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

This is a very rare video from conductor Wilfrid Pelletier's 1969 birthday party in Montreal done by a Canadian news crew. Richard Tucker and Licia Albanese fool around and sing the brindisi from Verdi's "La traviata" with a chorus including Bidu Sayao (doesn't want to join Tucker at 1:40 and 1:52), Thelma Votipka (joins Tucker at 2:44), Helen Jepson, Rose Bampton, Karin Maria Branzell, Patrice Munsel, Herta Glaz, Theodor Uppman, and even Sarah Tucker (with several others I can't even name in the background)! Pelletier is of course playing the piano. Later in the video there are interviews with many of the people who were at the party (mostly in French) and at the end they all sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" for Pelletier (will be posted in the near future).

Wilfrid Pelletier was known as "the grandfather of music in Quebec" having founded the Societe des Concerts Symphoniques de Montreal, Les Festivals de Montreal, and the Montreal Conservatory. At the Met he first appeared as a concert pianist in 1917 and finally made his way up to conducting in 1926, even having performed a few minor roles! There he was also the director of French repertoire for nearly 20 years starting in the early 30s and then in 1951 he became artistic director of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra. He was married to sopranos Queena Mario and Rose Bampton. The Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Quebec, Canada's largest multi-purpose concert hall, was named in 1966 in Pelletier's honor. He died in New York in 1982.

Thanks very much to Richard Tucker's son who gave a copy of this video to my friend and also to my friend for sending me a copy!

Ratings allowed as of September 14, 2011.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Richard
• Tucker
• Licia
• Albanese
• Wilfrid
• Pelletier
• party
• Libiamo
• ne'lieti
• calici
• brindisi
• Drinking
• song
• Verdi
• La
• Traviata
• Bidu
• Sayao
• Thelma
• Votipka
• Helen
• Jepson
• Rose
• Bampton
• Mimi
• Benzell
• Patrice
• Munsel
• Herta
• Glaz
• Theodor
• Uppman
• yt:quality=high

[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.

[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.

[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.

[IlgruppoDiDocci]

Tucker is fantastic!

[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

[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.

[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