Tag Archives: Giuseppe Di Stefano
Tenor Legends Celebrated Online in New La Scala Exhibition
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 4th August 2021The La Scala virtual exhibition described below in their announcement of the event is full of interesting material. It’s available with an English translation which has entertainment value of its own. It will only be available for a limited time. It’s a rewarding effort well worth the considerable time it takes to view and listen…
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Giuseppe Di Stefano – 100 Years
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 11th July 2021The third great tenor born in 1921 (July 24) was Giuseppe Di Stefano (1921-2008). Of all the tenors I heard in performance, Di Stefano had the most beautiful voice. He was also able to convey the emotional content of the music he sang with intensity and insight unmatched by any other tenor of his era….
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Giuseppe Di Stefano Video
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 11th November 2019Below is a video made by the late tenor shortly before he was beaten senseless by unknown assailants as he was exiting his car near his home in Kenya. The attack was in 2004; the singer never fully recovered and died in 2008. Di Stefano’s prime coincided almost exactly with that of Maria Callas with…
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More Cahen Opera Photos
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 24th July 2015Last year I published Robert Cahen – A Life in Opera which contained a link to a video that displayed hundreds of pictures by the renowned opera photographer. I’m delighted to present another video of Mr Cahen’s photographs. Here is part 2 of Cahen’s collected photos. They are in MP4 format and can be viewed online…
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Di Stefano Sings Neapolitan Songs
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 9th January 2015The Neapolitan songs that everyone knows are the longest running popular songs in Western music. Tenors appear to sing them more often then other vocal ranges. To bring them off requires a combination of characteristics that are almost never found in one singer. These are: fluency in the beautiful Neapolitan language, perfect diction, beauty of…
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Giuseppe Di Stefano – Candid Photos
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 9th October 2012The photos of Pippo were provided to me by Robert Cahen. The one, just below, with the late tenor and his cigarette holder is priceless. Note the gloves.
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Giuseppe di Stefano sings “Vainement, ma bien-aimée”
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 17th May 2011This recording by the inimitable Giuseppe Di Stefano singing the aubade from Édouard Lalo’s Le roi d’Ys is from a recital in Chicago in 1949. His voice is fresh and rich. He sings the piece in his unique style. Vainement ma bien aimee Below is a video of the tenor singing the same aria 24 years later. His voice at…
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E Lucevan le Stelle
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 3rd July 2010Everybody know this tune and every tenor sings it. Below is the Italian text followed by an English translation. Just in case anyone is new to opera, the aria occurs near the beginning of the third act of Puccini’s Tosca. E lucevan le stelle, ed olezzava la terra stridea l’uscio dell’orto ed un passo sfiorava…
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Giuseppe Di Stefano: The Tenor of the Century – Almost
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 1st June 2010This article was written in 1997 more than a decade before the tenor’s death (Kurtzman NA: The Tenor of the Century – Almost. Lubbock Magazine (October):52-53, 1997). I’ve added a few sound files that I obviously couldn’t have put in the original version. Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these:…
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La vita è inferno all’infelice…O tu che seno agli angeli
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 8th May 2010Verdi’s apotheosis to misery and self pity is one of opera’s greatest arias. The recitative which starts the scena is better than most composers’ best arias. The aria itself is sublime. It requires an extraordinary tenor to bring it off. For no reason other than I like it so much here are three performances of…
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