Nadine Sierra sang Mimi’s narrative “Mi chiamano Mimí” from LA BOHEME for the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home Gala on April 25th, 2020. Watch and listen here.
Tag: Opera
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Gianni Raimondi
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…
…and La Scala, where, in 1956, Mr. Raimondi made his debut in Luchino Visconti now-legendary production of LA TRAVIATA starring Maria Callas.
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.
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 – GIOCONDA aria
Gianni Raimondi – Recondita armonia ~ TOSCA
Gianni Raimondi ~ Nessun dorma – TURANDOT
~ Oberon
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Premiere: Levine/Schenk GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG
During these endless days of being at home, I’ve been reading thru my opera diary, a hand-written document I started in 1962 and which now fills numerous file folders. So many wonderful memories of the great performances I saw over the years were stirred up by reading about them.One such exciting night was the 1988 premiere of the Otto Schenk GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, the closing opera of Wagner’s epic RING Cycle. Often referred to affectionately as “the Levine RING”, full cycles of the production in the ensuing seasons created a great international buzz; Wagnerites from all over the globe gathered in New York City to witness this classic staging.
Having already seen the RHEINGOLD, WALKURE and SIEGFRIED, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect; still, when the Gibichung Hall loomed into view, it took my breath away. Levine was mostly magnificent, though there were moments when he let things drag a bit; his orchestra gave it their all, and the chorus sounded sensational as they gathered in lusty expectation of the double wedding.
As to the singers, here’s what I wrote upon returning to my room at the Colonial House after the performance:
“Casting was strong, with pretty singing from the Rhinemaidens – Joyce Guyer (in her Met debut), Diane Kesling, and Meredith Parsons – and Franz Mazura made an astoundingly vivid Alberich, singing with oily malice. The opening scene of Act II, with Alberich pawing at the sleeping Hagen, was very atmospheric.
The Gibichung brother and sister were rather curiously cast: as Gunther, Anthony Raffell’s voice sounded veiled and throaty, and Kathryn Harries’ beautiful (and beautifully acted) Gutrune was undone by effortful singing and a prominent vibrato. [I mentioned that Cornell MacNeil and Lucine Amara could have made for far more interesting casting in these roles!].
The Norn Scene, which I have always loved, benefited from the super casting of Mignon Dunn as 1st Norn, sung with richly doom-ladened tone. Hanna Schwarz (2nd Norn) had a couple of husky moments, but overall sang vividly, with excellent diction. As the 3rd Norn, Marita Napier sometimes sounded a bit insecure, but she did not let down the side. These three really made something of their opening discussion.
Toni Kramer sang erratically but acceptably in the torturous role of Siegfried. He seemed to be husbanding his powers, doing his best singing in Act III.
Above: Christa Ludwig as Waltraute and Hildegard Behrens as Brunnhilde
The divine Christa Ludwig made a thrilling Waltraute, singing with great clarity and verbal point. The distinctive Ludwig tone – that cherished sound – drew the audience in to her every phrase. Add to this the anguished urgency of her delivery, and the result was a veritable triumph.
The Ludwig Waltraute produced one of my all-time favorite curtain calls: stepping before the gold curtain for her first solo bow, she was greeted by such a din of applause and shouting that she halted in her tracks; her eyes opened wide in amazement, and she broke into a huge smile. It seemed to me that she had not expected such an avalanche of affection. She bowed deeply, clearly savoring this outpouring of love from the crowd.
The towering magnificence of Matti Salminen as Hagen (above) produced tremendous excitement in the House. His huge voice was at peak form, effortlessly filling the hall with sinister sound. In the scene where Hagen’s father appears to him in a dream, Salminen and Franz Mazura matched one another in both power and eerily expressive subtlety: thoroughly engrossing. The basso’s portrayal as the drama of Act II unfolded was towering in its epic nastiness and in his manipulation of the situation to attain the character’s sole goal: to regain the ring. This was a performance thrilling to behold, and to hear.
The roar of applause for each of Salminen’s solo bows was thunderous, and I was so excited to be part of it, shouting myself hoarse.
