Volume I
Volume II
Volume III
Volume IV
Volume V
Volume VII
Volume VIII
Volume IX
Volume X
Volume XI
Volume XII
Volume XIII
Volume XIV
Volume XV
Volume XVI

01 ADRIANA

Magda Olivero proves her everlasting vocal ability by going, not to the stage of La Scala but the offices of the house and recording the entire role of Adriana, albeit with piano. I include here the final pages of the opera with tenor Alberto Cupido, baritone Orazio Mori and Carmelina Gandolfo at the piano. Olivero is 84 years old.

02 AIDA

This performance of "Ritorna vincitor!" can serve as Exhibit A for proving that Verdi should not be sung in English. The soprano's last name is Clarke. Nuff said.

03 AIDA

Grace Bumbry and Grace Bumbry perform the Amneris/Aida duet.

04 BARBIERE

From a cartoon: "Dentist of Seville - Live From The Nest".

05 BARBIERE

Robert Merrill and Ed Wynn have fun on a 1950 Christmas Eve broadcast of "The Big Show".

06 BARBIERE

A sort of rock version of the Largo performed by (tenor?) Pierre Simons.

07 BARBIERE

This is an excerpt from "Una voce poco fa" sung by Luciana Serraa during a recital. I include this because of her amazing agility at singing leaps of sixths near the end of this clip. It's a single measure worth hearing

08 CARMEN

The quintet sung in Chinese.

09 CARMEN

Why singers attempt to sing with Music Minus One is beyond explanation. A soprano whoe last name is Soare attempts the Seguidilla.

10 CARMEN

Spike Jones' slapstick version of the Bizet opera.

11 CHENIER

Placido Domingo, now starting to sing all things operatic, performs "Nemico della patria" at a 2007 New Orleans gala. He transposes UP a half step.

12 FAUST

Tenor Rudolf Schock sings "Avant de quitte ces lieux" auf Deutsch.

13 FAVORITA

Ruby Hinds displays subtle chest voice in this cabaletta after "O mio Ferrando."

14 FILLE

From a Vienna performance of April Fool's Day, 2007. Montserrat Caballe, age 73, portrays the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Normally a non-singing role, she interpolated "G'SchŠtzli", one of her familiar encores. She even made a joke about her longstanding reputation for canceling.

15 FORZA

Giovanni Martinelli, born in 1885 and Giuseppe DeLuca, born in 1876 perform "Solenne in quest ora" at some sort of Italian benefit concert. Oh, by the way, this took place in 1950; do the math.

16 GEORGIA BROWN

The factory whistle you hear at the beginning of this is Georgia Brown.

CD 2:

01 GIOCONDA

October 13, 1982 was a date of notable infamy in New York. The scheduled cast for this Gioconda included Eva Marton, Mignon Dunn, Placido Domingo and Matteo Manuguerra with Giuseppe Patane in the pit. Unfortunately, Domingo, as often happened in 1982, cancelled after the first Act and was replaced by Carlo Bini with no previous rehearsals. Below is Act II, starting from Enzo's aria to the end of the act.

01 Cielo e mar!

Bini receives much applause and much booing. When the audience ceases to state their displeasure, a man yells "Bravo Ponchielli!"

02 Ma chi vien? Non e uno spettro...

At 1:57, their is laughter heard from the audience: the not-very-tall Signor Bini had embraced the very-tall Mme. Dunn from behind, placing his hands, let's just say, far above her waist. She then re-positioned his hands in a more acceptable location, i.e. her waist.

Maestro Patane halts the performance and says to the audience something like "This is not a cabaret! If you have no respect for the artists, then please respect Ponchielli!" After a false start, the maestro continues the opera.

03 Laggiu nelle nebbie remote
04 Ho il cor gonfio di lagrime
05 E un anatema!

06 Laura, Laura! dove sei?

When it came time for Enzo's re-entrance it was discovered that Bini had locked himself in his dressing room. Charlie Riecker, an artistic "mediator", was summoned backstage to convince Bini to come out and finish the opera.

He finally entered albeit 13 silent seconds late, singing without the orchestra. Then Marton sings her next line, apparently thinking Patane had started again. A man in the audience yells something ("angoscia"?) and the performance continues once again.

Bini has become rather frightened. At 3:00, the audience laughs again after seeing Marton prevent Bini from leaving the stage altogether.

Patane, claiming palpitations, threw in the towel after Act IV and Eugene Kohn replaced him for the final act.

07 LUCIA

It seems that Cheryl Studer attempted to sing every soprano role known to man. Here is an excerpt from the Mad Scene.

08 PAGLIACCI

Baritone Lawrence Tibbett sings "Vesti la giubba" (transposed down a whole step). If only he had one more note...

09 PIRATES

(Mr.) Davinia Pons sings "Poor Wandering One".

10 RHEINGOLD

A multi-ranged singer (see track 18), whose last name is Hofer, interprets Erda.

11 RIGOLETTO

Luciano Pavarotti, Leon Nucci, Cheryl Studer and James Levine recorded Rigoletto for DG. But did Ms. Studer pull a fast one on them? This is a very unique recording of "Caro nome". Something tells me she insisted on recording the aria last as she must have known of her inability to properly vocalize it, thereby forcing the powers that be to issue the recording, instead of finding someone else.

12 RIGOLETTO

The Pondman Family - five adult children, pupils of their father - give us "La donna e mobile", (sung by Walther) and then the quartet (joined by Lonne, Liza and Alain).

13 SU LE LABBRA

Bubbles Silverman (Beverly Sills) chirps the ditty.

14 TROVATORE

Kitty Carlisle (Hart) sings Leonora in this "Miserere" from the Marx Brothers movie "A Night at the Opera". She even does the interpolated high C.

15 TURANDOT

A wet noodle version of "Nessun dorma" sung by Helmut Damien Leith.

16 WALKÜRE/TANNHÄUSER

Pola Negri sings Ho-jo-to-ho in the movie "Hi Diddle Diddle". Then she joins a baritenor in the theme from the overture to Tannhäuser. Some dogs don't appreciate it.

17 WALKÜRE

A galaxy of talent sufficient to cast an Arena di Verona production of Sondheim's Follies assembles in the following recording. It's the "Ride of the Valkyries" as sung on February 13, 2003 at a gala performance in Tokyo. Wotan's daughters, in order of appearance: Alessandra Marc (Gerhilde), Eva Marton (Helmwige), Karan Armstrong (Waltraute), Agnes Baltsa (Schwertleite), Anna Tomowa-Sintow (Ortlinde), Gwyneth Jones (doubling Siegrune and Rossweisse) ... and Jochen Kowalski (Grimgerde).

18 ZAUBERFLÖTE

Remember Frau Hofer? Well, here she gives us what has to be the most pedantic and lububrious final two pages of the Queen of the Night's first aria.