Very Sad News

I learned this morning that soprano Frances Yeend passed away on Sunday, April 27th at the age of 95. What a lovely lady and such a beautiful voice. I am particularly sad because now, all of the members of the Bel Canto Trio are gone. These three amazing singers, Mario Lanza, Frances Yeend, and George London, performed together for about a year, between 1947 and 1948.

Sunday's Opera Show April 27, 2008

I had a rather strange phone call yesterday while I was on the air. I was presenting Ruggero Leoncavallo's La Boheme, and a man called to argue that I was incorrect: it was Puccini's La Boheme. I explained that we were listening to the OTHER La Boheme, and this one was composed by Leoncavallo. He corrected me again and said that there was only one La Boheme, and it was by Puccini. I finally lost patience and said, "Does this sound like Puccini to you???" With that, he hung up on me. I was too busy practicing reading the synopsis for the next act to be upset, but by the time I arrived home, I did feel rather taken aback. Why would someone argue that way?