La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Sanford writes:
On May 15th, 1976, The Met was on tour with Le Nozze di Figaro, starring:
Figaro: Justino Díaz
Susanna: Loretta Di Franco
Count Almaviva: John Reardon
Countess Almaviva: Lucine Amara
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Cherubino: Huguette Tourangeau
Dr. Bartolo: Andrew Foldi
Marcellina: Shirley Love
Don Basilio: Andrea Velis
Antonio: Richard Best
Barbarina: Alma Jean Smith
Don Curzio: Robert Schmorr
Peasant: Linda Mays
Peasant: Dorothy Shawn
Conductor: Steuart Bedford
Of course our JJ recalls that afternoon’s performance, if not exactly with the vividness associated with that night’s Trittico (with Renata Scotto, for those of you who have been following along at home). His main recollection, JJ tells La Cieca, is that he mistook the starting time for the Figaro (which, in fact, began at 1:30) and so he had to sprint the distance of about half a mile from his motel to the Dallas State Fair Music Hall, arriving breathless and sweaty just as Mozart’s charming overture commenced.
Your doyenne has enjoyed the occasional breathless and sweaty evening at the opera in the 32 years since that fateful double-header, and she is delighted to inform her cher public that our Sanford has once again performed his cut-and-paste wizardry to create another vocal identification quiz for your delight and possible financial gain.
In honor of that long-ago Figaro, this quiz is based on La Cieca’s favorite aria from the opera, Susanna’s “Deh vieni non tardar.” Eight artists sing segments of the aria; it is your task to recognize all eight and then email La Cieca at lacieca@parterre.com with your solution. The sender of the first email received with all eight correct answers will win an amazon.com gift card.
The Susanna Quiz
Oh, JJ also remembers that Lucine wore a yellow dress in Act 3. After all, that’s not the sort of thing you would tend to forget, is it?
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