Oberon's Glade

Tag: Monte Carlo

  • Gianni Maffeo

    Gianni maffeo

    After all these decades of listening to opera, I can still find voices that thrill me. How did I manage to overlook the Italian baritone Gianni Maffeo all these years? I came upon him quite by chance on YouTube recently.

    Born in Vigevano, Italy, in 1939 (or possibly in 1936), Maffeo performed in opera houses throughout Italy, as well internationally in Moscow, Munich, Monte Carlo, Nice, Avignon, Bordeaux, and Paris, among others.

    Maffeo sang Schaunard in a 1972 production of La Bohème with Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo and Mirella Freni as Mimi, and the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan’s baton. The performance was recorded and released by Decca Records; Karajan also chose Maffeo for a 1965 film production of La Bohème, directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

    Gianni Maffeo was 82 years old when he passed away on January 3, 2022.

    You can listen to this wonderful singer in various excerpts: 

    ~ Pagliacci Prologo here.

    ~ Scenes from Fanciulla del West and Andrea Chenier (with Edy Amadeo) here.

    ~ Andrea Chenier aria (twice!) here.

    ~ Forza del Destino aria here.

    ~ Duets with tenor Angelo Mori from Forza del Destino here and here.

    Enjoy!

  • Cura ~ Stutzmann ~ TANNHÄUSER

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    Above: José Cura, Nathalie Stutzmann

    A production of TANNHÄUSER, sung in French, from Monte Carlo, 2017. José Cura sings the title-role and Nathalie Stutzmann conducts.

    Watch and listen here.

    CAST:  Tannhäuser: José Cura; Wolfram: Jean-François Lapointe; Walther: William Joyner; Elisabeth: Annemarie Kremer; Venus: Aude Extremo; Landgraf Hermann: Steven Humes; Biterolf: Roger Joakim; Henry: Gijs van der Linden;  Reinmar: Chul-Jun Kim;  Un Pâtre: Anaïs Constans.

  • Gianni Raimondi

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    Above: Gianni Raimondi as Rodolfo in LA BOHEME

    Tenor Gianni Raimondi was born at Bologna in 1923. He made his operatic debut in 1947 as the Duke in RIGOLETTO and was soon singing in opera houses throughout Italy. His career expanded to Nice, Marseille, Monte Carlo, Paris, London…

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    …and La Scala, where, in 1956, Mr. Raimondi made his debut in Luchino Visconti now-legendary production of LA TRAVIATA starring Maria Callas.

    Bolena - callas - raimondi

    Callas and Raimondi (above) reunited the following year as Anna and Percy in Donizetti’s ANNA BOLENA. 1957 also marked the tenor’s debut at Vienna, where he was to appear regularly for twenty seasons.

    In 1963, the Vienna State Opera’s production of LA BOHEME, under the direction of Herbert von Karajan, was filmed for posterity; Mirella Freni and Gianni Raimondi appeared as Mimi and Rodolfo. The performance is available on DVD.

    Having debuted at San Francisco (1957) and the Teatro Colon (1959), Mr. Raimondi made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Rodolfo in BOHEME in 1965, opposite Ms. Freni. 

    Freni Raimondi

    Above: Freni and Raimondi in BOHEME

    BOHEME was the only opera I saw Raimondi in at The Met. The performance was in September 1968, and his Mimi was Teresa Stratas;  they were among the most moving of all the many interpreters of these roles I have seen thru the decades. My diary says the tenor was “…terrific…great upper range…beautiful portrayal…” 

    Mr. Raimondi remained at the Met until 1969; his other roles there were Pinkerton, Donizetti’s Edgardo, Faust, the Duke of Mantua, and Mario Cavaradossi. In 1968, the tenor joined Regine Crespin and Gabriel Bacquier in a thrilling broadcast performance of TOSCA, with Zubin Mehta conducting.

    In the 1970s, Raimondi took on the spinto tenor roles in NORMA, I MASNADIERI, I VESPRI SIVILIANI, and SIMON BOCCANEGRA.

    Following his retirement from the stage, the tenor lived in his villa by the sea at Riccione. He passed away in 2008.

    Here is a collection of arias sung by Gianni Raimondi…some of these take a few seconds to start:

    Gianni Raimondi – FAUST aria

    Gianni Raimondi – GIOCONDA aria

    Gianni Raimondi – Recondita armonia ~ TOSCA

    Gianni Raimondi ~ Nessun dorma – TURANDOT

    ~  Oberon