The Talk of the Town
The divine Dame Janet Baker never sang at the Metropolitan, sadly for American audiences.
We had to wait for Marian Anderson to break the color barrier at the Met and many great Black opera singers never had a chance there.
Leyla Gencer had a long European career but never sang at the Met.
A full century after her heyday, Argentine soprano Hina Spani still moves us thanks to her vivid recordings and the savants who have cherished and shared them.
The one who got away was Anna Caterina Antonacci, a thrilling performer.
In the case of Lina Bruna Rasa, the reasons why she never sang at the Met are painfully clear.
For vibrato fanciers, of course, discovering Supervia is like hitting the mother lode.
Yes, the Met had Birgit Nilsson – so they let the volcano that was Gertrude Grob-Prandl‘s voice slip through their fingers.
So much color in this beautifully agile voice.
I like to use this recording to annoy Mariah Carey fans by proving that whistle register doesn’t count.
I’m surprised that American soprano Maria Kanyova has never performed at the Met, even though she has loads of high-profile U.S. opera credits.
The fact that Barbara Hannigan has never performed at The Metropolitan Opera is just plain dumb.
From one Mister Snow to another, I salute him.
I decided I’d take ‘never made it to the Met’ as an excuse to submit a post about why French soprano Denise Duval (1921-2015) is special to me.
The immortal Renata Tebaldi, just about 29 years old as Saint Joan in a RAI broadcast of Giovanna d’Arco from 1951.
I was a huge fan of Anna Netrebko.
The mesmerizing run of Trovatore in October 2015 at the Met, a few months after we learned that Hvorostovsky was dying
Here in Chicago, I’ve had many a shot at listening to Riccardo Muti as a Verdi conductor.
I’ve never been shy about my adoration of Anna Moffo.
My favorite Verdi performance is the iconic 1960 RCA recording of Otello with Jon Vickers in the title role and the Rome Opera Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of the masterly Tullio Serafin.
Tebaldi, at La scala, in one of her nights of glory, where the voice poured out effortlessly, singing with utter conviction, and no soprano ever appealed to God more fervently.
My contribution this month honors the great Sherrill Milnes in his electrifying performance of Iago’s credo (1979, Met).
Much as I love the Abbado Deutsche Grammophon studio set, this 1980 San Francisco Opera live Simon Boccanegra under Lamberto Gardelli has an emotional punch.
Bring on the drama, mama!
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