The Operatic PastCast

On August 8, 1964, Virginia Zeani made her role debut in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice.  Throughout this episode the listener will hear excerpts from an in-house recording of the performance, the recordist of which is restless at times.  She talks about the reining in vocal passion, her first Pinkerton, Angelo Mori, her encounter with the head of La Scala, Antonio Ghiringhelli, her Decca recording of Puccini arias yet missing opportunities to make other LPs and being content with her life.  First, she talks about favorite moments from the Madama Butterfly (Part 2 of 2).

In this episode,  Alfred Hubay recounts his memories and impressions as an usher during his ninth season, 1951-1952, with the Metropolitan Opera.  Among the subjects he covers are the outrageous Musetta of Ljuba Welitsch, the Metropolitan Opera farewell of Kirsten Flagstad, the Gianni Schicchi of Salvatore Baccaloni, the debut of Thomas Hayward and the voice of Nell Rankin (Part 3 of 4).

In February of 1963, the accompanist of Kirsten Flagstad, Ivor Newton, gave a tribute of memories of the great soprano for the BBC.  The listener will hear selections from Die Walker, Tristan und Isolde, and music of Grieg and  Purcell.

In Vienna on June 12, 1960, noted collector Roger Gross personally recorded an interview with American soprano Teresa Stich-Randall.  She talks about her studies, singing Nanetta with Toscanini, her Fulbright-sponsored trip to Europe and subsequently being heard in Salzburg and signing a contract with The Vienna State Opera debuting as Pamina.  She talks at length about her experiences at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, acting vs. singing and her concert career.  I have inserted excerpts from Falstaff, Die Zauberflöte and Don Giovanni.

In this episode,  Alfred Hubay recounts his memories and impressions as an usher during his ninth season, 1951-1952, with the Metropolitan Opera.  Among the subjects he covers arenew productions of Cosi fan tutte, and Carmen and Elektra with Elisabeth Höngen and Astrid Varnay (Part 2 of 4).

In the early 1990s, the BBC produced a series of two programs called “Mining the Archives”.  One of the subjects was the British soprano Maggie Teyte.  This episode begins with an important year of Maggie Teyte’s career, that of 1937.  In an excerpt from an interview with Marilyn Stewart, she talks about her encounter with Thomas Edison, what she learned from listening to her own voice through the limited ability of the gramophone, the spelling of her last name, various songs in French songs by such composers as Paladin and Hahn, accompanied by Freddeerick Stone in a 1950 broadcast (Part 2 of 3),

One of the great series of intermission featurees from the past was Biographies in Music presented by Francis Robinson.  In this episode, Mr. Robinson interviews a pupil of Emma Calve, actress and singer Peggy Wood.  She gives vivid and colorful accounts of how she and Mme. Calve met, her lessons (not only in singing but acting), her sense of fashion both on and offstage, her portrayal of Carmen, her personality and quoting reminiscences of Colette about Calve.  The listener will also hear Calve speaking in a recording made just two days before her passing (Part 2 of 2).

In this episode,  Alfred Hubay recounts his memories and impressions as an usher during his ninth season, 1951-1952, with the Metropolitan Opera.  Among the subjects he covers are the opening night Aida, the debuts of George London, Nell Rankin, Hilde Güden and a new production of Rigoletto.

Eleven years after the death of Maria Callas, the noted authority on Callas, John Ardoin, wrote a lengthy audio documentary entitled "Callas: In Her Own Words".  There is narration and excerpts of her singing, but it also included recordings of her speaking about her life, her art and and her beliefs. This final episode begins with the beginning of the end of Callas’ swinging career, recitals with Giuseppe di stefano, heard here in the duet from Cavalleria rusticate.  In Japan, after her very final appearance as a singer, her personal began to crumble.  Aristotle Onassis died, di Stefano was no longer in her life, a life that became lonely, alone.  There are reminiscences by her sister Jacqueline, Montserrat Caballe, Rudolf Bing, Franco Zeffirelli and Tito Gobbi.  The episode ends with the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor (Part 6 of 6).

An internet definition of the word “standee” does not mention one word about the likes of David Hausman and Cathryn and Bill Seco. This strata of an opera audience contains the most vociferous adulators of the opera world. David Hausman has been heard from already in this podcast (Episode #015) but this is the first appearance of Cathryn and Bill Seco. The couple met on the standing room line and have been attending opera ever since. All three describe their first operatic experiences and the singers they followed.

Soon after the death of Maria Callas, the BBC produced a lengthy radio  documentary entitle "The Words The Music: Maria Callas".  There is narration and excerpts of her singing, but it also included recordings of her speaking about her life, her art and and her beliefs. Family, money and scandal.  All three are rearing their conspicuous heads in the life of Maria Callas.   This episodes begins with a focus on  her portrayal as Norma with an exceptional performance of Casta diva.  There are many excerpts of he diva speaking on many things such as fees, the estrangement from her mother and an excerpt from a candid interview with her father.  The listener will also hear of the Met Lucia broadcast, excerpts of an interview with Walter Legge, the love duet from Un ball in maschera with Giuseppe di Stefano, the duet from Anna Bolena with Giulietta Simionato, and then the infamous Rome walkout after the first act of Norma (Part 3 of 6).

Alfred Hubay speaks of his memories while an usher for the Metropolitan Opera during the 1948-1949 season.  They include the opening night telecast of Otello, a revival of L'amore dei tre re, the debut of Frank Guarrera and the sunsets of the careers of Lawrence Tibbett and Edward Johnson (Part 1 of 2).

In opera, the great artists have several things in common - deep  commitment, clear definition of character, vocal command, etc.  But it is that intangible and somewhat inexplicable something that sets them apart from the mere greats.  In her second episode, Here, Olivia Stapp tries to express what that is.  She also talks about a physical strength that comes during a performance, such as singing Minnie in La fanciulla del West and how she began to discover that she was a soprano, just by learning how to sing one note, as Giovanna Seymour in Anna Bolena with Beverly Sills.  This episode begins with her talking about her formative period, singing small roles as a mezzo soprano with the Berlin Opera.  In those yearsShe also heard two very different but equally great sopranos, Elisabeth Grummer and Martha Mödl.

Two roles that soprano Elisabeth Carron is noted for are Anna Maurrant in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene and Birdie in Marc Blitsztein’s Regina. Ms. Carron was convinced to be a cover for the role of Anna Maurrant in Street Scene, but because of her vocal and dramatic abilities, she was put into the production, singing all the performances. She then speaks of working with the director of Regina, Herman Shumlin and an Atlanta production that failed to convince New York City Opera’s director, Beverly Sills, to mount a revival with the company.

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