01 AIDA

Alfredo Kraus developed his career in a backwards sort of way. Here he is singing, of all things, "Celeste Aida" from Aida during a December 10, 1954 concert, two years before his 1956 operatic debut as the Duke of Mantua in Cairo.

02 ANTIGONO

A trapeze aria if there ever was one: Michael Spyres sings "Tu m'involasti un region" from Mazzoni's Antigono.

03 AULD LANG SYNE

Here's your chance to sing along with Alexander Kipnis, Anna Case, Anna Moffo, Anselmo Colzani, Arturo Sergi, Bidu Sayao, Birgit Nilsson, Biserka Cvejic, Blanche Thebom, Carlotta Ordassy, Cesare Siepi, Charles Anthony, Charles Kuhlmann, Clifford Harvuot, Delia Rigal, Donald Mahler, Dorothy Kirsten, Edith Jerell, Edith Mason, Eleanor Steber, Elisabeth Rethberg, Erich Leinsdorf, Eugene Conley, Fausto Cleva, Fernando Corena, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Franco Corelli, Frank Guarrera, Frederick Jagel, Gabriella Tucci, George Cehanovsky, George Schick, George Shirley, Giorgio Tozzi, Giovanni Martinelli, Giuseppe Bamboschek, Gladys Kriese, Gladys Swarthout, Georges Prêtre, Harry Jones, Helen Jepson, Hertha Glaz, Irra Petina, James McCracken, Jan Peerce, Jean Madeira, Jerome Hines, Joann Grillo, John Alexander, John Brownlee, John Macurdy, Jon Vickers, Joseph Rosenstock, Judith Raskin, Justino Díaz, Karin Branzell, Katherine Dunham, Kurt Adler, Kurt Baum, Leontyne Price, Leopold Stokowski, Licia Albanese, Lily Pons, Lotte Lehmann, Marcia Baldwin, Marian Anderson, Mario Chamlee, Mario Sereni, Marjorie Lawrence, Martha Lipton, Mary Curtis-Verna, Mary Ellen Pracht, Max Rudolf, Mignon Dunn, Mildred Miller, Montserrat Caballe, Nannette Guilford, Nathaniel Merrill, Nicolai Gedda, Nina Morgana, Norman Scott, Osie Hawkins, Patrice Munsel, Patricia Heyes, Paul Franke, Raoul Jobin, Regina Resnik, Regine Crespin, Renata Tebaldi, Richard Bonelli, Richard Crooks, Richard Tucker, Rise Stevens, Robert Merrill, Robert O'Hearn, Roberta Peters, Rosalind Elias, Rose Bampton, Ruth Miller, Sandor Kónya, Silvio Varviso, Stella Roman, Teresa Stratas, Thelma Votipka, Theodor Uppman, Vilma Georgiou, William Walker, Zinka Milanov, Zubin Mehta and other 3,000 other wannabes at the Gala Farewell to the Old Met on April 16, 1966.

04 BOHEME

Shame on all of you who said Mario del Monaco never had a high C. The proof is his performance of "Che gelid manna from om Naples on January 6, 1950. And he even sits on it for a while.

05 BOHEME

From the same Naples performance of Boheme, Mario del Monaco shows how the end of the opera should be done (and you don't even need video to realize why). He was joined by Gino Bechi as Marcello, Lidia Melisci as Musetta, Lorenzo Neroni as Colline, Saturno Meletti as Schaunard and the exquisite dead Mimi of Elena Rizzieri.

06 CARMEN

Here is the father/daughter act of Beniamino Gigli and Rina Gigli. Unfortunately, she never made it because she couldn't it-through-most-doors make. This is an Italian language performance from a studio recording made in 1949.

07 CARMEN

Giulietta Simionato and Mario del Monaco "realmente prenderlo su" in this Tokyo Italian language performance of the finale of Carmen on February 19, 1959.

