Unnatural Acts Of Opera

Leyla Gencer defines grandezza in this live 1971 performance of Ponchielli's La gioconda from La Fenice. Also starring Umberto Grilli (Enzo), Maria Luisa Nave (Laura) and Mario Zanasi (Barnaba); Oliviero de Fabriitis conducts.

Leyla Gencer defines grandezza in this live 1971 performance of Ponchielli's La gioconda from La Fenice. Also starring Umberto Grilli (Enzo), Maria Luisa Nave (Laura) and Mario Zanasi (Barnaba); Oliviero de Fabriitis conducts.

Leyla Gencer defines grandezza in this live 1971 performance of Ponchielli's La gioconda from La Fenice. Also starring Umberto Grilli (Enzo), Maria Luisa Nave (Laura) and Mario Zanasi (Barnaba); Oliviero de Fabriitis conducts.

Act 3 of Die Walkuere (Wagner) at the first postwar Bayreuth Festival (1951). Astrid Varnay, Leonie Rysanek, Sigurd Bjoerling / Herbert von Karajan.

At long last, the final act of Bellini's sublime bel canto masterpiece Norma, with Montserrat Caballe, Gianni Raimondi and Ivo Vinco. A 1974 performance from Moscow, Francesco Mollinari-Pradelli conducting.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there's a change in cast in the current episode -- Fiorenza Cossotto canceled after the second act of this 1974 performance of Norma, and the part of Adalgisa was sung in the third act by Bruna Baglioni.

La Cieca presents the second act of Bellini's Norma, recorded live at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on June 19, 1974. Montserrat Caballe sings the title role. She is joined by mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto as Adalgisa, and, as I'm sure any number of sopranos will tell you, working with Flo always puts a girl on her mettle. Gianni Raimondi sings the role of Pollione, and Ivo Vinco is Oroveso. The production is from La Scala, conducted by Franceso Mollinari-Pradelli.

Our opera this time is both live and demented, with even a soupcon of backstage drama to add an extra frisson. La Cieca presents the first act of Bellini's Norma, recorded live at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on June 19, 1974. Montserrat Caballe sings the title role. She is joined by mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto as Adalgisa. Gianni Raimondi sings the role of Pollione, and Ivo Vinco is Oroveso. The production is from La Scala, conducted by Franceso Mollinari-Pradelli.