8 Comments

Thank you for this. It opens another window.

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Zeanni fine. But Ileana Cortrubas is also an extraordinary Romanian soprano, on par with Zeani. The Met --did them both in by short-cutting their appearances there. Our loss once again.

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Thank you for sharing your tribute to one of your teachers.

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Mar 27, 2023Liked by Opera Daily

I was so excited to learn about another outstanding soprano who excelled in the bel canto repertoire. I took my time listening to your first five selections and scoured YouTube and the internet for additional information about Virginia Zeani's long, remarkable life. She followed her early passion for opera to the right mentors and performed some of opera's most challenging roles at the world's great opera houses - Teatro Liceu in Barcelona, La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden in London and The Met in New York. How lucky for you that she and her husband then moved to Bloomington to teach for decades at Indiana University. What a beautiful way to pay it forward. You have clearly taken cues from your instructor and are doing the same. Congratulations. By the way, my favorite recordings today were “O rendetemi la speme... Qui la voce... Vien, diletto” from: Bellini's "I Puritani" (https://youtu.be/VdOvAmc044Q) and Handel's "Se Pieta" from "Giulio Cesare" (https://youtu.be/RZfoAT9_UPA). There is more to explore.

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Mar 27, 2023Liked by Opera Daily

To be able to sing that aria must be heavenly. I used to think that art was the talent I coveted. Now I realize it was always music - especially singing.

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Mar 28, 2023Liked by Opera Daily

The beauty of Virginia Zeani's voice on these two recordings made me cry Maria Callas tears: "Chi il bel Sogno (Doretta's Dream)" from "La Rondine" (Giacomo Puccini, https://youtu.be/J9ZqnRZfPmk) and "Depuis le Jour" from "Louise" (Gustave Charpentier, https://youtu.be/fYqCP5o8Cg0). Of course, there is much to feel sad about these days, so I was already on the verge.

I admit I also have a hangover from "Blue" last Thursday. My sister thought it was great. Me? I'm just not ready for an opera about a police shooting of a young black man, the only son of a police officer. In addition to a message that was as heavy and painful as today's tragic reality, I thought the opera's libretto and staging were contrived, and the music unpretty. Contemporary opera, as with contemporary art, often leaves me looking back to the foundations rather than the future. I will continue to be open-minded.

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