08 CAVALLERIA

Apparently inspired by Carmela Ponselle, Jacqueline Callas sings "Voi lo spate" from Cavalleria rusticate. Her approach to a high note at 2:50 during this 1957 recital says it all. The pianist's name is not known.

09 CAVALLERIA

With the coglioni of 10,000 elephants, Eileen Farrell emits a "bada!" to end all badas. Her Turiddu during this April 11, 1964 broadcast is Richard Tucker.

10 CAVALLERIA

The artists from the La Puma Opera Workshop demonstrate their aptitude in these highlights from Cavalleria rusticana.

11 ELEKTRA

What a difference 2 minutes can make. Here's why some music is always cut from 99% of live performances of Elektra. Regina Resnik and Birgit Nilsson battle it out during this studio recording conducted by Georg Solti. The cut begins at 2:00 and ends at 4:08.

12 ENTFÜHRUNG

Margherita Perras interpolates a high C at the end of her recording of "Martern aller arten" from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Why not.

13 FEDORA

A rather too-late performance of Fedora with Mario del Monaco in Adria on August 8, 1974.

14 FORZA

Beniamino Gigli interpolates a high C at the end of the first scene of La forza del destino during this 1951 Rio de Janeiro performance with Elisabetta Barbado and Giuseppe Modesti.

15 FORZA

Two blazing high Abs are hurled at this March 1953 New Orleans audience by Mario del Monaco at the end of "Invano Alvaro" from La forza del destino.

16 INTERVIEW

Jussi Björling discusses his not-to-happen future with Alan Wagner during this 1958 radio interview.

17 HEEBIE-JEEBIE BLUES

The Boswell Sisters demonstrate the now-dead art of close harmony singing during this television appearance. From the youtube description: "Boswell sisters were natural beauties, modest make-up, thick hair, stress-free faces, relaxed disposition, 'n natural talent, raw gift.. those were d times..wholesome entertainment..hi-tech electronic gadgets were unheard of..we must preserve this kind of classic, captivating entertainment. Perfect job,!"

18 LOHENGRIN

Leonie Rysanek emits a glottal stop to end all glottal stops during this December 28, 1985 performance of "Entweihte Götter" from Lohengrin.

19 LUCIA

Here is the Act II finale from Lucia di Lammermoor as "performed" by the La Puma "Opera" Woirkshop.

20 LUCIA

Here is the Scena di pazzo from Lucia di Lammermoor as "performed" by the La Puma "Opera" Woirkshop.

21 LUCIA

Patrice Munsel, as Nellie Melba, sings the MadScene (the Reader's Digest edition) from Lucia di Lammermoorin the 1953 movie "Melba".

22 MASSACHUSETTS

Here's where Ernst Toch got his inspiration to write the Geographical Fugue: Yasha Bunchuk and his Cossack Choir sing "Massachusetts" during this television appearance.

CD 2:

01 MOON MEDLEY

Beverly Sills and Jerry Orbach croon about moons for the NBC TV broadcast of the landing on the moon in July 1969. It is unclear whether their segment actually aired or is only archival. Maybe the video will turn up someday...

02 NEBBIE

Jacqueline Callas intones "Nebbie" by Respighi during this 1957 recital.

03 OTELLO

This replacement needed to be replaced by another replacement. Falk Struckmann as Iago and Avgust Amonov are heard in this excerpt from an Otello broadcast of October 16, 2012. Amonov was replacing Johan Botta after the latter suffered allergies during his first performance.

04 PAGLIACCI

During a 1954 Cairo concert, Alfredo Kraus sings "Un tal gioco" from Pagliacci, a role that he thankfully never sang.

05 PECHEURS

Billed as Nikolai Gedda, he sings the aria "Je crois entendre encore" from Les Pecheure des Perles accompanied by a Balalaika orchestra called the Andreyex Russian Folk Orchestra. From a live concert, it's so wrong, it's right.

06 PURITANI

Alfredo Kraus and Maria Luisa Cioni sing the second verse of "A te, o cara" from I puritani during this Genova performance of May 27, 1971.

