OPERA CONCERT: Hadley, Racette, Vaness, Morris, Margison, Swenson, Voigt, Domingo, Stade, Williams

1997 telecast of San Francisco Opera's 75th anniversary "Golden Gate Gala."
Beverly Sills, Host
Derek Jacobi, Master of Ceremonies
Puccini: La Bohème -- Che gelida manina 2:00; Mi chiamano Mimì 6:42; O soave fanciulla 12:05
Patricia Racette, soprano
Jerry Hadley, tenor
Puccini: Tosca -- Vissi d'arte 19:03
Carol Vaness, soprano
Puccini: Tosca -- Tre sbirri, una carozza … Te Deum 23:00
James Morris, bass-baritone
Bellini: I Puritani -- Qui la voce sua soave¹ 30:52
Ruth Ann Swenson, soprano
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov -- Boris's Monologue 40:28
Samuel Ramey, bass
Puccini: Turandot -- Nessun dorma 47:35
Richard Margison, tenor
Gounod: Roméo et Juliette -- Je veux vivre 53:57
Janet Williams, soprano
Wagner: Die Walküre -- Winterstürme 58:40 …Du bist der Lenz 1:01:25 to end of Act I
Deborah Voigt, soprano
Plácido Domingo, tenor
Bizet: Carmen - Habanera 1:14:25
Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano
Wagner: Tannhäuser -- Dich, teure Halle 1:20:06
Deborah Voigt, soprano
J. Strauss: Die Fledermaus -- Ensemble 1:23:55
Including: Stuart Skelton, tenor and John Relyea, bass-baritone
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
San Francisco Opera Chorus
Donald Runnicles, conductor
¹Richard Bonynge, conductor
NOTE: A few selections/other singers were omitted from the telecast.

[@PatriaProductions]

My family and I remember Jerry Hadley with great affection. His Che gelida manina here is absolutely superb. We had great times with Jerry. A life lost much too soon and for all the wrong reasons. Jerry was a golden person. We shall always remember him and miss him. May his soul rest in peace. From Jane and Marjan Kiepura and my late mother Marta Eggerth who loved Jerry.

[@anntrulove9240]

Thank you for your wonderful words concerning Jerry Hadley, Mr. Kiepura - perhaps you would enjoy this video: Jerry Hadley - Sweet Melody Of Night - Erich Wolfgang Korngold & Oscar Hammerstein II (1997) kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2awkKWAo6h2gJY Kind regards

[@PatriaProductions]

@@anntrulove9240 WOW, love it! In fact that video brings back a lot of memories. Marcel Prawy was closely associated with my parents. Prawy became my father's personal assistant for 11 years shortly before and during the War years, in America. And Korngold actually composed Sweet Melody of Night for my father, Jan Kiepura. This video with Jerry is special. We saw Jerry at the Royal Covent Garden after a performance of Jenufa some years ago. We think of him often and will always have him in our hearts.

[@anntrulove9240]

@@PatriaProductions I'm glad you like it. In this TV show - after Jerry has sung "Sweet Melody of Night" - Marcel Prawy tells the story of Jan Kiepura's reaction (in his typical "Prawy" manner full of humor and passion) when Korngold played the song to Kiepura for the first time. I wish you all the best, Mr. Kiepura. Viele herzliche Grüße aus Wien!

[@shirleyrombough8173]

What opera is qui la voce from? And who is this wonderful soprano?

[@shirleyrombough8173]

What is this glorious opera from which this enchanted duet is taken? And so thrilling sung by Placido Domingo and Deborah Voigt?

[@wewper]

Voigt at her peak was a marvel of effortless breathing. Don't ever be fooled by the canard that her voice didn't suffer after the surgery. It most certainly did. Her Du bist der Lenz here is just wonderful, as are the closing passages from 1:08:44. There is a Met broadcast of Die Walküre from around this time with Voigt and Domingo in the same roles. (Behrens is Brunnhilde, Morris is Wotan, Schwarz is Fricka.) It's an incredible afternoon at the opera.

[@carlosmonsalve2350]

What an amazing concert and gorgeous perfomance of those Gods and Godess of bel canto... marvelous voices... Bravissimo 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 woow I love Federica Von Stade 💖

[@rugby8-Philadelphia]

Can't wait to see this! Thanks! 😎😎😎

[@wotan10950]

Wonderful memories! My God, Ruth Ann was great. She and June Anderson were surely the bel canto successors to Joan and Beverly. But the Met didn’t know what to do with them, and Levine wasn’t a fan of bel canto.

[@clefnoteproductions6695]

Ruth Ann has such a beautiful voice. Is there a DVD with the complete concert? Including those cut from this telecast?

[@Yves_Ka]

Pity Von Stade never sang Carmen - she would have been marvelous

[@JussiTTvanVickTheOperaAddict]

Thanks for the typo correction! She said in an interview something like "no one would believe me as Carmen"!😄

[@Yves_Ka]

@@JussiTTvanVickTheOperaAddict maybe because previously people were used to a stereo type Goya “hands on the hips” Carmen. I think today people would be more open to a completely different type of character that Von Stade would have successfully created. Vocally she is outstanding- musical as always and the voice was glorious right to the end of her career.

[@machovoce6826]

The San Francisco Opera used to be one of the country's great opera companies. It's now an over-priced, third-rate outfit with a house that's falling apart.