From Rodeos we go to Operas. Fascinating story, can you imagine traveling by Pullman city to city everywhere. Stage equipment in baggage cars, whistles in the night, crisp sheets. It was an adventure.
Does anyone put on Top Hats, Tails, wear the Ermine for a night out at the Opera. Sadly lost to us. Pity.
The PRR had several theater cars with doors in the ends to handle the Met Opera sets. Can't remember if they were named for singers or operas but one exists at the railroad museum of Pennsylvania at Strasburg, PA
The opera company wanted the old building demolished, would not let it be saved.
Thanks for posting. Two excellent reads. The only opera I remember seeing at the old Met, as a youngster, was Pinochio. A friend of the family, a Mrs. Wiel. took me. Most people did feel that the new Met, at Lincoln Center, was an improvement in several respects.
What a thrill, Robert Merrill singing "The Star-Spangled Banner!"
He did a good job with "Oh Canada" as well!
I watched an interesting interview with Merrill years back. As a young man he had two passionate interests, baseball and opera, and was very good at both. At the same time he was ready to begin an opera career he tried out for the Yankees, and was offered a position on the team. He said it was a tough choice, but he went with the opera. As he put it "If I played ball I'd have a career that would have lasted only ten years, maybe fifteen if I was lucky. If I went with the opera I'd have a career that could last twenty years or more. So I chose the opera."
Eventually he was made an honorary Yankee, and got to wear the pinstripes after all.
From Mike:
The guy who hired Robert Merrill
Speaking of Edward Johnson
The way it is supposed to be. !!
For NDG, SD70Dude, cx500, AgentKid, Selector, Ulrich, 54light45, the fella from Nova Scotia who takes great pictures, doctorwayne all the rest, sorry if I left you out and my great American friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbaiOteIpR0
With mountains of thanks to Mike.
Did not the Met switch from the Central to the Pennsy at some point? Recall a Classic Trains or Trains photo of the NYPhilharmonic and Met Specials in CUS, both with Keystone drumheads on the obs or office cars.
Also, I imagine Bing himself had space in an office car at the rear of the B train.
The last move of the tour described was from Montreal to GCT. Probably ran as a 2nd Section to the Laurention. Since it was a day trip, the Pullmans were not needed and all could be accommodated in the five coaches, with Bing in the office car bringing up the rear as the one Pullman. They probably had rebuilt heavyweights with reclining seats. The galley in the office car probably provided the lunch for all. This is my speculation.
My God, that was stirring!
And Edward Johnson sang at La Scala! Man, only the best make it there!
There's a joke about the La Scala audience...
An Italian tenor finishes his aria at La Scala, and doesn't do it very well. To his amazement, he gets a standing ovation! Which means he has to encore it, which he does, and does it worse than the first time.
Another standing ovation! So he does it again. Worse than before.
And then another standing ovation! One more time, worse than the first two times.
Another standing ovation! Frustrated, he asks the audience...
"People, look, I'm-a no doin' so good uppa here. Why you make-a me sing over an' over?"
A guy in the audience yells back, "We gonna make-a you sing it 'till you get it right!!!"
Archery and Song anyone?
How to be a good tenor.
Ain't over till the fat lady sings
Edward Johnson of Guelph
She ain't a fat lady, but man can she sing!
Renee Fleming lets it rip...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa3EYcVxboQ
Wow. Stirring, rousing. Nice post Flintlock.
PS--Did not know that Boris Johnson moonlighted as a conductor!
Miningman Wow. Stirring, rousing. Nice post Flintlock. PS--Did not know that Boris Johnson moonlighted as a conductor!
Good one Miningman!
And I'll tell you what, after seeing that video for the first time several years ago it didn't surprise me at all that the Brexit vote went the way it did.
Mike rescues my faux-paux. ( did not know the fella had passed)
Actually it was Jiří Bělohlávek (1946-2017)
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