Tucker, Price, Dalis & Merrill live at the Met in 1966 - "Aida" Triumphal scene

This is the triumphal scene from Verdi's "Aida" as heard on the February 12, 1966 Metropolitan Opera broadcast where Zubin Mehta conducted. Cast members included Leontyne Price (Aida), Richard Tucker (Radames), Irene Dalis (Amneris), Robert Merrill (Amonasro), Nicola Ghiuselev (Ramfis), Raymond Michalski (King), Robert Nagy (Messenger), and Mary Ellen Pracht (Priestess).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Richard Tucker
• Leontyne Price
• Irene Dalis
• Robert Merrill
• Giuseppe Verdi
• Triumphal
• scene
• march
• Aida
• opera
• 1966
• Metropolitan Opera
• radio
• broadcast
• Zubin Mehta
• yt:quality=high

[SHICOFF1]

#ShawDaman I imagine they where shocked when at #9:33 Tucker sang the High C,  expecting he would do it as in the 1965 run Perhaps sirius will play it someday and we can get a better sounding copy. Price was in her prime here, she was a great Aida.

[SHICOFF1]

Wow! in great voice at age 52 the pictures also excellent. Tucker as a Rule did not sing interpolated high notes when he could have with his powerful voice, he sang as written but here he did Sing high C that bought the house down. He sang in Aida before this in 1965 for the first time at the Met. with Nilsson the great Swedish Sop. and several times after this one and another Brdcst later in 1973, his last. He died in 1975. He waited for dramatic roles like this one and he lasted.

[profgv2011]

Thank you so much for posting this...When I saw Tucker and Arroyo do this ascent into high C I though I would never recover......I didn't know there was a Price/Tucker performance too.

[stevevandien]

Grand opera, indeed. Singers with true Verdian voices who knew how to use them. If there is a comparable "Aida" cast available today, I have not heard it.

[liedersanger1]

Thanks for this. It's a hard-to-find broadcast! Many would be grateful if you could post other excerpts please :-)....

[ShawDAMAN]

Wow, what a cast, thanks for this gem. You can tell the crowd was pumped. Any chance for the nile scene or the final duet? :)

I didn't know Mehta was conducting at the Met as young as 30.

[SHICOFF1]

#9:33 Singing high C at age 52 live and not a radio show that was pre recorded. This man held up vocally so well because he paced himself and didn't burn out. His teacher Paul Althouse said you will not get old before your time, in so many words. What fine pics. and Price was wonderful in the role! Too bad this has never been around in good sound but perhaps the Met. will play it on Sirius network for the sake of Price, Tucker and Merrill. Thanks for this post!