cesare Siepi; Donna Anna: Elisabeth Grümmer; Don Ottavio: Anton Dermota; Donna Elvira: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf; Leoporello: Otto Edelmann; Il Commendatore: Dezsö Ernster; Masetto: Walter Berry; Zerlina: Erna Berger. Wilhelm Furtwängler; Wiener Philharmoniker.)
 What’s your birth opera?
Rigoletto–Leonard Warren, Bidu Sayao, Jussi Bjorling
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA {416}
Santuzza…………….Mary Curtis-Verna
Turiddu……………..Jussi Björling [Last performance]
Lola………………..Helen Vanni
Alfio……………….Cesare Bardelli
Mamma Lucia………….Thelma Votipka
Conductor……………Dimitri Mitropoulos
PAGLIACCI {453}
Nedda……………….Lucine Amara
Canio……………….Dimiter Uzunov
Tonio……………….Cornell MacNeil
Silvio………………Frank Guarrera
Beppe……………….Charles Anthony
Villager…………….Roland Miles
Villager…………….Carlo Tomanelli
Conductor……………Dimitri Mitropoulos
Woo hoo! Jussi Björling’s last performance at the Met! I win!
Um, Dimiter Uzunov? What the heck?
I was also born on a Saturday and have a double-bill birhday, one of which I had the good fortune of listening to on Sirius last year.
Metropolitan Opera House
December 5, 1964 Matinee Broadcast
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR {329}
Lucia……………….Joan Sutherland
Edgardo……………..Sándor Kónya
Enrico………………Nicolae Herlea
Raimondo…………….Bonaldo Giaiotti
Normanno…………….Robert Nagy
Alisa……………….Carlotta Ordassy
Arturo………………Charles Anthony
Conductor……………Silvio Varviso
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Metropolitan Opera House
December 5, 1964
DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÃœRNBERG {323}
Hans Sachs…………..Otto Edelmann
Eva…………………Ingrid Bjoner
Walther von Stolzing….Arturo Sergi
Magdalene……………Gladys Kriese
David……………….Murray Dickie
Beckmesser…………..Karl Dönch
Pogner………………John Macurdy
Kothner……………..William Walker
Vogelgesang………….Paul Franke
Nachtigall…………..Calvin Marsh
Ortel……………….Robert Patterson
Zorn………………..Andrea Velis
Moser……………….Gabor Carelli
Eisslinger…………..Robert Nagy
Foltz……………….Louis Sgarro
Schwarz……………..Norman Scott
Night Watchman……….Clifford Harvuot
Conductor……………Joseph Rosenstock
Although born on a Thursday (4/2/64), I got a matinee Boheme (student performance):
Mimì………………..Mary Ellen Pracht
Rodolfo……………..Franco Ghitti
Musetta……………..Joy Clements
Marcello…………….Clifford Harvuot
Schaunard……………Russell Christopher
Colline……………..John Macurdy
Benoit………………Gerhard Pechner
Alcindoro……………Mariano Caruso
Parpignol……………Frank D’Elia
Sergeant…………….Lloyd Strang
Officer……………..John Trehy
Conductor……………Kurt Adler
AND Cav/Pag:
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA {439}
Santuzza…………….Mary Curtis-Verna
Turiddu……………..Franco Corelli
Lola………………..Janis Martin
Alfio……………….Cesare Bardelli
Mamma Lucia………….Lili Chookasian
Conductor……………Nello Santi
PAGLIACCI {476}
Nedda……………….Lucine Amara
Canio……………….James McCracken
Tonio……………….Robert Merrill
Silvio………………William Walker
Beppe……………….George Shirley
Villager…………….Joseph Folmer
Villager…………….Lloyd Strang
Conductor……………Nello Santi
HOW FUN!!
I’ve just noticed that Robert Nagy sang on both performances on Dec 5th. I find it exhausting enough to just *see* two operas on a Saturday.
Another Magic Flute baby! Deutekom (a fellow Dutchperson) in the cast and quite a good singer for the second guard!
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE {172}
Pamina………………Pilar Lorengar
Tamino………………George Shirley
Queen of the Night……Cristina Deutekom
Sarastro…………….Bonaldo Giaiotti
Papageno…………….Theodor Uppman
Papagena…………….Patricia Welting
Monostatos…………..Paul Franke
Guard……………….Paul Plishka
Oh what fun!
18 Feb.
TURANDOT
Turandot…………….Birgit Nilsson
Calà f……………….Plácido Domingo
Liù…………………Lucine Amara
Timur……………….Bonaldo Giaiotti
Ping………………..Theodor Uppman
Pang………………..Andrea Velis
Pong………………..Charles Anthony
Emperor Altoum……….Robert Schmorr
Mandarin…………….Robert Goodloe
Prince of Persia……..Edilio Ferraro
Servant……………..William Breedlove
Servant……………..Lawrence Eddington
Servant……………..Harry Jones
Executioner………….Hubert Farrington
Executioner………….Donald Mahler
Executioner………….Phillip Rice
Conductor……………Kurt Adler
Being at the end of April, the only performance listed was a Met tour in Cleveland that night. It’s Aida with the following…
Aida………………..Gilda Cruz-Romo
Radamès……………..James McCracken
Amneris……………..Mignon Dunn
Amonasro…………….Cornell MacNeil
Ramfis………………Jerome Hines
Conductor…………James Levine
Also an August birthday–August 13, 1962. From the Salzburg archives:
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)
IPHIGÉNIE IN AULIS
Opera in three acts
Libretto by Le Blanc du Roullet
German version for the stage based on the score by Gluck from 1775 by Paul Friedrich and Günther Rennert
New production
Karl Böhm, Conductor
Günther Rennert, Stage director
Caspar Neher, Stage sets
Caspar Neher, Costumes
Erich Walter, Choreography
Elisabeth Steiner, Artemis
Walter Berry, Agamemnon
Inge Borkh, Klytämnestra
Christa Ludwig, Iphigénie
James King, Achilles
Otto Edelmann, Kalchas
Alois Pernerstorfer, Arkas
Robert Granzer, Hauptmann
Marlee Jo Sabo, Erste Griechin
Lorine Buffington, Zweite Griechin
Karin Küster, Dritte Griechin
Ballett der Wiener Volksoper
Kammerchor der Salzburger Festspiele
Chor der Wiener Staatsoper
Vienna Philharmonic
Looks like Rysanek was at the old house
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA {89}
Giuseppe Verdi–Antonio Somma
Amelia………………Leonie Rysanek
Riccardo…………….Richard Tucker
Renato………………Vladimir Ruzdak
Ulrica………………Mignon Dunn
Oscar……………….Jeanette Scovotti
Samuel………………Bonaldo Giaiotti
Tom…………………John Macurdy
Silvano……………..Roald Reitan
Judge……………….Andrea Velis
Servant……………..Robert Nagy
Dance……………….William Burdick
Dance……………….Patricia Heyes
Dance……………….Ron Sequoio