LA TEBALDI AND I

Renata Tebaldi,was one year older and a lirico-spinto soprano with a beautiful voice and sang mostly verismo roles of the lyric and dramatic repertoires.Yes I did say that comparing my voice and her voice was like comparing Champagne and Coca Cola no dishwater.

When I arrived in Italy Tebaldi was the star.In 1950 I was was hired at La Scala as a substitute to sing  Aida for a sick Tebaldi, she didn't like it anyone but me to replace her she said. Things got worse  when we toured South America. We were young and arrogant, agreed to appear in the same concert.Tebaldi on purpose  broke a no-encore agreement, and delivered not one but two extra arias.Things didn't get better when Time magazine published an interview of mine :
----It's ridiculous to compare my voice and Tebalti's,it's like comparing Champagne with Coca-Cola, not dishwater.
Tebaldi considered herself a lyric soprano,sang mostly verismo and late Verdi roles, roles not suited to my voice. I was a dramatic coloratura soprano,started my career in the heaviest roles, but soon after, concentrated on the bel canto repertoire, which Tebaldi could never sing,it  was beyond her technique and capability.Our rivalry was real,the fans loved it,the press loved it,theatre managers loved it ,it was good for their  box office, and boosted the sales of our records, it made everyonr happy which in the final analysis was the  important matter, however who collect today Tebaldi 's records,and how many books are published about her career and art.Nobody cares, On stage Tebaldi was pretty, I was sexy and smart and incomparable and drove men crazy.. 

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