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Cher Public

  • Batty Masetto: Thank you, Camille. I believe Petaluma’s quasi-native son served as the inspiration for a... 3:44 PM
  • marshiemarkII: Best wishes for Monsieur Camille also for a pain-free recovery as much as possible, from La Otra,... 3:13 PM
  • marshiemarkII: CammiB! you mean “fiends̶ 1; like La Duquesa Rodolfina de Jackson Heights? :-) As... 3:02 PM
  • Camille: WKCR is just now beginning to play a 1938 Tristan und Isolde with Flagstad from the Met, my Monsieur has... 3:02 PM
  • Camille: Here is a sample of the coffee and service available at the Rumpus Room, Batty, for your delectation!... 2:57 PM
  • grimoaldo: Unusual version of Senta’s ballad from a 1973 BBC TV studio production, in English, with Dame... 2:50 PM
  • Camille: Lots of friends turn out actually to be fiends, œdipe. Ask the sphinx. 2:49 PM
  • Batty Masetto: Well, what ya gonna do about a guy who actually comes up with the idea of composing music for the... 2:44 PM

Dead heat

Now the deadline has passed for the Immolation Quiz, La Cieca is happy if a bit puzzled to announce that the result is a tie: two of the cher public were able to identify 23 of the 25 voices in the quiz correctly.   Read more »

Constellation

Here, for the first time in 40 years, the CBS telecast of the April 21-22 gala honoring the retirement of Sir Rudolf Bing. Read more »

Il sacro fuoco

Here’s recent Met debutante Liudmyla Monastyrska in that ultimate “furibonda” role, Abigaille in Nabucco, which she’s currently performing at the Royal Opera. Read more »

melba

Raspberry sauce

According to a fan site, Dame Kiri te Kanawa is not just playing any old diva on next season’s Downton Abbey, but Dame Nellie Melba herself!

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gruberova

Strange music

Sempiternal soprano Edita Gruberova celebrates her “45th stage anniversary” tomorrow, Monday February 18 with a performance of Alaide in Bellini’s La Straniera live from the Vienna Musikverein.

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toti_magda

I can name that diva in six notes

In this clip from an Italian quiz show of the 1950s, Toti dal Monte requires not even a whole phrase to identify the unique voice of Magda Olivero.

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woolfe_opolais

Chiedi all’aura lusinghiera

La Rondine, which began as a light Viennese operetta before being transformed into an Italian tearjerker, is not a natural diva vehicle…

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otter_amazon

An embarrassment of divas

As if last week’s survey wasn’t enough, a few more recent diva-recital disks remain worthy of attention particularly since they arrive from five front-rank singers.

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