~ Sample the Salminen Hagen, from a later broadcast…it gives me he chills:
Matti Salminen as Hagen – Met 1993
Hildegard Behrens (above) was a Brunnhilde of terrifying intensity and incredible feminine strength. This was an overwhelming interpretation, in which voice and physicality combined to transcend operatic convention, reaching me on the deepest possible level. Behrens lived the part, in no uncertain terms.
The Dawn Duet found Behrens portraying the tamed warrior maid to perfection, savoring her domestic bliss but eager that Siegfried should go out into the world and do great deeds. Her unconventional beauty and her inhabiting of the character were so absorbing to behold. Later, In the scene with Waltraute, Behrens as Brunnhilde listened anxiously to all her sister’s words and she began to grasp the first signs of the downward spiral that would culminate with Siegfried’s betrayal and her own sacrifice. Even so, she dismissed Waltraute with fierce disdain. Behrens’ vivid depiction of Brunnhilde’s terror and helpless dejection as the false Siegfried wrested the ring from her was palpable.
In one of the evening’s most gripping moments, Behrens – having become possessed by Brunnhilde’s plight in Act II – responded to Siegfried’s oath by snatching Hagen’s spear away him and singing her own oath with blistering abandon. Totally immersed in the character, her pain was painful to behold. In the powerful trio that ends Act II, Behrens, Raffell, and Salminen were splendid.
Above: Hildegard Behrens as Brunnhilde ~ Immolation Scene
In the Immolation Scene, the great strength of Brunnhilde’s love for Siegfried, and her determination to perish in the flames of his funeral pyre, marked the culmination of Hildegard Behrens’ sensational performance. Her singing was powerful, with unstinting use of chest voice and flaming top notes; there were moments when expressionistic effects crept in but it all seemed so right. The amazing thing about Behrens’ singing and acting here was that it all seemed spontaneous…she seemed to be living it all in the moment. One cannot ask more of an operatic portrayal.
The curtain calls went on and on, the audience eager to show their appreciation with volleys of bravos as the singers stepped forward time and again. Here we must also thank James Levine, whose grand design underlies the great success to date of the individual operas. Ahead, in the Spring, seeing the full cycle in a week’s time is already on my calendar. My dream will come true!”
~ Oberon
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Jeannette Pilou Has Passed Away
My beloved soprano Jeannette Pilou has passed away at the age of 83. By chance, I was at her last-minute Metropolitan Opera debut as Juliette on October 7, 1967, and it was love at first sight…and first hearing.
I have so many beautiful memories of Mlle. Pilou: not only of her expressive and wonderfully detailed portrayals of such iconic roles as Violetta, Mimi, Mélisande, and Mozart’s Susanna, but also of her great kindness to me as a young and ardent admirer.
In 2007, I wrote a long appreciation of Jeannette Pilou which includes details of her performances as well as many pictures – for she was a great beauty.
Her voice was a masterpiece of pastels, with a vein of stainless steel which allowed her to penetrate the orchestra in the heavier passages of FAUST and MADAMA BUTTTERFLY. She could turn the most familiar phrases in a role into something distinctly personal. Singing Mimi’s narrative in Act I of LA BOHEME, Jeannette sang: “Non vado sempre a messa, ma prego assai al Signor” (“I don’t always go to Mass, but I pray often to the Lord”), putting an emphasis on “assai” that gave the statement a charming tongue-in-cheek feeling. Over time, she developed a lovely gift for threading piani/pianissimi into a vocal line. Mlle. Pilou was a singer who could draw the listener in; this made her Mélisande a particular treasure.
Jeannette was extremely photogenic; I have a whole folder of photos of her. If she were singing today, everyone would want a selfie with her.
She especially loved the above photo that I took of her. After having it developed and blown up, I presented it to her to sign (you can see her exclamations marks), and she asked if I could send her a copy. I did, of course.
Despite my shyness, I managed to have several conversations with Ms. Pilou; her speaking voice was so enchanting, and so very intimate.
Above: Jeannette Pilou as Thaïs
~ Oberon
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Joy Davidson
Mezzo-soprano Joy Davidson was born at Fort Collins, Colorado. She studied voice with Elena Nikolaidi at Florida State University and made her operatic debut at Miami as Rossini’s Cenerentola in 1965.
