Sandy's Blog

BROADWAY VOICES RETURNS TO WPRB

2009-05-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

The new summer schedule at WPRB http://www.wprb.com
is underway, and once again, I will be hosting and producing Broadway Voices, a program of original soundtrack recordings. The first program will be Friday, May 29th from 11AM to 1 PM, and I will be featuring a 1933 musical by George Gershwin....Pardon My English. You can check the schedule of upcoming shows by going to my website http://www.mybroadwayvoices.org

WEBCASTS

2009-04-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

WWFM posts webcasts of weekly shows on the website. All you need to do is go to their website, http://www.wwfm.org and look for webcasts in the left column of the homepage. My program, Treasured Voices, is there, too, although it's a monthly program. My four newest programs are there, but I am now happy to announce that the 14 older Treasured Voices have been added. My two favorites are Lawrence Tibbett and Ivan Rebroff. I hope you'll have time to listen to some of them.

AN OBNOXIOUS DRIVER

2009-03-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

I was taken aback this morning when I observed someone who lives in my neighborhood disregarding the rules that apply to school buses. I was driving in front of this person when I saw a school bus stop at a corner. The bus driver applied his blinking lights and special moving stop sign. Everyone stopped, but after a minute or two, this impatient person behind me started honking his or her horn. The next thing I knew, this person passed me and went on ahead while the bus still had the stop sign out. How I wished for a policeman right then and there. What can we do about these drivers who make up their own rules of the road?

MALAGA--A MEMORABLE MEAL

2009-02-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

We hadn't been to Malaga for about a year, and I had forgotten how much we love their food. I would like to include a photo of my luscious chicken in wine sauce, but the photos on their website are protected. It is a little slice of
Basque country, hidden in a section of Trenton and a little hard to find, unless you visit Map Quest. They make it simple. After that, you can find this delightful place in 22 minutes (from Princeton). The white bean soup is perfection, and the bread is crusty and delicious. My chicken was accompanied by perfectly cooked green beans and carrots,plus potatoes that I will describe as follows: they are potato chips that are larger and thicker, not salty or greasy, and just heavenly=arranged around the plate in a lovely pattern. We were also served a bowl of delectable rice with peas and other goodies. Their website, for lots of information and photos is
http://www.malagarestaurant.com/
Don't forget the Sangria. It's heavenly. One more thing--the service is attentive, friendly, but unobtrusive. As we were about to leave, a guitarist visited our table and serenaded us. What a perfect ending to a lovely visit.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY...MORE FLOWERS

2009-02-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

We are not talented gardeners. We've planted trees and flowers in our yard but our backs complain endlessly. Fresh flowers in the house are one of my greatest pleasures, and my generous husband gave me some gorgeous ones for Valentine's Day. A few of them are rather unusual, and I have a new love for flowering kale. Here they are. I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day.

AUDIO PROMOS RESTORED

2009-02-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

I have been informed by listeners that they always enjoyed hearing the promos that were made for my Treasured Voices programs. Last night, we put them back on my website http://www.treasuredvoices.org

These promos are from a few years ago, but they give you a sampling of the singer's artistry and power. I hope you enjoy them.

TREASURED VOICES RETURNS TO WWFM

2009-01-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

After an absence of two years, Treasured Voices will return to WWFM tomorrow afternoon, January 24th, directly after the broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera. It's a monthly feature, and that's simply because it's quite a lot of work, and I don't believe that I could manage one each week. Tomorrow's subject is Italian baritone Ettore Bastianini, who passed away when he was only 44 years old. And what a voice. A nice feature at WWFM is that if you miss the broadcast, you can go to the website, http://www.wwfm.org/

and listen to a webcast. The subject of February's Treasured Voices is American mezzo-soprano Frederica Von Stade. The date is February 28th.
You can check the upcoming schedule by going to
http://www.treasuredvoices.org

A MAGNIFICENT MEAL

2009-01-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite restaurants is the Frenchtown Inn, in Frenchtown, New Jersey. We were there a few nights ago, and as usual, we were delighted with their exquisite food. There is a beautiful photograph on their website, which is

http://www.frenchtowninn.com

The photo is of my favorite salad, and I hope this does it justice. It is a salad of delicious lettuces dressed in a flavorful vinaigette with warmed goat cheese, roasted garlic, luscious bacon pieces, and two apple beignettes. It is an inspired creation. The rest of the meal was equally as thrilling.

FROM MYSTERIOUS PODS TO EXOTIC FLOWERS

2009-01-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

This time of year, we celebrate our anniversary a lot, and the other day, my husband brought home some fascinating flowers. They were called Three Pod Lillies, and they resembled something from outer space. They had very long stems and and each stem had three eerie looking hefty greenish pods. Each day they changed, and the pods grew fatter. After about a week, they started to open, and soon, there they were--gorgeous, voluminous lillies. What a treat. Thanks, Ken.