07 PURITANI

Alfredo Kraus and Maria Luisa Cioni sing the duet "Vieni fra queste braccia" from I puritan during this Genova performance of May 27, 1971.

08 PURITANI

Alfredo Kraus and Maria Luisa Cioni sing the duet "Credeasi misera" from I puritani during this Genova performance of May 27, 1971.

09 ROSENKAVALIER

Oopsey. Apparently when they set out to begin recording the final duet in Rosenkavalier, the producers, Elisabeth Schumann and Maria Olszewska forgot to tell Lotte Lehmann to be at the studio to record the two most important words in the opera. So Schumann's Sophie sang it.

10 SONNAMBULA

During "Sempre, felice", Maria Callas ornaments up a storm - from staccato high E natural to low A - during this La Scala La sonnambula performance of March 5, 1955 with her typical spot-on accuracy. Leonard Bernstein is the conductor

11 TOSCA

The artists from the La Puma Opera Workshop demonstrate their aptitude in "Recondita armonia" from this 1970s performance Tosca.

12 TOSCA

The artists from the La Puma Opera Workshop demonstrate their aptitude in the Act I love duet from this 1970s performance Tosca.

13 TOSCA

The artists from the La Puma Opera Workshop demonstrate their aptitude in these Act II excerpts from this 1970s performance Tosca. Ah non posse piu indeed.

14 TOSCA

The artists from the La Puma Opera Workshop demonstrate their aptitude in the Act III finale from this 1970s performance Tosca.

15 TOSCA

Adriana Guerrini's "La!" is worth the price of purchase in this 1951 studio recording of Tosca conducted by Francesco Molinari-Pradelli with Gianni Poggi as the dead Cavarodossi. She holds the final high Bb for all it's worth.

16 TOSCA

Birgit Nilsson gives a couple of good screams in this November 13, 1974 Los Angeles performance of Tosca during the finale of Act III.

17 TRAVIATA

Tequila is joined by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Costello (Aliyn Perez) during this impromptu performance of "Libiamo" from La traviata

18 TROVATORE

Ghena Dimitrova and Franco Bonisolli interpolate high Dbs at the end of the Act I trio from Il trovatore during this 1986 San Francisco performance. Silvano Carroli is the di Luna.

19 TROVATORE

Leonard Warren forgets where he is during Act III of Il trovatore on January 16, 1954.

20 TROVATORE

Pierro Cappuccilli pitches his pitch plea to lower the universal pitch of A to 440 db. He demonstrates by singing with two differently-tuned pianos of "Il balen" from Il trovatore. The first is at modern pitch, the second at ancient pitch, He, along with other singers like Tebaldi, believed that this tiny adjustment made it easier to sing the difficult Verdi lines.

21 TROVATORE

Giacomo Lauri-Volpi takes the obligatory high Cs during "Di quella pira" during this live January 27, 1951 performance of Il trovatore. He gets applause after the first one but boos after the last one...

22 TURANDOT

Chris Merritt has arrived at the point in his career to sing the role of the Emperor Altoum during this July 21, 2012 Orange performance of Turandot. Calaf is sung by Roberto Alagna

23 TURANDOT

The fraud of the century, Jackie Evancho, hoots that famous soprano aria (!) "Nessun dorma" from Turandot. Is she really the age her handlers give? I think not.

24 WALKÜRE

Gladys Kuchta's Sieglinde auto-screeches to a halt during this December 23, 1961 performance of Die Walküre. Her Siegmund is Jon Vickers.

25 WALKÜRE

Leonie Rysanek proves SHE knows how to orgasmically scream correctly during this March 6, 1965 performance of Die Walküre. Her Siegmund is Jon Vickers.

26 WAY OUT THERE

The Sons of the Pioneers, described as cowboy harmonists, sing the tune "Way Out There". Whatever happened to close harmony singing like this...

27 ZAUBERFLÖTE

Edita Gruberova was 25 for this 1971 television performance of "Der hölle Rache" from Die Zauberflöte.

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