To my Opera Friends:

[whipped guy]

I always thought John Alexander was the most rock-solid tenor on the MET roster during the 26 seasons he sang at the MET (1961-1987) Heaven knows he stepped in all the time for indisposed leading tenors singing bel canto to Wagner and everything in between! Sure, he was an unimpressive actor, quite short and with a pretty bad toupee when he wasn't wigged professionally for a MET performance, but I heard him first on radio broadcasts and I found his tenor instrument thrilling in most everything I heard him perform. Secure high notes were one of his hallmarks along with amazing use of legato when he wanted to spin a long vocal line!

 

Here is the first act duet with Sutherland from a 1968 Saturday Afternoon MET broadcast of La Sonnambula:

 

TruHart1

 

BIG LOL! I finally got around to listing to this. At the conclusion of the scene we get the inimitable Milton Cross giving his description of the performers costumes... For some reason he always used the word britches (which my spell checker changed to bitches) which word was hardly used even in 1968... but that was Mr. Cross. I would always crack up when he would use other descriptions such as a taffeta bodice etc...

[+ quoththeraven]

BIG LOL! I finally got around to listing to this. At the conclusion of the scene we get the inimitable Milton Cross giving his description of the performers costumes... For some reason he always used the word britches (which my spell checker changed to bitches) which word was hardly used even in 1968... but that was Mr. Cross. I would always crack up when he would use other descriptions such as a taffeta bodice etc...

 

Fire your spellchecker.

[TruHart1]

BIG LOL! I finally got around to listing to this. At the conclusion of the scene we get the inimitable Milton Cross giving his description of the performers costumes... For some reason he always used the word britches (which my spell checker changed to bitches) which word was hardly used even in 1968... but that was Mr. Cross. I would always crack up when he would use other descriptions such as a taffeta bodice etc...

Yes. I thought the bit of Milton Cross describing the duet and costumes was a little bonus for those who remember the MET announcer who had the longest run, announcing every Saturday matinée radio broadcast up until the week before he passed away! Britches, indeed!!!

 

TruHart1