01 ADRIANA

Volume XXI of "Shall I Go On?" features many selections from a special concert presented at a nursing home at an undisclosed location somewhere in a borough of New York City. The participants are members of a troupe called the Creative Opera Company, Ltd. Here its founder, Judith Alban-Wilk, sings the aria "Io son l'umile nacelle" from Adriana Lecouvreur".

02 AIDA

Jon Vickers may have had too many cajun delights before this February 24, 1972 New Orleans performance of Aida.

03 BOHEME

The C in Carreras was not perfectly present for Jose during this June 30, 1974 performance of "Che gelid manna" from La bohemia.

04 BUTTERFLY

Eugenio Fernandi gets lost (at 3:10) during the love duet from Madama Buttrfly during this performance of April 16, 1960. His compass-like Butterfly is Dorothy Kirsten.

05 CARMEN (jones)

Judith Alban-Wilk sings "Dat's love" from the film Carmen Jones. She hopes you like it, albeit two beats late on her entrance.

06 CARMEN

From the real Carmen in not-so-real French, Eugene Flam, tenorous member of the Creative Opera Company, Ltd., sings the Flower Song.

07 CARMEN

Giuseppe di Stefano goes ferociously ballistic during this 1955 La Scala performance of the final duet from Carmen. His Carmen is Giulietta Simionato and the conductor is Herbert von Karajan.

08 CAVALLERIA

A police siren is heard when Turiddu is murdered during this studio recording of Cavalleria rusticate. The Santuzza is Margaret Harshaw.

09 CHENIER

Recording producer John Culshaw relays his experience of attending a provincial Italian performance of Andrea Chenier.

10 CHENIER

Carlo Bergonzi baaaaaarely makes it to the climax of "Come un bel di di magi" from Andrea Chenier.

11 DON GIOVANNI

Edward Bruce-Stevenson and Judith Alban-Wilk sing the duet "La ci darem la mano" from Don Giovanni.

12 FAUST

Here's a Reader's Digest version - or should I say Die Digest Version von Leser - of "Salut demeure from Faust - or should I say Margarethe - as sung by Helge Roswaenge.

13 LUCIA

Helene Chutzpah (yes, that's what the caption says) slides and whines her way through "Regnava nel silenzio" from Lucia di Lammermoor.

14 MERRY WIDOW

Amidst some tubercular torments, Judith Alban-Wilk intones her take on "Vilja" from .

15 MISERABLES

Edward Bruce-Stevenson wails "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables (indeed).

16-19 NORMA

I don't know about you but when I think Zerbinetta, the next logical repertoire choice is not Norma. But leave it to the Ever-ready Edita Gruberova to essay these roles. Here is the opening scene from a March 1, 2004 Badden-Baden performance, one of her first. Her Oroveso is Alastair Miles.

20 OTELLO

Judith Alban-Wilk demonstrates her Verdi style and sings the Ave Maria (more like Hail Mary) from Verdi's Otello. At least her senior citizen audience knew not to clap after the high note.

21 PAGLIACCI

Giuseppe di Stefano goes nuts at the end of this April 24, 1956 La Scala performance. The cast includes Clara Petrella, Aldo Protti, Luigi Alva and Enzo Sordello with Nino Sanzogno conducting. Note his rage for the final line. Have you ever heard applause throughout the postlude of Pagliacci?

22 PASQUALE

Edward Bruce-Stevenson, member of the Creative Opera Company, Ltd., demonstrates his vast versatility and sings Pasquale's aria from Don Pasquale.

23 PIRATES

Still more versatility from Edward Bruce-Stevenson as he sings the Major-General's Song from The Pirates of Penzance.

CD 2:

01 PURITANI

Rockwell Blake and Joan Sutherland scale the puritanical heights during this December 13, 1986 NYC performance of I puritan in the aria "A te o cara".

02 PURITANI

Rockwell Blake and Joan Sutherland scale the puritanical heights during this December 13, 1986 NYC performance of I puritan during "Vieni far quest brachia".<

03 PURITANI

Rockwell Blake and Joan Sutherland scale the puritanical heights during this December 13, 1986 NYC performance of I puritan during "Credeasi misera".<

04 PURITANI

Alfredo Kraus soars the heights with the greatest of ease alongside Gianna d'Angelo during this September 16, 1967 Bilbao performance of I puritan conducted by Ermanno Wolf Ferrari. The selection is the second verse of "A te o cara".

05 PURITANI

Alfredo Kraus soars the heights with the greatest of ease alongside Gianna d'Angelo during this September 16, 1967 Bilbao performance of I puritan conducted by Ermanno Wolf Ferrari. The selection is "Vieni fra queste brachia".

06 PURITANI

Alfredo Kraus soars the heights with the greatest of ease alongside Gianna d'Angelo during this September 16, 1967 Bilbao performance of I puritan conducted by Ermanno Wolf Ferrari. The selection is "Credeasi misera".

