The following is a guest post from retired Music Cataloger Sharon McKinley.
A few years ago, I wrote a blog post about Geraldine Farrar, famed soprano at Metropolitan Opera 100 years ago. I only scratched the surface of her collection at the time, and have learned so much more since then. I will be sharing some fascinating items and correspondence from the collection in a High Noon lecture on Tuesday, March 17 in the Jefferson Building’s Whittall Pavilion. Take a peek at the fans Farrar used in Madama Butterfly, enjoy a duet with Enrico Caruso and a fight scene from her Carmen movie, and witness the apparent proof that her affair with Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany was not what the public would have wished. So much for THAT line of gossip! Farrar was a wonderful performer and personality, and her collection is full of interesting things. Don’t miss it!
Comments
I love Geraldine Farrar! Her rendition of of Barcarole from Tales of Hoffman in which she sang a duet with Antonio Scotti on a single-sided HMV yellow label recording of about 1910 is one of the stars of my operatic collection!