Donald Smith sings Ah La Paterna Mano (Macbeth) скачать в хорошем качестве

Donald Smith sings Ah La Paterna Mano (Macbeth)

Australian operatic tenor Dr DONALD SMITH O.B.E. has the distinction of being the very first opera singer to sing in the Sydney Opera House before an audience. There were two seperate concerts, the first was held in the Concert Hall and the second in the Opera Theatre; Both were performed on Sunday 21st January 1973. This recording is a live concert performance of McDuff's aria 'O Figli, O Figli Miei! Ah, La Paterna Mano' from Act Four of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Macbeth". These concerts were for the occasion of the 'Acoustic Tests' in the SOH theatres. The same aria was performed by Donald in both concerts in the space of two hours, accompanied by the ABC National Training Orchestra conducted by Robert Miller. The soprano, the late Elizabeth Fretwell was the other soloist who also performed with Donald on these occasions, singing the duets 'Love I Surender To Your Mystery' from the operetta by Franz Lehar "The Land Of Smiles" and 'Teco Io Sto, Gran Dio' from Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Un Ballo In Maschera". Before Donald Smith made operatic history, five shotgun blanks were fired inside the Concert Hall in an acoustic test, whilst the invited audience of some 2,700 people, comprising construction workers, members of parliament, Friends of The Australian Opera, in shirt sleeves, silver lame pearls and cotton shirts covered their ears! There was also an introductory speech made by Dr Vilhelm Lessen Jordan an acoustic consultant involved in the Sydney Opera House acoustic tests. The artistic director of The Australian Opera Company at that time Stephen Hall, also gave a speech telling the audience "In this sort of job I've always been running across people who say:- 'I was at Nellie Melba's farewell', but then I have to say "which one""? Stephen Hall then went on to tell the audience, "But we can say that today you here are going to hear the first opera singer, sing in the Concert Hall of the Opera House". Donald said that he had chosen to sing McDuff's aria, because it was an easy one that can be performed without too much rehearsal. The Sydney Opera House was not officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen until later that year on 20th October 1973.