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▲Soprano Joan Sutherland and tenor Luciano Pavarotti sang the title roles 女高音修德蘭與男高音巴筏諾堤飾演劇中主角

2017marks major anniversaries for several important operatic singers from the past. To commemorate them, Radio 4 brings you four Metropolitan Opera broadcasts and the singers’ portraits, dating from 1950 to 1975

showcasing these great singers in their respective prime.

2017年是多位著名歌唱家的誕生或逝世週年。第四台特別為聽眾帶來四個美國大都會歌劇院經典的現場錄音和珍貴劇照，藉此紀念，並與你共賞這些巨星黃金時期的唱功。

Leung Wai-kit 梁偉傑

10th Anniversary of Tenor Luciano Pavarotti’s Death 男高音巴筏諾堤逝世十週年

Luciano Pavarotti died 10 years ago. He was dubbed the ‘King of High C’s’ after stunning performances of Donizetti’s La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) with Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge. The tenor aria Ah! mes amis, which contains 9 high C’s, was rarely sung at the time in the original key or uncut. Pavarotti stunned the world by singing all 9 high C’s in Covent Garden in 1966, and again in his role debut at the Met in 1972.

This performance of La fille du régiment comes from a 1973 Met production with the same triumvirate: Joan Sutherland as Marie, Luciano Pavarotti as Tonio, and Richard Bonynge at the helm. Also appearing are mezzo-soprano Regina Resnik

and bass Fernando Corena.

巴筏諾堤於十年前離世。他早年憑著與女高音修德蘭和指揮邦寧演出唐尼采

第的歌劇《軍中女郎》，贏得「高音C之王」的美譽。這齣歌劇的男高音詠嘆調〈啊，我的朋友〉有九個高音C，從前的男高音一般是移調演唱，甚至把結尾有九個高音C的部份刪除。然而，巴筏諾堤於1966年在高文花園連唱九個高音C，一鳴驚人。六年後在大都會歌劇院首次演出《軍中女郎》時亦再次唱出這九個高音C。

這齣《軍中女郎》是1973年大都會歌劇院的製作，再度由這個鐵三角組合演出—修德蘭飾演瑪莉，巴筏諾堤飾演東尼奧，邦寧擔任指揮。同台演出還有

女中音利斯尼克和男低音哥利拿。

8/8- Donizetti: La fille du régiment 唐尼采第：《軍中女郎》

Tuesdays 8:00pm 逢星期二晚上8時正

AUGUST 2017 | FINE MUSIC | COVER STORY 封面故事14

AUGUST 2017 | FINE MUSIC | COVER STORY 封面故事

▲Soprano Beverly Sills as Pamira and bass Justino Díaz as Maometto II 女高音蕭斯與男低音狄亞士分別飾演帕米拉和穆罕默德二世

▲Mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett (left) in the trouser role of Neocle, the young Greek captain.

女中音維利娣 (左)反串飾演年青希臘侍衛長里奧其

10th Anniversary of Soprano Beverly Sills’ Death 女高音蕭斯逝世十週年

2017 also marks the 10th anniversary of Beverly Sills’ death. Beverly Sills, nicknamed ‘Bubbles’ for her ebullient personality, was known to millions of viewers worldwide as the host of Live from Lincoln Center in the early 2000s and had been a famous coloratura soprano in her heyday. She was born in New York City in 1929. Her performing career was somewhat limited by her need to take care of two handicapped children. Sills retired from singing in 1980 and worked in arts management for the next 25 years, directing the New York City Opera before chairing Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera.

Le siège de Corinthe was Rossini’s first French opera. The plot and the music were largely drawn from an earlier Rossini opera Maometto II. As is the case for Rossini’s other French operas, the Italian versions (titled L’assedio di Corinto) of Le siège de Corinthe exist. Both the French and the Italian versions had disappeared completely from the repertoire for some 80 years after the 1860s, and had rarely been performed even after its 1949 revival. On the contrary, the overture to the opera has been regularly performed and recorded.

A 1975 revival, using conductor Thomas Schippers’ own Italian version of the opera, marked the opera’s as well as Beverly Sills’ Met debut. Sills sings Pamira, alongside Puerto Rican bass Justino Díaz as Maometto II, and American mezzo-

soprano Shirley Verrett in the trouser role of Neocle.

2017年亦標誌著蕭斯逝世十週年。十多年前看過美國電視節目「林肯中心現場」的觀眾，一定會認識這位綽號叫「泡泡」的節目主持人蕭斯。她1929年出生於紐約市，早年是一位著名的歌劇花腔女高音。後來為了照顧兩名殘障

