Chicago Voices PBS Great Performances

[lennygoran]

Fri Aug 10th 10PM repeats Monday 4:30 AM
What are the chances there'll be any opera sung? Regards, Len










http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/chicago-voices/8685/

[jbuck919]

This is mainly for maestrob, who may remember exactly what I'm talking about. One of the first professional vocal ensembles aside from an opera company was in Philadelphia, and what I heard them sing (over the radio) was the unique and wondrous Bach cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden. They were perfectly awful.

[RebLem]

You might want to check out Music of the Baroque.
​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_ ... e,_Chicago

[maestrob]

This is mainly for maestrob, who may remember exactly what I'm talking about. One of the first professional vocal ensembles aside from an opera company was in Philadelphia, and what I heard them sing (over the radio) was the unique and wondrous Bach cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden. They were perfectly awful.

Actually, I don't remember that, but I can say that professional-level choirs proliferated in Mail Line churches during my college years at Villanova. I belonged to a choir in Wayne in a Baptist church. My first public appearance out of high school (Radnor) was as soloist in the Faure Requiem there, under the baton of Clyde Dengler, who himself premiered a work by composer Robert Elmore called "Shepherd of Israel," with a choir of 50+ in a fine performance while I was there. I still have the tape.

[John F]

I see that Anna Moffo was another Radnor graduate, class of '50. Did you date?

[maestrob]

I see that Anna Moffo was another Radnor graduate, class of '50. Did you date?

No, but she sang at my middle school graduation, stunningly so. I graduated in 1968, so we never saw each other. I adored her throughout her career, and remain an ardent champion of her work to this day. Not many people know, but she left Philadelphia to go to Italy to marry Mario Lanfranchi to further her career. She had her own TV show there for which she composed music, interviewed guests and sang, which was quite a hit in the 1960's. Everyone knows of her marriage to Roy Sarnoff, of course.


I finally had a chance to meet her in the Spring of 2002 at a Gala held by New Rochelle Opera, where we reminisced about having the same music teacher at Radnor, and I reminded her that I had seen her and Dr. Zerr on the Mike Douglas show together.


Her Wikipedia page is quite good, but it leaves out an important embarrassing fact, which I will not go into here. Remind me on Saturday to update your knowledge!