Tag Archives: Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 5th January 2019In my post on the 10 Best Sopranos of the 20th Century I failed to include Renata Tebaldi (1922-2004). Inadvertance is the only reason I can offer for her omission. She came to prominence in the years following the second World War. Toscanini hired her to perform in the reopening of La Scala and her…
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Gianni Schicchi
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 16th May 2014The third of Puccini’s three one act operas Gianni Schicchi was immediately recognized as a masterpiece unlike its two sibling which took longer to have their genius acknowledged. The only comparable opera is Verdi’s Falstaff. Schicchi moves like quicksilver through the 50+ minutes it takes to perform. The only pause is for ‘O mio babbino caro’…
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Suor Angelica
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 22nd April 2014The second of the three one act operas first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 1918, Suor Angelica used to be the least performed of the Trittico operas. But it recently has gained in popularity. It now ranks 65 in frequency of performance of operas throughout the world. Like most of Puccini’s less performed operas…
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Il Tabarro
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 23rd March 2014Here is a complete performance recorded more than a half century ago of Puccini’s realistic one act opera Il Tabarro. Robert Merrill heads a cast that could not be matched today. This opera and its two partners will soon be 100 years old. Originally dismissed as a Grand Guignol thriller with little substance. It has gotten…
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