I had virtually no exposure to classical music in my childhood, but became interested in the usual romantic orchestral stuff while in high school. I became a regular at Robin Hood Dell and an occasional visitor to the Academy of Music. However, a schoolmate, Jimmy DePriest, was Marian Anderson's nephew. At his invitation, she visited Central and gave us a concert which astonished me then (and still stands out more than forty years later).
In college, I was turned on to chamber music, Mozart and Stravinsky; my interests broadened from there. After school, I returned to Philadelphia, subscribed to the Philadelphia Orchestra and to the first seasons of the Chamber Orchestra. The first concert included the "Exsultate Jubilate" with Adele Addison - another indelible memory. Now that I had some money (engineering paid well), I started collecting recordings. My first opera sets were "Don Giovanni" and "Nozze di Figaro" - and I was hooked. My collection had grown substantially before I saw my first live performance.
I began at the top: "Don Giovanni" under Ludwig with Tozzi, Evans, R. Lewis; de los Angeles and Schwarzkopf. I was to hear Schwarzkopf again in "Rosenkavalier" at the Met (with della Casa, Rothenberger and Edelmann), and de los Angeles again in recital. In the next decade, I was a regular irregular on business trips to New York and Los Angeles and a subscriber to Sarah Caldwell's Boston Opera, then to Houston Grand Opera. I missed many of the greats of the era, but often heard Nilsson, Moffo, Sills, Sutherland, Horne; Corelli, Vickers, Gedda, Gobbi, Hines - and many more.
My attendance fell off during the eighties since there were ever fewer performances available at the level to which I had become accustomed. There were exceptions such as Auger in "Alcina" and Giulini's "Falstaff". But since I became unable to attend the opera about 1989, I have found only a few artists whom I really regret being unable to see live. My interest is undiminished; if I could get to one of the Mariinski productions, I would gladly do without the LaserDisc imitation.
Now my attendance is vicarious: broadcasts, recordings, reports from friends and above all
Opera-l is an Internet mailing list now maintained at CUNY by Bob Kosovsky. At this writing, it has over a thousand subscribers: amateurs and professionals; critics, singers, conductors, directors and standees; some anticipating their first opera, others who have been attending for five decades. In short, we are an eclectic group of fanatics.
The list is very active, pushing its limit of eighty posts per day. It is not for the casual listener but for the serious fanatic or professional. We are proud that we are nearly free of flames and ad hominem discourse. A starting point for exploration is http://www.opera-l.org/
Mail me at operas@mrichter.com
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