| Trying to get your 16 year old acid | | | | Caruso actually came long before |
| rocker son to go to an Opera is like | | | | Bjoerling, having been born in 1873. At |
| trying to get President Bill Clinton to | | | | the time he was considered the greatest |
| admit that he had sex with that Lewinsky | | | | tenor of all time. After the arrival of |
| gal. You've got one big fight ahead of | | | | Bjoerling, the debate began. Most opera |
| you. The truth is, if we didn't have | | | | lovers are torn between the two as to |
| the opera, we wouldn't have some of the | | | | who is the greatest. Caruso actually |
| other great music of our time as | | | | had technical problems early in his |
| ultimately every form of music, | | | | career that he did not overcome until |
| especially Broadway musicals, comes from | | | | the turn of the century when he was |
| the classics. And there is no more | | | | finally able to move away from resorting |
| classic than grand opera.There's a | | | | to falsetto or transposition. Caruso |
| reason that most operas are sung in | | | | gave many memorable performances during |
| Italian. Most of the great writers of | | | | his all too brief career which included |
| opera were Italian. The few English | | | | probably his most popular role in "I |
| language operas we have, like "The | | | | Pagliacci" where he sings what has |
| Barber Of Seville" don't compare to the | | | | become his most famous aria, "Vesti La |
| old grand Italian operas. And it is | | | | Giubba".The opera world did not just |
| those operas that have given us some of | | | | belong to the men. There have been many |
| the greatest singers in the history of | | | | great women who have come to the opera |
| music.Great singers go back many years. | | | | stage over the years. One of the most |
| Keeping this discussion to the 20th | | | | famous of these is Leontyne Price who |
| century, one needs to go no farther than | | | | was born in 1927 and still lives today, |
| the incomparable Jussi Bjoerling, as he | | | | though she has long stopped her operatic |
| was called. Bjoerling lived from 1911 | | | | career. Price had many victories in her |
| to 1960. He actually wasn't even | | | | career. Her biggest was probably on |
| Italian but Swedish born. But he was | | | | January 27, 1961, when she made her |
| one of the greatest of our time. He was | | | | debut at the Metropolitan Opera House |
| the leading tenor at the New York | | | | while playing Leonora in the Verdi |
| Metropolitan Opera for more than 20 | | | | classic "Il Trovatore". Her performance |
| years. Some of this most memorable | | | | was so incredible that it resulted in |
| performances however were not done at | | | | her getting a 42 minute standing |
| the Met but at the Rome Opera House | | | | ovation. This was one of the longest in |
| under the direction of Jonel Perlea | | | | the history of the Met. The critics |
| where he appeared in some of the | | | | reviews of her performance labeled it as |
| greatest operas ever written, including | | | | "flawless".These few greats only scratch |
| "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Tosca" and | | | | the surface of what opera has given us. |
| "Carmen", just to name a few.In the | | | | If you've never been to the grand opera, |
| opera world, many people were constantly | | | | by all means go. Even if you have to |
| comparing Bjoerling to another great | | | | leave your 16 year old acid rocker home. |
| tenor by the name of Enrico Caruso. | | | | |