Richard Tucker & Licia Albanese sing "Traviata" brindisi at a party

[sprinter846]

What great fun it is to see these people impromptu. ...especially surprising and delightful to see Tucker so loose and playful (while singing so splendidly.), He was generally rather stiff on stage one rarely saw him even smile. How foolish he was to stifle his natural charm which the public would certainly have found most engaging.

[vivadomingo1]

This is a neat video

[ThePavafan]

Wow. His voice is so loud that in every note he drowns everyone around him. Tucker the beast bravo.

[novasafo]

Wow. Magic!

[cr0c0d0p0lis1]

delightful.

[Tenortalker]

Amazing-- and Tippy or Thelma Votipka turns up in the last few seconds. This lady gave hundreds of performances in character roles like 'Mamma Lucia' at the Met. A later British equivalent in terms of service would be Elizabeth Bainbridge at the Royal Opera House.

[ClassicOperaGirl100]

I have searched high and low on YT for the music of Licia Albanese.....Thank you for uploading this

[CarloQuinto]

Oh what memories this video brings back! Licia Albanese was my first Mimi in 1964 when I was all of 18. What a vivid portrayl! I had the privilege to meet Richard Tucker on two occasions when he was appearing in Philadelphia. Those were not only great days at the Met but the glory shone all the way down to Philadelphia as many Metropolitan stars would take a busman's holiday and perform at our grand old Academy of Music. Such wonderful artists!

[dermotpelletier6858]

I seem to remember that the CBC had come to do a documentary on Grand Pere. I will ask my sisters. As for the french speaking, I think it would have to do with the relationship that he had with Montreal and the french speaking people of Quebec.

Will the rest of the movie be up soon?

Be well,

Dermot

[dermotpelletier6858]

Hello VinylToVideo,

A wonderful movie! It brought back great memories of my Grandparents home and the music that filed it. I would really enjoy seeing the rest of the movie! I have many still life pictures but no movies, thank you for sharing this part of the movie and I can't wait for you to post the rest of it. A small correction to the notes; the movie is shot at their home in NYC, not Montreal.

Sincerely,

Dermot Pelletier

[VinylToVideo]

@dermotpelletier6858 Well thanks for the correction but why would the CBC send down a team of French journalists to New York to record and interview?

[conmaleta]

Is Bidu Sayao around there in a black gown?

[VinylToVideo]

Sayao is the woman Tucker tries to bring over at 1:40.

[javrnunez]

What a tenor and artist Tucker was. This is fantastic footage. Thanks for posting! A million stars!

[Zva26]

This was simply a party, and they were having a good time. They were not on stage. Many opera singers have clips of "party records", in which they deliberately sang badly in order to add to the humor. Maria Callas once sang "Stormy Weather" at a party given by Elsa Maxwell. I'd love to hear it, but I'm sure it was never recorded.

[dickdomino]

What is the matter with you people? Do you not realise that this performance was 'spontaneous'. God, if you only had the intelligence and ability to sing like this.....

[LiricumLord]

Hermoso, me encanta que hasta el dia de hoy los cantantes líricos nos divertimos con las mismas cosas! Viva Verdi y el Brindis, y también la Albanese!

[RADAMES1983]

Amazing!!!

Thank you very much!!!

[halavey]

Pelletier's wife Rose Bampton a very attractive woman is also in the room.

[rrgallo]

Fantastic clip!!!!!!!!!!

[rrgallo]

Who´s who? Albanese and Tuceker are obvious and so is Sayao..I think Branzell is the lady in darkl pulledover by Tucker...Can anybody identify the ladies around the piano buy the color of their dresses???

[VinylToVideo]

I'm not even 100% sure myself. Sarah Tucker is the lady in pink leaning against the piano, I think it's Branzell beside her in the dark green, Glaz in the white or baige around them, obviously Uppman is the taller man in the suit standing in the group, and Votipka is the one Tucker pulls over towards the end. Some of the people who were there can't be seen as they're standing to the left of the camera used for the first shot. I can't identify the few others standing around.

[rrgallo]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question!

[muv323]

@VinylToVideo

I just want to set you right as to the identity of the woman in the "gold" coat. She is my mother, Jean Uppman. I loved that coat. You are right about the identity of the taller gentleman in the rear. He is my father, Theodor Uppman. I knew all of these people when my father was singing at the Met from the early 50s to the late 70s. Unfortunately, he died in March, 2005. It is lovely to have access to all of these YouTube videos.

[AulicExclusiva]

The amazing thing is that Tucker seems to remember music and words better than Albanese, who was not only ITALIAN but the most famous Violetta of that generation!

[GermanOperaSinger]

Richard Tucker was famous for having an incredible aural memory which allowed him to memorize all his roles completely phonetically despite that he barely spoke a word of Italian. It is truly incredible since he fooled native Italians into thinking he was Florentine!

[ioSonoCallas]

Fantastic and so moving!

Thank you so much for this treasure!

[halavey]

Boheme duet in 1950, posted by Vinyl .Metropolitan opera .  Same team. Albanese/Tucker.

[halavey]

Wow! He must have shook the rafters at the end of the duet, big for sure!

[halavey]

Correction. My mistake he said "I got enough trouble listening to my own words while he was singing" when she looked at him with that expression. He sure sang wonderfully. Wonderful post,. She did some fine singing even at 60. They are on you tube together in a 1950 met. Boheme I believe posted by Mooorhe.

[halavey]

Yes born in 1909. she shaved some years off by saying 1913 as in the books. The Tenor Tucker was born in 1913. At one point I see Uppmann hold up his glass and smile and Tucker around 126 injects humor by saying "I have enough trouble with my own words" when she looks like she may have forgotten some of it, they where having a good time with it, probably during the cocktail hour, I read he never sang after after he ate dinner. He would skip dinner if he was going to sing.

[IlgruppoDiDocci]

Tucker is fantastic!

[GermanOperaSinger]

Definitely the best thing that's been posted in a while. Wonderful to hear them all here, albeit past their prime years. They still sound wonderful, especially Tucker whose brassy voice still rings out even in that living room with terrible acoustics. Now that was a BIG voice.

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

The impromptu singing is lovely. Maestro Tucker never disappoints.

[Mooorhe]

Fantastic, absolutely incredible, especially Tucker's closing note that completely dominates. I don't suppose he would be warmed up either. Wow.

[Michaelbos]

Wonderful, Great to have something like this on tape and too share it. Thank you

[ShawDAMAN]

Wow, great video, thanks, and all things considered the quality isn't bad at all... in color too! What a treat for the people at that party =P

I assume Pearlmuth sent this... if he sees this, thanks..

[sospello]

What a terrific post VTV--one to treasure! How the sound picks up when RT begins to sing. You are always finding fascinating recordings of your favorite artists *****.

[jmccracken1963]

WOW!!!!! Thank you very much for sharing this!!!!!

[SENAFOREVER]

Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssseeeee­eeeee give us the whole video.

[VinylToVideo]

I will in the near future. Most of it is in French.

[VinylToVideo]

Oh great I see you are in France. My French is rusty (always was horrible in all honesty) so perhaps you can help with the translations. I'm sure Lesley (sospello) would gladly help as well!

[sospello]

My friend on YT, Jean-Guy in Canada can probably help as well.

[SENAFOREVER]

I knee and worship you of gratitude, my dear.

[VinylToVideo]

I believe I said something similar to my friend when he gave me this!