Fedora Barbieriwas one of the most celebrated Italian mezzo-sopranos of the postwar era. In addition to possessing a voice of formidable proportions, given her small stature, she was a consummate...
Read MoreI have heard Cesare Valletti referred to as a tenore leggero, or a light tenor. I disagree with this assessment of him. I would characterize him as a lyric tenor....
Read MoreCossotto was one of the best mezzos of the 20th century. I have given three selections below: two from Verdi, and one from Cilea. This was a great voice, and...
Read MoreKarl Erb was a famous German tenor who really had two careers. In the first career, he was a heldentenor, singing many of the helden parts in Germany. For example,...
Read MoreI knew of Margarete Klose from a famous recording of Tristan und Isolde from the late 1930s. Klose was a very famous mezzo during the 30s and 40s. When I...
Read MoreI am posting a very famous live recording from 1938 of Bruno Walter conducting Mahler's 9th symphony. If you haven't listened to Mahler before, he may take some getting used...
Read MoreI think that I last posted this piece four years ago, with Gilels as the soloist. I am posting it again, this time with George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra...
Read MoreBohnen was a very popular opera singer in Germany and around the world during the twenties. He was also a silent picture and talking picture actor. He has very good...
Read MoreEveryone has an opinion about this tenor. When he was younger, he sang lyric tenor roles. As he got older, however, he took on heavier roles. While he was young...
Read MoreBarbara Bonney had a lovely, light lyric soprano voice. She sang all over the world and worked with very famous conductors and accompaniests. And then, in about 2008, she stopped...
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