The Operatic PastCast

Alfred Hubay, now in his fourteenth season with the Metropolitan Opera, talks about a “hodge-podge” Ring cycle with the debut of Wolfgang Windgassen in Die Walküree, the debut of Martha Mödl in Siegfried, the debuts of Antonietta Stetlla and Carlo Bergonzi in Aida, the debut of Mattiwilda Dobbs in Rigoletto, the return of Les contes d’Hoffmann with George London, Tosca with Giuseppe di Stefano and a return of Samson et Dalilah led by Pierre Monteux with Ramon Vinay and Rise Stevens (Part 3 of 3).

In 1973, BBC Television produced an interview with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe.  She discusses the rigors and responsibilities of a career.  The episode ends with a scene from act 4 of Il trovatore (Part 3 of 3).

In 1973, BBC Television produced an interview with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe.  She discusses the subject of her size in Salome, the danger of weight loss, her New York debut singing Lucrezia Borgia, the art of bel canto, the influence of Maria Callas and delaying the singing of Norma.  Interspersed throughout are arias from Lucrezia Borgia and Norma (Part 2 of 3).

 Alfred Hubay, now in his fourteenth season with the Metropolitan Opera, talks about a new production of Ernani with Mario del Monaco, Leonard Warren, Cesare Siepi and Zinka Milanov, a new production of La traviata directed by Tyrone Guthrie with Renata Tebaldi, Giuseppe Campora and Leonard Warren, a new production of La perichole directed by Cyril Ritchard with Patrice Munsel and Theodor Uppman and a return of Arabella with Lisa della Casa, Hilde Güden and George London (Part 2 of 3).

One of the great series of intermission featurees from the past was Biographies in Music presented by Francis Robinson.   Here is one of those episodes on the subject of Golden Age coloratura soprano Amelita Galli-Curci.  The listener will also hear excerpts from I puritani, Rigoletto, Dinorah, La sonnambula, Don Pasquale, La traviata, Il barbiere di Siviglia and the songs “Home, Sweet Home”, “The Wren” and “When Cloris Sleeps”.

In 2006, WNYC’s David Garland interviewed 94-year-old soprano Marta Eggerth, often called the Callas of operetta.  She speaks of wanting to be “good”, her Hollywood career, the role of Zarevitch and Hanna Glawari, singing live on film, life as a singing couple with her husband, Jan Kiepura, and meeting Bela Bartok (Part 3 of 3).

On February 19, 1965, BBC-TV produced its first in a series of programs in which the performance of music is seen in preparation.  Austrian soprano Irmgard Seefried and pianist Geoffrey Parsons rehearse and discuss two lieder by Schubert and one by Mozart.

During a 1963 interview, 34 year-old Texas bass Elfego Esparza discusses his operatic training and career. He began singing at the age of 17. After being advised to study in Europe, he went to Germany, then returned to the United States to further his training. He has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera Company, and several opera houses throughout Europe.

The 1955-1956 season of the Metropolitan Opera was Alfred Hubay’s thirteenth season as an usher.  Here he talks about the opening night new production of Les contes d’Hoffmann, new productions of Don Pasquale and The Magic Flute and the debut of Thomas Schippers (Part 1 of 3).

In the late 1980s, the late Philadelphia radio host Lucas Ernst conducted an interview with American mezzo-soprano Nell Rankin.  They discus her oratorio career and its discipline, the genres of singing, venturing into the soprano fach, advice to young singers, the importance of the continuation of studying, working with Karin Branzell, the use of chest voice and acting coaches such as Dino Yannopoulos.  The listener will hear her sing“Something Wonderful” from The King and I (Part 2 of 2).

In the late 1980s, the late Philadelphiaradio host Lucas Ernst conducted an interview with American mezzo-soprano Nell Rankin.  They discuss her early studies, her audition for the Zurich Opera at the age of 23, her debuts at the Vienna State Opera, La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera, her career that spanned two eras of conductors, her working with coach and accompanist Conrad von Bose and her duet recitals with her sister Ruth.  The listener will hear an aria from La forza del destino and a song by Brahms, In stiller  Nacht (Part 1 of 2).

Alfred Hubay, in his twelfth season as an usher for the Metropolitan Opera, remembers the debuts of Otto Edelmann, Dmitri Mitropuolos, Christel Goltz, a revised production of Manon with Victoria de los Angeles and Cesare Valletti and the Met premiere of Arabella with Eleanor Steber,George London and Hilde Güden (Part 2 of 2).

On May 22, 1986, the BBC produced an episode in their series called “Singer’s Choice” about German bass-baritone Hans Hotter.  The narrator discusses beginning of his international career in 1947, his Italian repertoire, his beginnings which lead to his debut in Hamburg in 1937, his imposing physicality, his wide range of emotional gifts and his equally accomplished career on the recital stage.  The listener will hear an excerpt from the Brahms Requiem, Pagliacci, Die Walküre, Siegfried, Loewe’s Erlkönig, Schubert’s Im Frühling, an excerpt from Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

In 1962, Dr. Richard Goldstone conducted an interview with orchestral and operatic maestro Josef Krips.  They talk about these different genres, artistic temperament, his training, the post-war revival of music in Vienna and Salzburg, Ljuba Welisch, “stars” in opera, musical criticism, being known as a Beethoven/Mozart conductor and qualities of a conductor.

Alfred Hubay, in his twelth season as an usher for the Metropolitan Opera, remembers the  opening night closed circuit telecast of an “all-star gala”, the debuts of Marian Anderson as Ulrica, Robert McFerrin as Amonasro, Renata Tebaldi as Desdemona, and a new production of Andrea Chenier with Mario del Monaco, Zinka Milanov and Leonard Warren (Part 1 of 2).