Norma: Renata Scotto; Pollione: John Alexander; Adalgisa: Joann Grillo; Oroveso: Mario Rinaudo; Clotilde: Lucia Nemer; Flavio: Frank Munafo. Philadelphia, Academy of Music (Opera Company of Philadelphia) January 10, 1978. Conductor: Conductor: Carl Suppa.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

To celebrate Mme. Flagstad’s birthday, an act from one of her greatest roles in what may be its finest performance ever: the first act of Tristan und Isolde from Covent Garden in the spring of 1937.

Tristan und Isolde, Act I

Tristan: Lauritz Melchior
Isolde: Kirsten Flagstad
Brangäne: Karin Branzell
Kurwenal: Paul Schöffler
Ein Seemann: Parry Jones
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; June 22, 1937. Conductor: Thomas Beecham.

No, not Adelina so much, more like Sandi.

Glory, glory

Here’s the mysterious maestro in one of his rare appearances on the operatic podium, Turandot at the Met, on March 4, 1961.

The Riddle Scene

For you listening enjoyment on this last day of March, we present the next single to drop from the most talked-about operatic disc since Karita Mattila’s!

Creep

Attila (Verdi). Florence, 31 December 1972.

Attila: Nicolai Ghiaurov; Odabella: Leyla Gencer; Foresto: Veriano Luchetti; Ezio: Norman Mittelmann; Uldino: Ottavio Taddei; Leone: Mario Rinaudo. Riccardo Muti, conductor.

Prologue

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Here, for your entertainment and La Cieca’s penance, is the final act of Il trovatore, as performed at the Wiener Staatsoper on May 8, 1977.

Act 4

Leonora: Leontyne Price; Azucena: Christa Ludwig; Manrico: Luciano Pavarotti; Il Conte di Luna: Piero Cappuccilli. Herbert von Karajan, conductor.

At the Wiener Staatsoper?

At a 192 Euro top?

And this is what you get?

“Vieni, t’afretta”

La Cieca thinks there needs to be a word for singing that’s thoroughly crummy but doesn’t rise to the grandeur of filth. “Dust bunny,” perhaps?

Vina Bovy as Antonia
“Elle a fui, la tourterelle”

NEW!
René Maison as Hoffmann

LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN {54}
Offenbach-Barbier/Carré

Metropolitan Opera House
January 23, 1937 Matinee Broadcast

LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN {55}

Hoffmann…………….René Maison
Olympia……………..Vina Bovy
Giulietta……………Vina Bovy
Antonia……………..Vina Bovy
Stella………………Vina Bovy
Lindorf……………..Lawrence Tibbett
Coppélius……………Lawrence Tibbett
Dappertutto………….Lawrence Tibbett
Dr. Miracle………….Lawrence Tibbett
Nicklausse…………..Irra Petina
Andrès………………Angelo Badà
Cochenille…………..Angelo Badà
Pitichinaccio………..Angelo Badà
Frantz………………Angelo Badà
Luther………………Arnold Gabor
Nathanael……………George Rasely
Hermann……………..Wilfred Engelman
Spalanzani…………..Louis D’Angelo
Schlemil…………….Norman Cordon
Crespel……………..Louis D’Angelo
Mother’s Voice……….James Jorden

Conductor……………Maurice Abravanel

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/12/05/wild-beauty/feed/ 26 http://parterre.com/2009/11/19/bella/ http://parterre.com/2009/11/19/bella/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:11:59 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=10248 Colombetta, Colombetta,
Apri l’uscio, non farmi penar
Del balcon solleva il velo
Apri amor se no qui gelo
Colombetta, Colombetta,
Arlecchino gelando si sta.

Colombetta

Also: “S’amavan tanto! Anch’io così vorrei trovare un uomo, e certo l’amerei!”

Fanciulla

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/11/19/bella/feed/ 8 http://parterre.com/2009/10/22/placido-boccanegra/ http://parterre.com/2009/10/22/placido-boccanegra/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:56:00 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/2009/10/22/placido-boccanegra/ Selections from the dress rehearsal, Berlin, October 21, 2009.

Simon Boccanegra – Plácido Domingo
Maria Boccanegra (Amelia) – Anja Harteros
Jacopo Fiesco – Kwangchul Youn
Gabriele Adorno – Fabio Sartori ["Fabelhafte Schneider"]
Conductor – Daniel Barenboim

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/10/22/placido-boccanegra/feed/ 0 http://parterre.com/2009/10/19/transfiguration-2/ http://parterre.com/2009/10/19/transfiguration-2/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:28:44 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=6000

The best way to pay tribute to a legendary Wagner interpreter?  Why, to perform the “Liebestod” as beautifully as Nina Stemme did at the first Birgit Nilsson Prize Award Ceremony just last week.

October 13, 2009

More details about The Birgit Nilsson Prize Award Ceremony 2009 are online.

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/10/19/transfiguration-2/feed/ 99 http://parterre.com/2009/10/16/second-thoughts/ http://parterre.com/2009/10/16/second-thoughts/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:24:26 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=5976 I hate it when this happens.

Rosenkavalier Duet

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/10/16/second-thoughts/feed/ 80 http://parterre.com/2009/10/08/a-tale-of-two-guelfis/ http://parterre.com/2009/10/08/a-tale-of-two-guelfis/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:01:24 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=5785 … and, by the way, an interesting contrast between a “great” conductor of today and a routinier from four decades ago.

Carlo Guelfi (with Gatti) 2009

Giangiacomo Guelfi (with Rescigno) 1969

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/10/08/a-tale-of-two-guelfis/feed/ 47 http://parterre.com/2009/09/15/curious-george/ http://parterre.com/2009/09/15/curious-george/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:17:46 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=5341 A hint of what George Gagnidze’s Scarpia may sound like.

Tre sbirri…

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/09/15/curious-george/feed/ 30 http://parterre.com/2009/09/14/another-point-of-view/ http://parterre.com/2009/09/14/another-point-of-view/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:27:41 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=5311 Simple, if not always grand.

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/09/14/another-point-of-view/feed/ 46 http://parterre.com/2009/09/01/acute-syndrome/ http://parterre.com/2009/09/01/acute-syndrome/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:33:10 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=4841 An old clip, from 2005 in fact, but oddly prescient, perhaps. Who knew that Les vêpres siciliennes could sound so much like Verismo?

Not the Greatest of E’s

(Don’t thank La Cieca; this stunner was sent in by Our Own Kernita Makilla.)

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/09/01/acute-syndrome/feed/ 79 http://parterre.com/2009/08/25/is-renee-renata-reborn/ http://parterre.com/2009/08/25/is-renee-renata-reborn/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:59:12 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=4819 Following the jump, snippets of all the tracks on the new “Verismo” album, as performed by America’s Soprano. 

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/08/25/is-renee-renata-reborn/feed/ 130 http://parterre.com/2009/08/19/the-art-of-the-filthentenor/ http://parterre.com/2009/08/19/the-art-of-the-filthentenor/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:26:14 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=4784

Of course, there were also setbacks along the road to success. During a performance of “La Traviata” in Genoa conducted by Bonynge, the audience roundly booed tenor Lamberto Furlan to the point that the conductor and his wife, who had personally picked Furlan for the role, left the stage and refused to complete the performance.

Hear Mr. Furlan after the jump.

Lamberto Furlan

A preview of sorts of next season’s Met production of Armida. This is Herself, as heard  last week in Prague.

“D’amor al dolce impero”