I PAGLIACCI

Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera (28 February 1948)

Vinay, Quartararo, Warren,

Thompson / Antonicelli

Also

FLORENCE QUARTARARO MEMORIAL

1945-1950

This two-disc Guild premiere release offers the gripping Canio of Ramon Vinay who brings alive the clown’s anguished jealousy together with the vibrant Nedda of Florence Quartararo, a soprano protégé of Bruno Walter, who made a great impact at the Met in the late 1940s and then vanished. Many music critics have asked, when listening to the few memorable RCA Victor 78 rpm discs she recorded, what ever happened to this remarkable soprano? The second disc of this set and the extensive booklet notes included answers this question, presenting many choice broadcast arias and songs from the soprano’s own collection together with vivid photos of Madame Quartararo’s life and art. If only for her singing of Care Selve from Handel’s Atlanta, she should be considered one of the great sopranos of this era. Madame Quartararo was the subject of a CBC Radio documentary in 2000, which program won the World Gold Medal at the International Festival of Television and Radio held in New York. (see photo of medal plaque) In all, this is one of Guild Historical’s most unusual and important albums.