Ms. Davidson joined the short-lived Metropolitan Opera National Company from 1965-1967 where her roles included Britten’s Lucretia. She won the Sofia International Opera Singers Competition in 1967, and in 1969 made her debut at New York City Opera as Kontchakovna in PRINCE IGOR, a role in which I saw her three times..and met her after one of them:
(Note: NYC Ballet star Edward Villella danced in the PRINCE IGOR production, and Maralin Niska had one of her best roles as Yaroslavna).
In 1969, Joy Davidson made her Santa Fe debut as Jeanne in Penderecki’s DEVILS OF LOUDON (above photo, which she signed for me), the opera’s US premiere performances. In the same year, she made her San Francisco Opera debut as the Secretary in Menotti’s THE COUNSEL, and in 1971 she made her La Scala debut as Dalila.
1971 also brought Joy Davidson back to the New York City Opera to star as Carmen (above) in a new production. In the ensuing seasons, she appeared in Vienna, Munich, Dallas, Barcelona, Turin, Lyon, at the Maggio Musicale and at the Spoleto Festival.
Joining the Metropolitan Opera on tour in 1976, Ms. Davidson sang Adalgisa opposite Shirley Verrett’s Norma in Boston and Cleveland. These were Verrett’s first Normas, and TJ and I traveled from Hartford to Boston for the occasion. Verrett had a great triumph; Ms. Davidson was taxed by some of the high notes in Act I, but fared much better in Act II. In 1978, the Joy Davidson was again cast as Adalgisa, in performances at the Bushnell in Hartford, opposite Cristina Deutekom’s Norma, which I attended. Here, Ms. Davidson enjoyed a thorough success.
There are very few recorded souvenirs of Joy Davidson, unfortunately. Here she is in a German-language DON CARLO from Munich, 1968:
Joy Davidson – O don fatale – DON CARLO – in German – Munich 1968
She sang Jane Seymour in Donizetti’s ANNA BOLENA at Santa Fe in 1970; here is Seymour’s great scene of remorse, with Donald Gramm as Henry VIII.
A rather remarkable document, which took me a great deal of searching to locate and verify, is a complete 1977 telecast of Massenet’s WERTHER from Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid. The mezzo’s name is listed as “Davison”, so this item does not readily appear in searches. Though the visuals are rather dated, it is a very attractive performance, and both Ms. Davidson and Alfredo Kraus give passionate portrayals. Watch it here, it’s really quite wonderful.
~ Oberon
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Arlene Saunders Has Passed Away
Above: Arlene Saunders as Eva in DIE MEISTERSINNGER
It’s so sad to read of the death of soprano Arlene Saunders, who I saw in four different roles over the course of her career. She died on April 17th, 2020, of complications associated with COVID-19.
Just last Summer, I discovered a series of films made in the 1970s by the Hamburg State Opera and truly enjoyed watching Ms. Saunders as the Countess in NOZZE DI FIGARO, Agathe in FREISCHUTZ, and most especially her Eva in DIE MEISTERSINGER. The Hamburg film of the Wagner opera can in fact be watched in its entirety on YouTube here.
It was as Eva that Arlene Saunders sang her only performances with the Metropolitan Opera, in 1976. But I had the good fortune to see her on the Met stage earlier, when the Hamburg company brought Stravinsky’s RAKE’S PROGRESS to Lincoln Center in 1967. She was an ideal Anne Trulove.
In the years to come, I saw Ms. Saunders as the Marschallin (Opera Company of Boston), as Minnie in FANCIULLA DEL WEST (New York City Opera), and as Elsa in LOHENGRIN (at The Bushnell in Hartford). As each of these vastly different characters, she seemed perfect.In 2007, I attended a solo recital attended by a young American tenor; during the interval, a woman came over to speak to the people seated in front of me. I was pretty sure it was Arlene Saunders, and sure enough, the couple greeted her as “Arlene…!” I so wanted to speak to her and thank her for the wonderful performances I’d seen her give, but my innate shyness took over. I always regretted that missed opportunity…now, more than ever.
