Stuart Burrows RIP

Stuart Burrows has died. He was an elegant tenor. He was in my lens at the Met in the 70s, every performance a pleasure.  First- MADAM BUTTERFLY  1973 as Pinkerton with Leontyne Price as Butterfly.
 

With Robert Goodloe as Sharpless.

Don Ottavio, DON GIOVANNI  1974

FAUST 1976

Tamino in ZAUBERFLUTE  1972

With Ted Uppman as Papageno

FLUTE in 1976 with Donald Gramm as Papageno

With Sheila Nadler as the 3rd Lady

The quaint animals in 1973

TRAVIATA 1976 with Beverly Sills as Violetta and Stuart as Alfredo.

Images chosen from hundreds for the emotions and elegance.

Condolences to all. To Stuart sincere thanks. Glorious artistry.

                                                       RIP

LUIGI ALVA RIP, Part 2

ITALIANIA IN ALGERIERI      Nov. 1973, Luigi as Lindoro and Corena as the Pasha
 

with Weidinger

The hysterical line up, Weidinger, Alva, Horne. Corena, Love, Boucher, Uppman

BARBER OF SEVILLE,  Dec. 1973. Corena as Bartolo.Luigi as Almaviva, Von Stade as Rosina.

The music lesson, Alamaviva in disguise and Rosina

another googy line-up, Flagello, Alva, Corena, Cossa,Von Stade, Munser

Cossa as Figaro, Von Stade and Luigi. Time to escape..

Final curtain. Happy Time.

All the performances were special, - gorgeous singing, integrity to the score, total ensemble balance.

Total joy.

Dear Luigi. THANK YOU. RIP

Luigi Alva RIP- Part 1

The first time I heard Luigi Alva he was Fenton in FALSTAFF, 1964 through 1966. Delightful. This was 1966 with Mary Costa and Regina Resnick. Colzani was Falstaff.
 

The close of act II after Falstaff is dumped out the window. Lili Chookasian, Mildred Miller And Mary Costa. Luigi on the left

1972 with Jeannette Pilou as Nanetta.

1972, the forest scene.

1972 final ensemble- Luigi, Andrea Velis, Sir Geraint Evans as Falstaff,  andRichard Best

1971 L'ELISIR D'AMORE as Nemorino with Reri Grist as Adina.

First scene, the story telling in the village

With Dr. Dulcamara , Corena, trying to buy the elixir.

with Adina again

Evening, the ladies chorus an jug of elixir

To be continued. Tidbits of fun.

Leroy Lehr RIP

I learned this morning of the death of Leroy Lehr. He and his wife Veronicq Reed were across the Avenue neighbors before the moved west. Our paths crossed frequently.  To honor his career I've pulled representative images, all digital. First WERTHER, as Johann 2003.  Act II.
 

RAKE'S PROGRESS, last act 2003, as the Mad House Keeper, with Dawn Upshaw as Anne Truelove.

PELLEAS ET MELISANDE, 2005  as the Doctor, with Sophie von Otter as Melisande.

WAR AND PEACE,  2007 as a Valet

MEISTERSINGER,Act I, 2007 as Schwarz. Very helpful to have stage name tag.

THE GAMBLER, 2008, as a Fat English Man

LULU  2010 as a Servant

Last image, book signing with Sam Ramey to celebrate his new autobiography, Nov. 13, 2010 lobby of New York State Theater.  With Sam and Veronica Reed.

No time to scan images from Traviata, Queen of Spades, Susanna. Great Gatsby, Dr. Faust, Sly, Midsummer Night's Dream, Chenier, Salome, Tosca, Gioconda,

Leroy was a fun colleague to all. To friends, family and musical colleagues my heartfelt condolences.

Dear Leroy, thanks    RIP

Lando Bartolini RIP

Lando Bartolini passed away a few days ago. He was in my lens from 1976-1995, New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera, a humble respected tenor. Here are a few memories.  CAVALLERIA, New York City Opera, 1976, as Turiddu with Maralin Niska as Santuzza
 

Dan Kingman, chorus, is in background on right.

TRAVIATA,  New York City Opera, 1977, as Alfredo. Faye Robinson was Violetta.  Both Cavalleria and Traviata are performance images shot from the wings at the State Theater.

On to the Met, AIDA as Radames, 1991.

With Aprile Millo as Aida

TROVATORE, Metropolitan Opera 1993, Manrico.  With Aprile Millo as Leonore

With Delora Zajick as Azucena.

TURANDOT, 1995, Calaf with Dame Gwyneth Jones as Turandot

Curtain call, Paul Plishka as Timur, Teresa Stratas as Liu,  Jones again as Turandot and Bartolini, the Calaf.  1995

To the family and friends my heartfelt condolences.

Dear Lando, many thanks for the fun,    RIP.

Opera "Clocks", final post

Back to Falstaff,  Act II, scene 1, Mistress Quickly comes to invite Falstaff to visit Alice Ford, "Dalle due alle tre". That's repeated, between two and three. Usually there is sign language that lasts only about two seconds. In looking through every Falstaff I ever shot I only found four images showing the hand sign.  The above and below are  Fiorenza Cossoto with Giuseppe Taddei in 1985. I'm thrilled to have these images as I adored both artists.
 

Also between 2 and 3-  from 1975, Cornell MacNeil and Fedora Barbieri. Both delicious artists.

From the Juilliard production of Falstaff, Ronald Hedlung as Falstff and Patricia Dekert as Quickly. This production was staged by the late great Tito Gobbi who was a superb Falstaff.  I was thrilled watching him at work with the students.

BORIS,  the apartment scene, James Morris is Boris 2004. He is haunted, feeling guilty, clock hands going around. The orchestra is playing sinister clock-like beats. Boris suffers a seizure, hallucinates into madness.  I helped this along by cloning the clocks.

Finally, absolutely opera "clock work", ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Susan Graham as the young Composer who has written a serious opera. The Major Domo announces, "Punkt neun Uhr Feurwerks."  The serious opera and the comedie del arte will be performed "gleichzeitig", the two works together. Horrors.  9p.m. mish mash.   Fireworks courtesy of a Macy's display over the Hudson River , shot from   my window.

THat's it for now, or until I remember another operatic time moment.