Tucker died, suddenly, two years later of a heart attack, while touring with Merrill, in Kalamazoo. Of note is Tucker was singing this role opposite Warren the night Warren dropped dead on stage.....
I wish the sound back then on TV shows was better because the singing and their voices here are sensational, today it cannot compare and Ed Sullivan gave us so many great singers on his show. --Tebaldi and Tucker , they where two of the true greatest in the world of opera! RIP.
Two great warriors in the service of art and beauty who were are able to serve their cause so gloriously because of their lifelong devotion to maintaining and improving the vocal gifts they were originally given.
This is a good performance. But listen to 1943 recording with Lauri Volpi&Bechi or Corelli&Bastianini, 1958 recording. And you will hear the difference.
Wednesday evening, May 16, 1973 at 8:30pm Symphony Hall, Boston, MA, U.S.A. Boston Pops Orchestra Arthur Fiedler, conductor Boston Pops Concerts Tucker was 59 years, 8 months old Merrill was 55 years, 11 months old Fiedler was 78 years, 5 months old
Yes, Tucker made his Met. opera debut in Jan. 1945 and Merrill later in that year also, Tucker was 59 years old here and Merrill about five years younger then Tucker, both still solid here .
I saw Tucker about a year before his death singing La Juive in New Orleans. A friend in the chorus told me that before the big aria, he turned his back to the audience and popped a pill. My friend thought it was nitroglycerin. So his fatal heart attack was not a surprise. In fact, Tucker said he wanted to die on stage, but he missed it but two hours.
Very few of the people in this live performance are still alive. The gala mentioned at the beginning can be seen here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LTnNDnQrylk.html
That´s how opera should sound! Far away from any vocal or technical issues and together with an incredible powerful conductor they make music and drama alive.
What a superb verdian tenor has been maestro Richard Tucker!!! By the way does anyone know who is the orchestra conductor of this wonderful performance?
They, Indeed, recorded the whole Forza (RCA, with Price, under Schippers) almost ten years earlier... and they were as good as ever. Tucker and Merrill had wonderful and long lasting careers!
That's about as fresh as you can be!! The two greatest male voices ever produced by the U.S. I could only compare Corelli/ Del Monaco w/ Bastianini with those two!
They did in 1964 complete, in the studio on the RCA label with Soprano L. Price, it is on CD's also from that1964 Recording, also they sang it complete back in 1961 on a Saturday radio Brdcst. at the Met,. with soprano Farrell, and this duet with both Tucker and Merrill from that radio Brdcst. is on you tube also and in their Prime, it's excellent .