And here’s Ms. Saunders in music from my favorite opera, ARIADNE AUF NAXOS:
Arlene Saunders – Ariadne Monolog Part II ~ ARIADNE AUF NAXOS – Hamburg 1968
~ Oberon
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Clifford Harvuot
Above, finalists in the Metropolitan Opera’s 1941-42 Auditions of the Air: tenor Elwood Gary, soprano Frances Greer, the Met’s General Manager Edward Johnson, soprano Margaret Harshaw, conductor Wilfred Pellertier, and baritone Clifford Harvuot.
As a winner of the Auditions of the Air, Clifford Harvuot’s first appearance on The Met stage came at a Sunday Night Gala on March 15, 1942. He sang the Prologo from PAGLIACCI. From then until December 21, 1975, the baritone chalked up nearly 1,300 performances with the Company, in New York City and on tour.
Harvuot particularly excelled in two Puccini roles, both of which brought out a feeling of ‘humanity’ in his voice. One was Sonora, the miner in FANCIULLA DEL WEST who is hopelessly in love with Minnie. It is Sonora who, in Act III, persuades the other miners that they must set Minnie’s beloved Dick Johnson free. Clifford Harvuot sing Sonora nearly 30 times at The Met, his Minnies being Leontyne Price, Dorothy Kirsten, and Renata Tebaldi.
He was also a very sympathetic Sharpless in MADAMA BUTTERFLY, appearing in the role with the great Butterflies of the day: Tebaldi, Albanese, Stella, Kirsten, and Tucci.
Helen Vanni – Carlo Bergonzi – Clifford Harvuot – BUTTERFLY trio – Met 1962
Other frequent Harvuot roles:
Angelotti in TOSCA
Schaunard in BOHEME
Alfio in CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Listen to Clifford Harvuot as Silvio in PAGLIACCI with Lucine Amara as Nedda here.
~ Oberon
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Hertha Töpper as Octavian
Above: Hertha Töpper as Octavian in DER ROSENKAVALIER
[Update: Hertha Töpper passed away on March 28th, 2020, at the age of 95]
I’ll never forget listening to Strauss’s DER ROSENKAVALIER for the first time: it was a Saturday matinee broadcast from the Old Met at Christmastime in 1962. I was 14 years old and had been in love with opera for three years.
At that time, the German operas were not easy for me; I had made it thru my first broadcast RING Cycle in 1961 and I seem to recall having been more thrilled by the story than by the music. ROSENKAVALIER, with its long conversational stretches, posed a challenge all its own. But the singing of the three female leads in the opera’s final scene moved me deeply, and when the broadcast ended I sat down and wrote fan letters to all three of them: Hertha Töpper (Octavian), Anneliese Rothenberger (Sophie), and Régine Crespin (the Marschallin). Within days I received replies from all three.
Metropolitan Opera House
December 22, 1962 Matinee/BroadcastDER ROSENKAVALIER
Octavian.....................Hertha Töpper
Princess von Werdenberg......Régine Crespin
Baron Ochs...................Otto Edelmann
Sophie.......................Anneliese Rothenberger
Faninal......................Ralph Herbert
Annina.......................Rosalind Elias
Valzacchi....................Paul Franke
Italian Singer...............Sándor Kónya
Marianne.....................Thelma Votipka
Mahomet......................Marsha Warren
Princess' Major-domo.........Robert Nagy
Orphan.......................Loretta Di Franco
Orphan.......................Nadyne Brewer
Orphan.......................Dina De Salvo
Milliner.....................Lilias Sims
Animal Vendor................Frank D'Elia
Hairdresser..................Harry Jones
Notary.......................Gerhard Pechner
Leopold......................Erbert Aldridge
Lackey.......................Joseph Folmer
Lackey.......................John Trehy
Lackey.......................Lou Marcella
Lackey.......................Edward Ghazal
Faninal's Major-domo.........Andrea Velis
Innkeeper....................Charles Anthony
Police Commissioner..........Norman ScottConductor....................Lorin Maazel
Ms. Töpper sent me the gorgeous photo which appears at the top of this article. Ever since then, this has remained the quintessential image of Octavian for me. As it turned out, Octavian was Töpper’s only Met role, though she had an enormous career in Europe.
