The redoubtable Charles Handelman has collected a wide range of odd experiences audible from recordings or the stage. Ask not their provenance (in some cases) - you may not want to know. I have contributed a few and deleted a few for this edition.
Rita Gorr admonishes Mario del Monaco for being out
of costume at a rehearsal of Samson et Dalila in Dallas.
Rise Stevens advises Giuseppe di Stefano to "Put
my arm down" during a Carmen on 21 January 1956 - just before he broke it!
Lauritz Melchior in 1940 gets a bit carried away with
the "Wälse" in Walküre.
Giovanni Martinelli, suffering from food poisoning,
faints in "Celeste Aida". Listening at home, Frederick Jagel dashed
to the theatre to take over.
Jon Vickers tells a Dallas audience for
"Tristan" what to do with their coughing.
Enrico di Giuseppe tries to end "I Puritani"
as written on 8 March 1975. FYI: He lived to sing again another day.
Michele Molese dedicates a "pinched high C"
to the critic of the New York Times on 1 November 1974. The tenor's services
were promptly terminated.
An audience member expresses his opinion of NYCO's
"Cavalleria".
M. Novikova, Gedda's teacher, laughs through
Perichole's aria and "Song of the Laugh"
from "Geisha".
Zubin Mehta informs the Scala audience that Caballe is
indisposed and will be unable to sing "Turandot" that night. Said
audience is displeased.
Larry Costa attempts "Je crois entendre
encore". For some reason, his recital recording was never released
commercially.
Ezio Pinza and the Budapest String Quartet offer a
song with extraordinary lyrics.
Franco Bonisolli runs dry during "Di quella
pira" in Hamburg (1987) and calls for "Wasser".
La Scala audience (1992) expresses its opinion of
Fabbricini as Lucia and (1989) of Morino in the same
rôle.
Giacomo Lauri-Volpi at age 79 speaks briefly and sings
"Di quella pira" "Amor ti vieta" Turandot fragment "Celeste
Aida".
Lauritz Melchior at home at age 71 sings a bit of
"Winterstürme", then the whole thing.
Giovanni Martinelli steps in at age 82 to save a
Seattle "Turandot" when the scheduled emperor is ill (4 February
1967). [The Calaf is Aldo Bottoni.]
Helge Roswaenge vocalizes at age 67 (23 March 1964)
before a New York concert.
Regina Resnik contributes "Chacun a Bing's
gout" to the his Farewell Gala on 22 April 1972.
Sylvia Sawyer was recorded by Capitol in several roles
with Stella Roman, Gino Sari and Antonio Manca Serra. This is a sample from
"Trovatore".
Dahlstrom (first name blessedly lost) portrays
Rigoletto in a student program in Chicago, 5 February 1972.
Vassilka Petrova recorded in the late 1940's; in addition to an Andrea
Chenier, she is preserved in her Aida,
Forza, and Tosca Act II or Act III.
Olive Middleton, well past her 80th year, interpolates
a high C in the "Miserere".
The finale of "Tosca" as a spliced
collection of screams.
A woman in the audience at NYCO for Ashley Putnam's
debut as Violetta, interrupts Henry Price's "De miei bollenti
spiriti".
Mari Lynn explains and illustrates the rôle of Violetta.
Audience members fight over a seat before an Albanese
concert.
Eileen Farrell, Marilyn Horne and Carol Burnett
together.
Emanuele Bucalo meows the Cavalleria Siciliana (1905).
Maria Callas at age 12 (1935) on Major Bowe's Talent
Show.
Beverly Sills at age 8 (1938) on Major Bowe's Talent
Show.
Renata Scotto at age 15 (1948).
Montserrat Caballé faints during "Addio
del passato" in Paris, 1972.
Carlo Bini sings in "Vespri Siciliani" in
Santiago, Chile.
Martinelli and Boninsegna in the Trovatore
"Miserere" - which they did not record together.
Nicolai Gedda cracks in Barcelona, 1979!
Enrico Caruso's son in "Che gelida manina".
Renata Tebaldi reacts to Valentin's death in Naples.
Stefan Zucker dedicates "Ah mes ami" to
Pavarotti and then sings it.
Martina Arroyo ends the "Fledermaus" Czardas
with a stab at a high D.
Callas and Enzo Sordello disagree on the length of a
note in Lucia. He was not on the roster for another attempt.
Benvenuto Fellini attempts the high F in
"Credeasi misera" from "Puritani.
Franco Bonisolli assures the audience that it's
correct to applaud his four high C's in Turandot - Puccini wrote the pause
there.
Anna Moffo knows "Tosca" in this 1970
performance from Florida; the orchestra is more forgetful.
Original Aida overture as performed in Amsterdam
(1975) under Edward Downes.
Lauri-Volpi's farewell at age 85 (Madrid, 1977):
speech and a verse of "La donna e mobile" with interpolated high C.
Mme. Vera Galupe-Borszkh sings the end of "In
questa reggia".
Puccini's original ending of Turandot as
performed in London (1982).
Eleanor Ross "chickens out" of Donna Anna's
aria.
The conductor admonishes a Spanish audience during a
Carreras "E lucevan le stelle".
Montserrat Caballé reacts to a problem in her
"O patria mia".
A Scotto antagonist invokes another diva as Scotto
sings in "Luisa Miller" (1979).
Carlo Bini is not well received for his efforts in La
Gioconda; the conductor attempts to handle the situation.
Susi Sommers sings Olympia.
The La Puma company begins "Walküre"
Act II.
Jess Thomas attempts the impossible task of matching
Birgit Nilsson in "Turandot".
Sandor Konya tries "In fernem Land" on 1
February 1964. Despite the prompter, he is hopelessly lost.
Carlo Cossutta in an outdoor performance of Otello on
Cyprus in 1996.
Lotte Lehmann discloses one 'secret' of her recitals.
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