| Trying to get your 16 year old acid rocker son to go to | | | | having been born in 1873. At the time he was |
| an Opera is like trying to get President Bill Clinton to | | | | considered the greatest tenor of all time. After the |
| admit that he had sex with that Lewinsky gal. You've | | | | arrival of Bjoerling, the debate began. Most opera |
| got one big fight ahead of you. The truth is, if we didn't | | | | lovers are torn between the two as to who is the |
| have the opera, we wouldn't have some of the other | | | | greatest. Caruso actually had technical problems early |
| great music of our time as ultimately every form of | | | | in his career that he did not overcome until the turn of |
| music, especially Broadway musicals, comes from the | | | | the century when he was finally able to move away |
| classics. And there is no more classic than grand | | | | from resorting to falsetto or transposition. Caruso gave |
| opera.There's a reason that most operas are sung in | | | | many memorable performances during his all too brief |
| Italian. Most of the great writers of opera were Italian. | | | | career which included probably his most popular role in |
| The few English language operas we have, like "The | | | | "I Pagliacci" where he sings what has become his |
| Barber Of Seville" don't compare to the old grand | | | | most famous aria, "Vesti La Giubba".The opera world |
| Italian operas. And it is those operas that have given | | | | did not just belong to the men. There have been many |
| us some of the greatest singers in the history of | | | | great women who have come to the opera stage |
| music.Great singers go back many years. Keeping this | | | | over the years. One of the most famous of these is |
| discussion to the 20th century, one needs to go no | | | | Leontyne Price who was born in 1927 and still lives |
| farther than the incomparable Jussi Bjoerling, as he | | | | today, though she has long stopped her operatic |
| was called. Bjoerling lived from 1911 to 1960. He actually | | | | career. Price had many victories in her career. Her |
| wasn't even Italian but Swedish born. But he was one | | | | biggest was probably on January 27, 1961, when she |
| of the greatest of our time. He was the leading tenor | | | | made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House |
| at the New York Metropolitan Opera for more than 20 | | | | while playing Leonora in the Verdi classic "Il Trovatore". |
| years. Some of this most memorable performances | | | | Her performance was so incredible that it resulted in |
| however were not done at the Met but at the Rome | | | | her getting a 42 minute standing ovation. This was one |
| Opera House under the direction of Jonel Perlea | | | | of the longest in the history of the Met. The critics |
| where he appeared in some of the greatest operas | | | | reviews of her performance labeled it as |
| ever written, including "Cavalleria Rusticana" and | | | | "flawless".These few greats only scratch the surface |
| "Tosca" and "Carmen", just to name a few.In the | | | | of what opera has given us. If you've never been to |
| opera world, many people were constantly comparing | | | | the grand opera, by all means go. Even if you have to |
| Bjoerling to another great tenor by the name of Enrico | | | | leave your 16 year old acid rocker home. |
| Caruso. Caruso actually came long before Bjoerling, | | | | |