Here’s a sampling of the Töpper Octavian, with Erika Köth as Sophie:
Hertha Töpper & Erika Köth – Presentation of the Silver Rose ~ ROSENKAVALIER
Hertha Töpper was born in 1924 and made her operatic debut at Graz as Ulrica in BALLO IN MASCHERA in 1945. By 1951 she was singing at Bayreuth, and had debuted at Munich as Octavian. She went on to sing at all the major opera houses and festivals of Europe; among her most prominent roles were Brangäne, Carmen, Fricka, and Dorabella. She also was a well-loved recitalist and concert singer, specializing in the music of Bach.
A couple of years ago, by chance, I plucked Töpper’s recording of Bartok’s BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE (in German) from the library shelf; it proved to be a revelation, with fantastic singing from both the mezzo and the great Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau, and truly atmospheric conducting by Ferenc Fricsay.
~ Oberon
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Love Duet
On February 3rd, 1962, I tuned in to Texaco Metropolitan Opera Radio Network (as it was then called) and heard Puccini’s MADAMA BUTTERFLY sung live for the first time. Gabriella Tucci, who in my earliest years of opera mania was my favorite soprano, gave a magnificent performance. Carlo Bergonzi stepped in for the indisposed Sandor Konya, and this was a boon for me as Bergonzi was (and remains) my favorite tenor.
And so, the Tucci/Bergonzi rendering of the love duet from that matinee performance is very special to me:
Gabriella Tucci & Carlo Bergonzi – MADAMA BUTTERFLY ~ Love Duet – Met 1962
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Souvenirs from Cardiff ~ Part II
~ Author: Oberon
1989 was a banner year for the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition: the “Battle of the Baritones” put the competition on every opera lover’s map. Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Bryn Terfel vied for the top prize; in the end, Dima was named Singer of the Year and Sir Bryn captured the Lieder Prize. Both men went on to hugely successful international careers.
Of course, at the time, there was no internet to speak of. You could not instantly follow the competition from afar, and even news of it was slow to reach us from the other side of The Pond. But my wonderful friend Mollie Warren diligently taped much of the proceedings directly off the BBC; then she made copies of the cassettes to send to me. So within a couple of weeks, I was listening – in Hartford CT – to the sounds of Mssrs. Hvorostovsky and Terfel: I like to think I was one of the very first people in the Western Hemisphere to hear these voices.
The three other finalists in the 1989 competition were Finnish mezzo-soprano Monica Groop, Swedish soprano Hillevi Martinpelto, and the Australian soprano Helen Adams. I cannot seem to find much information regarding Helen Adams in the years following her appearance at Cardiff; she is heard here in “Depuis le jour” from LOUISE.
Above: Monica Groop
Monica Groop’s extensive international career in opera, concert, and song has included a memorable portrayal of Lucretia in Britten’s RAPE OF LUCRETIA in 2003 at New York City Opera; it marked the only time I saw this wonderful singer live onstage. Her other operatic roles have ranged from Melisande to Zerlina, and she has sung and recorded a great deal of Baroque music – in which she excels – as well as lieder of Schubert and Brahms, and the complete songs of Edvard Grieg.
Some samples of Ms. Groop’s artistry, singing in Italian, French, and German:
Monica Groop – Stà nell’Ircana ~ ALCINA
Monica Groop – D’amour l’ardente flamme ~ DAMNATION DE FAUST
Monica Groop sings Schubert’s Du bist die Ruh
Monica Groop at Cardiff, 1989:
Monica Groop – Cardiff 1989 – CLEMENZA~WERTHER
Hillevi Martinpelto went on from Cardiff to a very successful career, performing and recording with prominent orchestras and conductors.
Here she is singing Weber…
Hillevi Martinpelto – Ocean! Thou mighty monster ~ OBERON
…and in a true rarity:
Hillevi Martinpelto – from Karl-Magnus Fredriksson’s The Disguised God ~ Soprano & Chorus
Here is Hillevi Martinpelto at Cardiff, 1989:
Hillevi Martinpelto – FORZA aria – Cardiff 1989
And finally, the winners:
…Dima…
Dmitri Hvorostovsky – BALLO aria – Cardiff 1989
…and Bryn…my original cassette of Bryn from the competition would not play, but here he is, onstage, singing Schumann…
…and here’s a bit of Wagner, from a commercial recording:
Bryn Terfel – Song to the Evening Star – TANNHAUSER
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 