I hope I'm not the kiss of death for elderly opera stars. I wrote about the great tenor Carlo Bergonzi recently on his 90th birthday...and he died! I interviewed the wonderful sopranos Licia Albanese in 2007-and last week she died! OK, Signor Bergonzi was 90 and had been ailing. Madame Albanese was 105! Seriously! Here she is in 1985-still quite young, in a concert performance of Sondheim's Follies with the New York Philharmonic. At 4:58: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6v7wbXkfow Here she is in signature opera, Puccini's Madama Butterfly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udknhBrlSRo And finally, a tribute to a great lady and a great artist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcZamZDT1MM Here's a link to my 2007 interview with the lady. You bet I fell in love with her. You would have, too!
Christopher Purdy is Classical 101's early morning host, 7-10 a.m. weekdays. He is host and producer of Front Row Center – Classical 101’s weekly celebration of Opera and more – as well as Music in Mid-Ohio, Concerts at Ohio State, and the Columbus Symphony broadcast series. He is the regular pre-concert speaker for Columbus Symphony performances in the Ohio Theater.