Campbell Vertesi

I recently found out about an incredible tenor who's been singing at all the great houses for the last 30 years, but who has somehow managed to fly under the radar, fame-wise. His name is Giuseppe Giacomini, and why he is not a household name is beyond me. Seriously, the more I listen to this guy the more his high notes make me gesticulate wildly and cheer out loud.

He sounds like a baritone. A baritone with the best B natural on the freaking planet! See if you can stay in your seat listening to this one.

How did you do? I managed to stay sitting this time, but I had to beat the air with my fists during the high notes. And I let out a little "bravo" at the end, though I tried so hard not to.

The fact that this man sang like this for 30 years at every great house from Scala to the Met, and is not a household name like Corelli or Pavarotti is amazing to me. Amazing, and sort of depressing. So I consider it a mitzvah to pass on this forbidden knowledge to you. Now go and share the gospel of Giacomini with all of your friends.

An interesting set of audio clips - Richard Tucker interviewed as a part of a radio series examining art in modern society.  The series covers twenty-two great artists, asking some big questions:

Frank Lloyd Wright, Aaron Copland, Leopold Stokowski, Robert Penn Warren, Allen Tate, Norman Cousins, Reinhold Niehbuhr, Margaret Mead, Agnes de Mille, and many other authorities express their individual views on the creative process in reference to their own work and to society. Each interview attempted to answer several critical questions relative to nontechnical values that challenge the attention of thoughtful individuals in an industrial society:

Do the human and cultural aspects of civilization receive the necessary encouragement to insure a balanced development?
Do the young potential artists in our midst have a favorable opportunity to express their talents?

 It's an interesting question.  What does the questioner mean by "balanced development"?  Balanced according to whom, or by what measure?  Development towards what?  

Hell, I may as well post the link to the whole archive of audio clips - in the music category, at least.  Everyone from harpist Deborah Henson-Conant to Yo-Yo Ma to Aaron Copeland talking (and performing) about all sorts of stuff.  Have fun!