Dear Visitors and Users,

Due to disk space cost, please note that all the media files in the archive have been removed and only the titles left. (ed.)

Reflections

• EVA TURNER (b. March 1892 Oldham d. June 1990 London)

• MARIO DEL MONACO (b. July 1915 Firenze d. October 1982 Mestre)
• GIUSEPPE DE LUCA (b. Rome 1876 d. New York 1950)
• EMMY DESTINN (b. Prague 1878 d. Ceske Budejovice 1930) – The girl of the Golden West!
• ETTORE BASTIANINI (b. Siena 1922 d. Sirmione 1967) – A baritone with capital B!
• CASTRATI   WERE THE SUPERSTARS OF CENTURIES GONE BY!
• LINA BRUNA RASA (b. Padova 1907  d. Milano 1984) – A tragic destiny!     
• MADAMA BUTTERFLY – Giacomo Puccini is eternal, Madama Butterfly a Puccinian gem and a 2004 met performance fascinating to listen!

• META SEINEMEYER  (b. Berlin 1895 d. Berlin 1929) – A singer and one of the greatest artistic tragedies of XX century
• MARIA OLSZEWSKA   (b. Ludwigsschwaige 1892  d.  Klagenfurt 1969) – A singer who needed to be 'kept out of mischief'!

• BARRETT O'FARRELL  (b. Dublin  d. London 1902) – The Queen's Tenor!

• COMPOSER FRANZ LEHAR
• GIUSEPPE DI STEFANO (b. near Catania July 1921)
• MARIA CEBOTARI (CIUBOTARU) (b. February 1910 Kishinev d. June 1949 Vienna)
• MARIANA NICOLESCO
• FRANCO CORELLI
• MARIO DI FELICI

Featured bits

Please note that the featured bit links are reserved to donors. Access to the links is one way for us to say thanks to visitors who make a donation. If you wish to make a donation, please go to the registration page. If a donation has already been made, just click the links below and login.

• A soprano aria, two love duets including a mezzosoprano solo and the Liebestod in the finale ultimo of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE by Richard Wagner
• A tenor, two soprano arias, two ensembles and the love duet in the finale ultimo of TURANDOT by Giacomo Puccini
• A tenor, soprano and baritone arias, a duet, the finale primo and ultimo of THE PEARL FISHERS by George Bizet.
• Our Guest of Honour, tenor Salvatore Fisichella, tells his experience under the historic Italian film director Mario Monicelli before and during rehearsal of La Bohème
• Our Guest of Honour, tenor Salvatore Fisichella, writes about Mario Del Monaco competently, elegantly and candidly. He pulls no punches with his thoughts
• Our Guest of Honour, tenor Salvatore Fisichella, provides a historical chronicle and reflects on Bellini

• Tenor, soprano and baritone arias, duets and ensembles of OTELLO (part 2) by  Giuseppe Verdi

• OTELLO by Giuseppe Verdi (Part 1) – Tenor, soprano and baritone arias, duets and ensembles

• LA TRAVIATA  – A tenor aria, duets and the finale ultimo of LA TRAVIATA by Giuseppe Verdi

• CIELO E MAR – The tenor aria from act II of La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli

• IO SO CHE ALLE SUE PENE – The terzetto of Madama Butterfly act III by Giacomo Puccini

• L'ALBA SEPARA DALLA LUCE L'OMBRA  – The song by Francesco Paolo Tosti
• Our Guest of Honour, tenor Salvatore Fisichella, relates a letter from Puccini to Ricordi on La Fanciulla del West.
• Our Guest of Honour, tenor Salvatore Fisichella, confides his initial feelings of strong doubt to sing the demanding role of Arnoldo in Guillaume Tell.
• RIGOLETTO – One soprano, two baritone and three tenor arias, one duet, one trio and one quartet including the finale ultimo of RIGOLETTO by Giuseppe Verdi
• LOHENGRIN – Two ensembles, one chorus and one tenor aria of LOHENGRIN by Richard  Wagner
• Our Guest of Honour, tenor Salvatore Fisichella, reflects on his fascination for Bellini's music since childhood, his intense study and work on the Bellinian operas, culminating in a dream prize, and the last pearl of the chain: Norma

• Our Guest of Honour, tenor Salvatore Fisichella, retraces the origin of Madama Butterfly, its music, its characters, the less amiable Pinkerton, the opera premiere disaster, the reasons for his preferred Milan version and his thoughts on Pinkerton's vocality.

Recalls

• GIACOMO LAURI-VOLPI (b. Lanuvio near Rome 1892  d. Burjasot near Valencia 1979)

• MARK REIZEN (b. Zaitsevo 1895 d. Moscow 1992)
• GIUSEPPE LUGO (b. near Verona 1899 d. Milan 1980)

• DOROTHY MAYNOR (b. Norfolk 1910 d. ? 1996)
• MARIO LANZA  (b. Philadelphia 1921 d. Rome 1959)
• TITO GOBBI  (b. Bassano del Grappa 1913 d. Rome 1984)

• RICHARD CROOKS (b. New Jersey 1900 d. California 1972)

• WALTER WIDDOP [b. Norland (Yorkshire ) 1892 d. Hampstead ( London ) 1949]
• FEDORA BARBIERI (b. Trieste 1920   d. Firenze 2003)
• KENNETH MCKELLAR (b. Paisley 1927  – )
• MIHAELA STANCIU (b. Ramnicu Valcea – )
• LUCIA POPP (b. Bratislava 1939 d. Munich 1993)
• GIOVANNI MARTINELLI (b. Montagnana 1885  d. New York 1969)
• APOLLO GRANFORTE (b. Legnano 1886  d. Milano 1975)
• CLOE ELMO (b. Lecce 1909 d. Ankara 1962)

Opera reviews

Please note that the opera review links are reserved to donors. Access to the links is one way for us to say thanks to visitors who make a donation. If you wish to make a donation, please go to the registration page. If a donation has already been made, just click the links below and login.

• LA BOHÈME – Giacomo Puccini
• IL PIRATA  – Vincenzo Bellini
• MEFISTOFELE – Arrigo Boito
• GUILLAUME TELL – Gioachino Rossini
• LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST – Giacomo Puccini
• NORMA – Vincenzo Bellini
• LA TRAVIATA – Giuseppe Verdi
• SIMON BOCCANEGRA – Giuseppe Verdi  
• MADAMA BUTTERFLY– Giacomo Puccini
• AIDA – Giuseppe Verdi

Office use only

The site's favourite quote

General George Armstrong Custer on the eve of the battle at the Little Bighorn River in Montama (June 1876) cited:

”There is one thing to be said for glory - you can take glory with you, when it is your time to go”

The Panel
s.f. Salvatore Fisichella

y.l.c. Yves Le Coz

m.d.f. Mario Di Felici

l.s. Lynn Samohel

m.m. Michèle Muller

r.s. Roberto Scandurra  

j.f. Joseph Fragala             g.m. Geoff Mallinson            a.t. Andrei Turcu                k.s. Keith Shilcock              d.t. Dragos Tomescu          m.b. Mihai Bogdan