when goddesses roamed the stage,
conductors were fuming...

1. could the best baritone be a soprano

Rigoletto

2. quietly, I turn to jelly

Ballo in Maschera

Ebben, si                  and then più forte                 T' amo

3. why indeed

Norma

4. casually rehearsing

Puritani

5. can I be the table

Manon

6. take time and make it your own

Trovatore

7. in circus la piccola divina can jump very high

Aida

8. ave Maria

Otello

9. crackly RAI does it for me babe

Traviata

10. thank the Big Bang for the Italians - the only ones to take such a loathsome subject and turn it into this

Puritani    Vieni al Tempio - all of it! couldn't decide which bits to pick

(have decided to add the whole too-what does that 'c' in a circle stand for? compotatio? )

11. perfection

Semiramide              Bel Raggio Lusinghier - Rai, 19/11/1956, Milan

12. just look at me

Butterfly              Tu, tu piccolo iddio-Amsterdam, 11/07/1959

13. listen to 1 and then to 2 - both in that other night

Mefistofele 1              Mefistofele 2

L' altra notte - London - 03/10/1959

14. sweet, unknown power

Poliuto             Di quai soavi lagrime - Return to La Scala - 07/12/1960

15. un nume, un fato di te piú forte

Norma             Qual cor tradisti - L' Ultima Norma - 1960

16. she plays cards pretty well too

Carmen               Card Scene - Carmen - 1964

17. Paris, douze points

D'amor sull'ali rosee - Trovatore

Mexico - 20/6/1950      Athens - 5/8/1957      Paris - 19/12/1958

18. when I say she's done it I know what the fuck I'm talking about

        Quando m' en vo' - Amsterdam 11/7/1959

19. i wouldn't mind never seeing my patria mai più, but since she put it this way...

Aida             Oh patria mia - Mexico - 3/7/1951