2 New Websites I designed

I recently designed 2 new websites on health matters nothing to do with Opera.

Acne Health - http://www.zendurl.com/skincare

Get A Better Sleep At Night - http://a-better-sleep.com

I hope you find these sites helpful.

Rigoletto scene and partial duet

What a voice Aldo Protti as Rigoletto and Gabriella Tucci as Gilda (Live 1961)

Beniamino Gigli, tenor

Beniamino Gigli was born in Recanati near Ancona, the son of a shoe-maker and an opera buff.

In 1914, Gigli won first prize in an international singing competition in Parma. Gigli made many important debuts, in quick succession and always in Mefistofele: Teatro Massimo di Palermo (March 31, 1915), Teatro San Carlo di Napoli (December 26, 1915), Teatro Costanzi di Roma (December 26, 1916), La Scala (November 19, 1918), and finally the Metropolitan (November 26, 1920). Other roles Gigli became particularly associated with included Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème and the title role in Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier, both of which he would later record in full.

Gigli rose to prominence after the death of Italian tenor Enrico Caruso in 1921. Gigli left the Met in 1932, ostensibly after refusing to take a pay cut. Giulio Gatti-Casazza, the Met's GM at the time, was furious at his company's most popular singer; he spread numerous lies to the press, e.g., that Gigli was the only singer not to accept the pay cut. Furthermore, Gatti was careful to hide Gigli's couteroffer to the press. In it, Gigli offered to sing five or six concerts gratis, which in dollars was worth more than Gatti's imposed pay cut!)

Before his retirement in 1955, Gigli undertook an exhausting world tour of Farewell Concerts. Gigli died in Rome in 1957.

See video of Gigli below.

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)

Beniamino Gigli - Ombra mai fu

Pavarotti/Ghiaurov Verdi Requiem solos-1970

A rare excerpt of Pavarotti without the beard and slimmer

Mado Robin sings Bb over high C !!!!

Amazing singing. Couldn't believe the high note at the end. WOW!!!!!!!!

Frances Alda, soprano

Frances Alda (born Fanny Jane Davis) (May 31, 1879? - September 18, 1952) was a New Zealand operatic soprano. Fanny Jane Davis was born in Christchurch in 1879. Alda's maternal grandparents, Martin and Fanny Simonsen, were also singers. Alda's mother died at an early age. Alda's first stage name was "Francie Adler," after her stepfather's surname. At 22, Alda, now renamed "Frances Jean Davies" to hide her Jewish background, set forth for Europe and studied with the famous teacher Mathilde Marchesi, who had taught Nellie Melba and Emma Eames. It was Marchesi who gave Alda her final stage name of Frances Alda. Alda debuted at Covent Garden but Nellie Melba, who tolerated no rivals, said to the management, "It's either Alda or me." However, her performances captured the attention of Arturo Toscanini and Giulio Gatti-Casazza of La Scala, two of the most powerful figures in world opera, and she sang at La Scala for three seasons from 1906-1908.

Alda eventually married Giulio Gatti-Casazza, and followed him when he became general manager of the Metropolitan Opera. The feisty Alda claimed to have "a temper as red as her hair," and anecdotes of her fill many an opera book. Alda remarried in 1941 to Ray vir Den, and remained happily married to him until her death.

Alda's voice was a very beautiful one, with a fast but unintruding vibrato, and like all of Marchesi's students her singing had polish, and a wonderful trill.

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)

A recording of Frances Alda singing from "La Boheme". Link

Thanks to Bassocantante.com for the recording.

Giovanni Martinelli, tenor

Giovanni Martinelli was born in Montangana, Italy in 1885. He was the son of a cabinet maker. He studied the clarinet and joined the regimental band during his national service. His voice was discovered by the band director and told him to start studying the voice.

His opera debut was in 1910 in Verdi's "Ernani". During this period he was heard by Toscanini and offered Giovanni to sing in Puccini's opera "La fanciulla del West". He sang in many opera houses throughout the world. At the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, he sang over 900 performances. He also sang at The Royal Opera House in London many times.

In 1967 he gave his final performance at the age of 82, singing the Emperor in "Turandot". He died two years later in 1969. He has became one of the greatest tenors of all time.

Recording of Giovanni Martinelli singing in "Faust". Link


Thank you to "Bassocantante.com" for the recording.