| La Forza del Destino |
| 1938 - Beniamino Gigli made a brief return to the San Francisco Opera. Applause was so great following the third act of Forza, the hero was rushed from his dressing room to accept it. He appeared onstage in what one of the lady subscribers described as a nightie. At another performance Gigli allegedly got off the stretcher to accept applause for a vintage �Solenne in quest�ora�, leaving the bearers jobless. Bloomfield-50 Years of SFO |
 |
| CD Sample - Disc 2/ Track 7(Alvaro, Carlo) La forza del destino: Act Three: Scene Two: Solenne in quest'ora |
 |
| Beniamino Gigli: Buenos Aires & Rio de Janeiro (click photo) |
 |
| Beniamino Gigli
A master of vocal colouring and of projecting senti-ments, Beniamino Gigli came to enjoy status as "The People's Singer," for his many and popular appearances outside the opera venue. His tomb in Recanati bears the inscription: "Con la mia voce ho cantato la patria" � With my voice I sang the fatherland. |
 |
| On This CD: Track 16. La forza del destino, opera Solenne in quest'ora (no samples) Composed by Giuseppe Verdi Performed by Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theater Orchestra with Beniamino Gigli, Enzo Mascherini, Giulio Neri, Elisabetta Barbato Conducted by Antonino Votto |
| SFO Historical Note |
| Hisoric Recording Beniamino Gigli (1890-1957) Che gelida manina (click play) La Boh�me by Giacomo Puccini |
 |
| Very few people know that this Che gelida manina aria is acually about Jello - (click the Real Player link) - A Prairie Home Companion |
|
 |
| The Voice |
| This opera has not ben done at SFO for over a decade, but when it was done, some good times were had by all. |
 |
| The Saturday Opera with Clyde Martin
Verdi: La Forza del Destino On Listen List |