A rare document: the great Bulgarian soprano Raina Kabaivanska singing Turandot’s “In questa reggia” at a concert given at Viareggio in 1978. As far as I know, she never performed the entire role during her long career (though she was an admirable Liu), nor can I find any mention of her singing Turandot’s narrative/aria anywhere else.
Watch and listen here.
An audio-only recording of a performance of BOHEME given at Macerata in 1977 with Raina Kabaivanska (Mimi), José Carreras (Rodolfo), Elvida Ferracuti (Musetta). Rolando Panerai (Marcello), and Carlo Cava (Colline). Ferruccio Scaglia conducts.
Listen here.
The sound of planes passing over is an occasional distraction.
Raina Kabaivanska sings Tosca in the second act of Puccini’s masterpiece from a performance at the Teatro Comunale di Adria in 1987.
Watch and listen here.
CAST:
Floria Tosca – Raina Kabaivanska
Mario Cavaradossi – Gianfranco Cecchele
Baron Scarpia – Silvano Carroli
Cesare Angelotti – Giovanni Antonini
Spoletta – Giancarlo Turati
Sciarrone – Manrico Canovi
Conductor: Massimo de Bernart
Raina Kabaivanska and Carlo Bergonzi sing the final duet from Umberto Giordano’s ANDREA CHENIER at a 1970 Munich Gala.
Listen to them here – accompanied by some fanciful artwork – and enjoy the audience’s enthusiastic response at the end.
In June of 1970, I had the pleasure of seeing Raina Kabaivanska’s only Met performance as Maddalena de Coigny. Sublime!
~ Oberon
Above: soprano Raina Kabaivanska
Teatro All Scala gave a two-week season at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC in September 1976, a highlight of the Center’s Bicentennial Celebration. The performances marked La Scala’s first appearance in the United States with an exclusive engagement at the Opera House. The repertory: Verdi’s Macbeth, starring mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett, La Bohème, La Cenerentola, and Simon Boccanegra.
By chance, I happened to catch a broadcast of the Boccanegra and recorded a bit of it, despite some radio interference from a late summer storm. Raina Kabaivanska sang Amelia, Piero Cappuccilli was Simon Boccanegra, and Claudio Abbado conducted.
Here is the beautiful ‘recognition’ duet, where Simon is re-united with his long-lost daughter:
BOCCANEGRA duet – Kabaivanska & Cappuccilli – Scala at Washington DC – 1976
Oberon's Glade 