Jerry Hadley (above), Judith Christin, and Alan Titus in a scene from Act III of Puccini’s MADAMA BUTTERFLY. The performance, by the New York City Opera, was televised in 1982 and is conducted by Christopher Keene.
Watch and listen here.
Tag: Jerry Hadley
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Jerry Hadley & Judith Haddon ~ BUTTERFLY Duet
Watch a video clip of Jerry Hadley and Judith Haddon singing the love duet from a 1982 New York City Opera performance of Puccini’s MADAMA BUTTERFLY here.
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Mara Zampieri as Maria Stuarda
Mara Zampieri in the final scene of Donizetti’s MARIA STUARDA. Jerry Hadley sings the Earl of Leicester.
(It takes a couple moments for the music to start):
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Jerry Hadley
Above, an all-star quartet: Thomas Hampson, James Morris, Samuel Ramey, and Jerry Hadley
Back in 1980, at the New York City Opera, a young tenor singing the role of Gastone in TRAVIATA made me prick up my ears with his brief lines. It was Jerry Hadley. He is one of a four singers who captivated me initially in a small role and went on to a major career; the others were Samuel Ramey (1st Nazarene in SALOME), Kathleen Battle (Shepherd in TANNHAUSER), and Lisette Oropesa (Cretan Woman in IDOMENEO). They all became great favorites of mine.
Hadley had a generous lyric tenor with an Italianate sense of warmth and passion. The voice was clear and ardent, and he looked good onstage. He sang quite a lot at New York City Opera – where I saw him as Alfred in FLEDERMAUS, as Faust, and Nadir in PECHEURS DES PERLES. I also was present when he sang the title-role in Mozart’s IDOMENEO (Strauss version) at the Mostly Mozart Festival.
In 1987, Hadley made his Met debut as des Grieux in MANON and sang 125 performances there – in roles as diverse as Donizetti’s Edgardo, Mozart’s Ferrando and Don Ottavio, and Stravinsky’s Tom Rakewell. I saw him at The Met as Alfredo in TRAVIATA, Tamino in ZAUBERFLOETE, and Lensky in EUGENE ONEGIN. His final Met performances were in the title-role of Harbison’s THE GREAT GATSBY in 2002. He committed suicide in 2007, at the age of 55.
Oberon's Glade 