07 REQUIEM

Soprano Katarina Jovanovic re-enacts a certain performance of the Verdi Requirem by a certain Coration soprano by faking a faint during in 2011.

08 RIGOLETTO

On January 13, 1969, Giuseppe Campora has a late-in-the-career mishap during "La donna e mobile in this Cincinatti Rigoletto.

09 SALOME

You can always rely on Birgit Nilsson for giving good scream; but chest voice? In this March 13, 1968 Salome excerpt, she emits a great shriek and lots of chest just before the head is brought for her delectation and delight. And listen how much voice she has left at the end of the opera.

10 SAMSON

At the finale of the telecast of Samson et Dalilah, Placido Domingo Domingo lets out a good yodel on the high Bb. Miraculously, he was able to get on his Time Machine and go back and correct it; just in time for the re-telecast a few days later. Boy, does he have clout!

11 SHOWBOAT

Judith Alban-Wilk of the Creative Opera Company, Ltd. belts out "Can't Help Lovin' that Man" from Showboat.

12 SHOWBOAT

Here is proof that (so-called) opera singers should not sing pop or musical theater: Judith Alban-Wilk and Edward Bruce-Stevenson sing a medley from Showboat.

13 SONNAMBULA

Edita Gruberova interpolates a high F at the end of "Ah no ghiunge" in this Octobber 4, 1982 Geneva performance of La sonnambula. She sounds like she's having a lotto fun.

14 STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

Carlo Bergonzi is inspired by Franco Sinatra and sings "Strangers In The Night". In Italian, of course. This took place some time in 1967.

15 TONYS

During the 2012 Tony Awards Ceremony, Neil Patrick Harris sings single measures from 66 Tony Award-winning songs.

16 TORNA A SORRENTO

Moishe Miller, Merrill Miller, Robert Miller - let's call the whole thing off. Here the 22-year-old (not 19) above-named baritone sings "Torna a Sorrento". He doesn't sound much like what he became…

17 TOSCA

Franco Corelli gets an audience's unwanted opinion during this March 4, 1970 Paris performance of "E lucevan le stele" from Tosca.

18 TOSCA

The Creative Opera Company, Ltd. presents Eugene Flam in a performance of "E lucevan le stele" from Tosca.

19 TOSCA

Vassilka Petrova could afford a Tosca cast, orchestra, conductor, studio and engineers but she ran outta lira when it came time for sound effects. This is obvious when her Mario is shot by a child's cap gun.

20 TOSCA

Here's another example of Renata Tebaldi's scream at the end of Tosca. This took place in Tokyo on October 11, 1960. When was the last time you heard the entire postlude to Tosca covered by applause?

21 TRAVIATA

The troupe from the Creative Opera Company, Ltd. - Eugene Flam, Ellen Chandler, Judith Alban-Wilk and Edward Bruce Stevenson - force their forces for a rousing rendition of "Libiamo" from La traviata.

22 TRAVIATA

William McAlpine interpolates a high C during his offstage serenade to the Violetta of Virginia Zeani during this January 11, 1960 Covent Garden performance. Zeani, by the way, replaced Joan Sutherland on a day's notice.

23 TRAVIATA

Licia Albanese, age ca. 55, sings "Sempre libber" from this staged Palm Beach performance of 1968.

24 TRAVIATA

Lawrence Tibgett interpolates an expansive high Bb during this January 5, 1935 performance of La traviata. His Violetta is Rosa Ponselle.

25 TRAVIATA

The messenger, the gardener. Ah, who cares. Let's just do without them. Here, from the same performance above, is Frederick Jagel delivering himself the message.

26 TRAVIATA

Another Reader's Digest version: this time "Di provenza" from La traviata as sung by Franz Rabinowitz. Note how he combines the two verses.

27 TRAVIATA

"Parigi o caro" (as the Mme. Alban-Wick introduces it) is tremulously sung here by Judith Alban-Wilk and baritone (!) Edward Bruce-Stevenson.

28 TROVATORE

Franco Bonisolli speaks or sorta sings down an octave "Di quell pira" during this January 9, 1988 Vienna performance of Il trovatore. But yet he ends the aria with a high C.

29 TURANDOT

It seems that Grace Bumbry prepared Turandot with Mme. Vera Galupe-Borszkh. Here is an excerpt from "In questa reggia" from a staged performance of the opera in Verona on January 14, 1991. Her Calaf is Kristjan Johannsson.

30 VRY WARM FOR MAY

Judith Alban-Wilk puts her stamp on one of the most beautiful songs ever written: "All The Things You Are".

31 WEST SIDE STORY

Edward Bruce-Stevenson renders asunder "Maria" from West Side Story.

32 WEST SIDE STORY

"Maria" is the last selection I would offer as a tribute to Callas. So my respect for Mariella Devia, Daniela Dessì, Raina Kabaivanska, Paolo Coni and Giuseppe Sabbatini went rather southward aft hearing this Athens performance from 1992.

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