Episode 37: 1957-1958

Antonietta Stella

In this episode, Alfred Hubay talks about the 1957-1958 season of the Metropolitan Opera including a new production of Madama Butterfly with Antonietta Stella, Margaret Roggero, Eugenio Fernandi in his debut, directed by Yoshio Aoyama and conducted by Dmitri Mitropoulos, the mother of Renata Tebaldi, the coaching of Ettore Verna and the emergence of his wife, Mary Curtis-Verna, Zinka Milanov’s first Desdemona and the debut of Inge Borkh. (Part 2 of 2).
(Recorded 26 January 2012)

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Episode 38: 1958-1959

Renata Tebaldi, Mario del Monaco

As remembered by Alfred Hubay, there were many memorable moments of the 1958-1959 season of the Metropolitan Opera including a star studded opening nightTosca with Renata Tebaldi, Mario del Monaco and George London, Renata Tebaldi’s first Met Butterfly and Manon Lescaut, how Rudolf Bing dealt with the cancellations and the ticket buyers, the firing of Maria Callas, a new production of Macbeth with Leonard Warren and Leonie Rysanek, Rudolf Bing’s superstitions and a new production of the double bill, Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci directed by Jose Quintero. (Part 1 of 3).
(Recorded 26 January 2012)

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Episode 39: 1958-1959

Nicolai Gedda

As remembered by Alfred Hubay, there were many memorable moments of the 1958-1959 season of the Metropolitan Opera including the Met’s attempt to start a ballet company, Les contes d’Hoffmann with Nicolai Gedda, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Lucine Amara and George London, the debuts of Martina Arroyo, Cornell MacNeil, a new production of Macbeth with Leonard Warren and Leonie Rysanek in her debut and the Met premiere of Wozzeck with Hermann Uhde, Eleanor Steber and Kurt Baum conducted by Karl Böhm. (Part 2 of 2).
(Recorded 26 January 2012)

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Episode 40: 1958-1959

Dimiter Uzunov

 

As remembered by Alfred Hubay, there were many memorable moments of the 1958-1959 season of the Metropolitan Opera including the debuts of 5 tenors: Dimiter Uzunov, Flaviano Labo, Primo Zambruno, Karl Liebl and Barry Morell, Zinka Milanov’s first Met Desdemona, the first Met Iago of Tito Gobbi, the debuts of Karl Dönch and Aäse Nordmo-Llövberg as Sieglinde, the Lohengrin of Brian Sullivan, a classic cancellation/replacement story and a disastrous Verdi Requiem. (Part 3 of 3).
(Recorded 26 January 2012)

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