子女而減少演出。蕭斯於1980年結束歌唱事業，轉投藝術管理工作，先後領導紐約市歌劇院、林肯中心和大都會歌劇院直至2005年。

《圍攻歌連城》是羅西尼第一齣法國歌劇，故事題材和音樂大部份取自他之

前所創作的歌劇《穆罕默德二世》。羅西尼所寫的法國歌劇都被翻譯成意大

利文，《圍攻歌連城》亦不例外。這套歌劇自十九世紀中便停演有八十多年

之久，1949年歌劇被復興之後亦極少上演。不過《圍攻歌連城》的序曲沒有被人遺忘，演出和錄音都比整齣歌劇為多。

這個1975年的製作是《圍攻歌連城》在大都會歌劇院的首演，也是蕭斯在大都會歌劇院首次亮相。指揮舒柏斯使用他親自整理的意大利文版本。同台演

出還有波多黎各男低音狄亞士飾演穆罕默德二世和美國女中音維利娣反串飾

演里奧其。

Rossini: L’assedio di Corinto 羅西尼：《圍攻歌連城》

15/8-

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AUGUST 2017 | FINE MUSIC | COVER STORY 封面故事

▲Baritone Robert Merrill as Amonasro in this old Met production

莫利在這舊大都會歌劇院的製作中飾演阿摩納斯羅

▲Soprano Ljuba Welitsch as Aida 女高音韋利殊飾演阿依達

▲Tenor Ramón Vinay as Radamès 男高音雲奈飾演拉達梅斯

▲Mezzo-soprano Margaret Harshaw as Amneris

女中音夏梭飾演安妮斯

Baritone Robert Merrill’s 100th Birthday 男中音莫利百歲誕辰

Baritone Robert Merrill was born in New York City in 1917. He spent almost his entire operatic career at the Metropolitan Opera, and rarely performed outside of the United States. Merrill was a mainstay at the Met. After the tragic early death on stage of fellow Met baritone Leonard Warren in 1960, Merrill became the undisputed number one house baritone at the Met.

Merrill was a life-long baseball fan. He played semi-professionally as a pitcher before he took up singing full-time. In 1968, he sang the US national anthem to open the baseball season at Yankee Stadium, and was invited back every year by the Yankees to sing the national anthem on the Opening Day of the baseball season.

Robert Merrill sings Amonasro, one of his signature roles, in this 1950 broadcast of Aida from the old Met. Joining him are Bulgarian soprano Ljuba Welitsch as Aida,

Chilean tenor Ramón Vinay as Radamès, with Emil Cooper on the podium.

男中音莫利1917年在紐約市出生。他的歌劇生涯大部份在大都會歌劇院度過，甚少到國外演出。莫利是大都會歌劇院的中流砥柱。當男中音華倫於1960年在台上暴斃之後，莫利便成為大都會歌劇院的首席駐團男中音。

莫利是一名棒球迷，在全時間投身歌唱事業前，曾是一位半職業棒球手，晚年更被

邀請在每年的紐約棒球賽季揭幕戰獻唱美國國歌。

這齣《阿依達》是1950年舊大都會歌劇院的現場演出。保加利亞女高音韋利殊飾演阿依達，智利男高音雲奈飾演拉達梅斯，莫利飾演阿摩納斯羅，古柏擔任指揮。

22/8- Verdi: Aida 威爾第：《阿依達》

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AUGUST 2017 | FINE MUSIC | COVER STORY 封面故事

▲Soprano Roberta Peters and tenor Nicolai Gedda

女高音羅伯娣•彼得士與男高音基達

▲Baritone Cornell MacNeil as Rigoletto 男中音麥尼爾飾演弄臣

▲Contralto Belén Amparán as Maddalena 女低音菴帕蘭飾演瑪達蕾娜

29/8- Verdi: Rigoletto 威爾第：《弄臣》

The Death of Tenor Nicolai Gedda and Soprano Roberta Peters in January 2017 今年1月離世的男高音基達和女高音羅伯娣•彼得士

Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda died in January 2017 at age 91. He was fluent in numerous languages, including Swedish, Russian, German, French, Italian, and English. He also had an extended high range. Gedda’s versatility enabled him to take on tenor roles across different operatic genres, including operetta. He made over 200 recordings and is one of the most-recorded tenors in history.

American coloratura soprano Roberta Peters also died in January 2017, at age 86. She avoided heavy roles and thus preserved her voice and enjoyed a long career. Roberta Peters and baritone Robert Merrill were married in 1952 for three months. They parted way amicably, remained friends, and continued to perform together in opera and recitals.

Gedda and Peters share the stage in this Met broadcast of Rigoletto from 1967, starring as the Duke of Mantua and Gilda respectively. American baritone Cornell MacNeil is Rigoletto, contralto Belén Amparán is Maddalena, and the conductor is

Lamberto Gardelli.

今年1月，瑞典男高音基達以九十一歲高齡離世。他精通瑞典、俄、德、法、意和英等多國語言，音域廣，唱功亦多元化，能飾演多樣類型歌劇甚至輕歌劇的

男高音角色。基達錄音超過二百款，數量之多在男高音歷史上數一數二。

美國花腔女高音羅伯娣•彼得士同樣在今年1月離世，享年八十六歲。她一生沒有唱過較重的角色，所以演唱生涯頗長。羅伯娣•彼得士與男中音莫利有過一段三個月長的婚姻。他們和平分手之後繼續合作，多次同台演出。

這齣《弄臣》來自1967年大都會歌劇院的現場演出。基達和羅伯娣•彼得士分別飾演公爵和吉爾達，美國男中音麥尼爾飾演弄臣，女低音菴帕蘭飾演瑪達蕾

娜，指揮是嘉狄利。

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