01 AIDA

Fiorenza Cossotto is very popular. In Japan. She'll perform at the drop of a hat as she does in this November 2007 Tokyo concert performance of the Judgment Scene.

02 BARBIERE

Robert Merrill sings a sortof Happy Birthday to Moe Gale, hi manager on September 12, 1948. It's a combo of the Barber Largo and eventually goes into the Whiffenpoof Song.

03 BARBIERE

An Asian soprano sings something resembling Una voce poco fa. You could probably write a Rossini opera with all her wrong notes. She's in F, by the way and I've only included the B section.

04 EVANGELIA CALLAS

An interview with a composer and the mother of Maria Callas, Evangelia. She claims her daughter to be her creation. She then proceeds to smears her daughter, blaming on her the suicide attempt. The aforementioned composer later recites the lyrics of a song he wrote depicting Mama Callas' sadness at her daughter's fleeing the family. A recording is played of Evangelia singing the song.

05 CARMEN

Leona Anderson croaks the Habanera.

06 CARMEN

From a broadcast starring Rosa Ponselle, this is the finale of the Sequidilla. Why does she sustain the final high B natural? Maybe she wanted to prove she was still a soprano with a great high B.

07 CARMEN

The Carmen in this Act IV final duet is Dragana Jugovic del Monaco, a house soprano in Belgrade and wife of Giancarlo del Monaco (son of Mario). It is said that "she had taken lots of medications on the day of this concert because of some family troubles, but went to sing anyway." The tenor's name is not known.

08 CAROUSEL

Leslie Uggams has a memory lapse while singing "June is bustin' out all over."

09 CHENIER

Ben Heppner and Violeta Urmana in the final pages of the final duet.

10 CHOPIN NOCTURNE

Ornel Smith Lucas sings the familiar Chopin Nocturne in Eb with a rather unintelligible French.

11 DON CARLO

Baritone Placido Domingo sings Roderigo's final two arias in a 1975 recording.

12 ELEKTRA

The final page of "Was bluten muss" as sung by Hildegard Behrens.

13 ERNANI

In this 1949 recording of "Ernani involami,"Mina Foley, not only throws in a high Eb during the cadenza, not only does she throw in a high F at the final cadence, not only does she trill on a high F, she...

14 FAVORITA

Baritenor Sherrill Milnes throws in a high B natural at the close of the cabaletta "Vien amici" during a Favorita broadcast of March 11, 1978. The critics, BTW, didn't approve.

12 FIRST RECORDING

A British radio announcer can't stop laughing after playing for her listeners a newly discovered old, old, old, ol recording.

16 FORZA

A male soprano-wanna-be sings along with a MMO record.

17 GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG

Grace Bumbry, albeit on the happy side of the pitch, soars through Immolation scene of which I offer the finale.

18 HANSEL & GRETEL

One audience member thought it would be OK if he ordered a set change from his seat by bellowing "Whoa! Change the set!" during this December 9, 2007 broadcast.

19 HOFFMAN

On March 4th, 2007. CJ Sokolowski, 12-year-old Baritone and Male Soprano (aka countertenor) sang a semi-staged Doll Song for his voice class recital. His high Ebs are rather amazingly brilliant and he performs some ornaments that are unusual, like dipping down to Eb below middle C as a baritone then skipping up to his money-note, high Eb.

20 LATVIAN TV

Elena Obraztsova "gets down" on a variety show, belting high As in (her version of) chest.

21 LUCIA

The tenor Bulent Bezduz sings Edgardo come scritto in the Act I love duet, beginning a downward scale on a high Eb. Lucia is Laura Aikin and dates from 2006.

22 LUCIA

Renata Scotto in the finale of the Mad Scene, April 21, 1973.

CD 2:

01 MASNADIERI

Lucianna Serra delivers crytal clear coloratur in the bridge - touching a high A natural - and B section of the cabaletta "Carlo vive!".

02 MIGNON

Twelve-year-old Julie Andrews pipes the Polonaise. She sounds mature both in speaking and singing.

03 MUSENSOHN

In the accompaniment of Schubert's lied, "Der Musensohn" the composer depicts a young boy skipping through nature. I have begun with the first few measures as sung by Elisabeth Schumann demonstrating a tempo that is a little slower than normal but normal. The next and complete version is by Jan DeGaetani and Gil Kalish.

04 NAME THAT TUNE

In the Italian version of the television quiz show, "Nominare quell'aria", the young (and unknown?) Giuseppe di Stefano is put through his paces.

05 NORMA

Cecilia Bartoli (!!!!) sings Casta Diva.

06 OTELLO

A rare combination of two of the greatest interpreters of Verdi's Otello singing together in Dallas: Mario del Monaco as Otello and Ramon Vinay as Iago.

07 PAGLIACCI

Mario del Monaco sings the Prologue.

08 PAGLIACCI

An 18-minute redo of "Vesti la giubba", courtesy of Signor Caruso and pianist Alan Feinberg entitled "Any Resemblance is Purely Coincidental". This must be what Caruso's recording of the aria sounds like still ringing in outer space.

09 PETITE MESSE SOLENNELLE

The tenor aria "Cujus animam" sung by soprano Julia Migenes-Johnson.

10 PINAFORE

An excerpt from H.M.S. Pinafore sung in Yiddish.

11 PURITANI

Giovanni Roberti sings the aria with the high F (barely) but does something strange at the end...

12 RIGOLETTO

From an episode of "Amos 'n Andy", the Delta Rhythm Boys sing "The Rigoletto Blues", their version of the quartet.

13 SCHICCHI

Inna Dukach sings "O mio babbion caro" accompanied by The Groove Brothers.

14 SCHICCHI

At a June 25, 1953 Lewisohn Stadium concert, Yma Sumac in her only (?) recording of an opera aria.

12 SKYLARK

Ellen Beach Yaw warbles, trills, tremulates and chirps her way through this lovely ditty in a crecording from 1909. She ends on a high Bb above high C.

16 TITWILLOW

Julius Lieban sing in this recording made ca. 1907.

17 TOSCA

For purposes of teaching the general public about Puccini's Tosca, the NY Philharmonic hired a singer to sing an excerpt with the accompanist explaining the story prior to the "delightful" aria. The only flaw with this performance is that the pianist neglected to flatten the C while playing in the key of G flat major.

18 TRAVIATA

Baritone Craig Smith as Germont interpolates a high Bb at the end of Act II, Scene 1.

19 TROVATORE

Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti join forces for a performance of "Di quella pira".

20 TURANDOT

As Calaf, Deanna Durbin sings "None shall sleep tonight".

21 WALKÜRE

Julie Andrews sings Brünnhile's battlecry.

22 ZAUBERFLÖTE

A (Japanese) parrot demonstrates its coloratura agility.

23 ZAUBERFLÖTE

Adolf, Adalbert and Siegmund Lieban perform the aria "O Isis und Osiris" in a recording from ca. 1907.

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