What Smells Like A Dozen Famous Sopranos And Is Red All Over?

One King's Lane is currently running an auction of Metropolitan Opera memorabilia. Perhaps the most interesting item among the lot is a costume worn by a curious collection of divas that have sung the role of Elizabeth of Valois with the company over the last three decades, beginning with its original wearer Renata Scotto. A nice bargain of operatic history for only $4,999US and Halloween is just around the corner! 

A full image of the dress after the jump and be sure to check the tags at the end of this post to see the list of singers to wear the garment.

Click on the image to enlarge. You will see a detail of the tags sewn into the costume that designate some of the singers who wore it over the years. You can see sopranos wearing it here and here. Also watch the dress in action here.

From the Vault: Margaret Price at the Wigmore Hall on RCA

From 1971 comes this RCA Red Seal album of soprano Margaret Price and pianist James Lockhart performing recital music from Wigmore Hall in London. This was the same year she made her Cologne Opera debut in Don Giovanni and one year before making the complete recording of Così fan tutte (singing Fiordiligi) under Otto Klemperer. Complete track listing is after the jump.

Margaret Price Sings Strauss "Vier Letzte Lieder"

Dame Margaret Price, Soprano, Dies at 69

Dame Margaret Berenice Price,DBE (April 13, 1941, Blackwood, Monmouthshire - January 28, 2011) is a Welsh soprano. Price, who came from a music-loving family, started singing for pleasure early in her life. She originally did not plan on making a career out of her talent; she dreamed of becoming a biology teacher instead as teaching was in her family. At the age of 15, her school music teacher organised an audition with Charles Kennedy Scott who convinced her to study with him at Trinity College of Music in London and obtained a scholarship for her. Over the next few years, Price was trained as a mezzo-soprano. After graduation, she joined the Ambrosian Singers, but was reluctant to enter

When Classical Record Labels Give You No Other Choice

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Over a quarter of a century after facing the dilemma to switch over from vinyl LPs to the shiny new medium known as compact discs, I face a new crisis. Will I collect recordings in MP3 format only? 

Check out some of the re-issues from Felicity Palmer, Bernadette Greevy, Helen Watts and more, after the jump.