Rigoletto Metropolitan Opera 1940

This is a rare, perhaps even unique, example of a non-Saturday-matinee broadcast from the Met. This was a special Tuesday night broadcast in aid of the 'Free Milk Fund' and was not even broadcast on the usual New York radio station, WJZ (760AM), instead featuring on WINS (1180AM). Although the opera was broadcast complete only 8 minutes apparently survive but they document the Rigoletto of Italian baritone Giuseppe De Luca, even though he was in his 60s by 1940. De Luca sang this role about 100 times at the Met and started out with Caruso as the Duke. Very few live recordings exist with De Luca, so it is nice to have these fragments.



De Luca as Rigoletto




Metropolitan Opera House
March 12, 1940 Broadcast


RIGOLETTO {234}
Giuseppe Verdi--Francesco Maria Piave

Rigoletto...............Giuseppe De Luca
Gilda...................Lily Pons
Duke of Mantua..........Charles Kullman
Maddalena...............Anna Kaskas
Sparafucile.............Virgilio Lazzari
Monterone...............Norman Cordon
Borsa...................Giordano Paltrinieri
Marullo.................George Cehanovsky
Count Ceprano...........Wilfred Engelman
Countess Ceprano........Maxine Stellman
Giovanna................Thelma Votipka
Page....................Edith Herlick

Conductor...............Gennaro Papi

https://rapidshare.com/files/2117917877/1940Rigoletto.mp3