A MIND-BOGGLING DINNER

2008-11-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

I was trying to shake myself out of my rut today. Usually, on Saturday nights I eat a very early dinner (cereal, as a rule) and go to bed by 7:30 PM in order to awaken very early for my opera show Sunday morning. I was not in the mood for that senario and went to the mall with my husband.While he took a walk I thought I would try a simple dinner at one of the fast food outlets. This turned out to be a disastrous error. I ordered a chicken sandwich, which was so salty, I should have returned it to the counter. I didn't and just sat there and ate it because I was hungry. Actually the place was fairly peaceful-----until, about a third of the way through my salty repast, three teenagers sat down in front of me. One of them, a very young woman, was carrying a crying baby. If I had had any brains, I would have thrown away the nasty sandwich and skedaddled out of there. But I decided to see what would happen next. What I witnessed was beyond my wildest nightmares. The young woman put the baby down on the chair next to hers and proceeded to change the baby's diaper....right there in the restaurant ! There was no way that I could miss this because I was facing them. After the baby was changed, she picked the baby up and left the dirty diaper on the seat. And then she began her meal without excusing herself to wash her hands.

What has happened to people's sense of decorum,consideration, and sanitation?? Don't people have common sense anymore? Should we all accept this behavior?

A Sangria Story

2008-09-18T01:46:00.001-07:00

What has happened to Sangria? When did restaurants begin to dilute it with citrus flavored soda? I was appalled last night when I was served Sangria that tasted like soda pop. The standard recipe for Sangria includes good red wine, slices and juice of lemons and oranges, some Triple Sec, some brandy, and cut up apple. I discussed this with the waitress, who brought it to the attention of the bartender. He said that his recipe included Sprite! We had a pleasant chat with the manager, who admitted that their recipe was changed in August. So much for Sangria in that restaurant. Corporate has done it again.....

Goodbye to Broadway Voices

2008-09-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, September 8th, my last Broadway Voices aired for the season. I enjoyed doing the program so much and hope to have the opportunity to prepare more shows next Summer. My collection of original cast recordings of Broadway shows continues to grow, and I will look forward to sharing them with listeners. Now it's time to concentrate once again on opera.

VERY SAD NEWS

2008-08-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

I learned today, from Bill Ronayne, President of the Mario Lanza Society, that Mario Lanza's son, Damon Lanza, has passed away. He died on Saturday, August 16th at the age of 55. It's been a very sad day here.

GORGEOUS CAKE

2008-06-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a photograph of the delicious Viva Mario Cake that we enjoyed a week ago at the Mario Lanza Society luncheon. The photo was sent by Bill Ronayne, President of the Society. Thanks, Bill.

Mario Lanza Luncheon

2008-06-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

Another luncheon of the Mario Lanza Society of New York took place yesterday at Patsy's Restaurant in Manhattan from 1-4 PM. We had our own private area upstairs, and it was wonderful to meet so many Lanza fans. The lunch included a choice of salad or a flavorful lentil soup; a choice of Chicken Parmigiana, Rigatoni, Salmon, Cannelloni, Eggplant Parmigiana, or Sausages Parmigiana;and a gigantic slice of Viva Mario Cake ( a lovely puff pastry and cream creation), frosted and decorated elegantly. There were also coffee and a cash bar. During this sublime repast, we were welcomed by President Bill Ronayne, we were treated to arias and songs sung by Raffaella Lo Castro and Giuseppe Taormina, and we heard recorded highlights from the career of Elaine Malbin, who was in attendance. What a treat it was to see her in person. We also listened to some splendid Lanza recordings. It was a sensational afternoon, and I will look forward to the next one, as well as the Lanza Ball in November

DELICIOUS FOOD PHOTOS

2008-06-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

There is a new addition to my website, which is
http://www.operaphotos.org
If you scroll to the bottom of the page, on the left, you can click on
food photos. These were taken on vacation. There are several categories,
so you can find the part of the meal that you enjoy the most.

Summer Schedule at WPRB

2008-05-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

The new summer schedule at WPRB will begin this Sunday, May 25th. I am looking forward to doing two extra shows in addition to Sunday Morning Opera. They are Morning Classical on Fridays from 6-8:30 AM and Broadway Voices on Mondays from 11 AM until 1 PM. I am especially looking forward to Broadway Voices and playing a LOT of Ethel Merman's recordings.

Very Sad News

2008-04-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-28T04:27:00.000-07:00

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?