Diva Meets Diva

Thanks to a posting on a Yahoo Group dedicated to my favorite soprano of the 1950s and 1960s Renata Tebaldi, here is a wonderful photo of Diva meeting Diva. Gloria Swanson and Renata Tebaldi and I first assumed was taken at the Old Met Opera House. Upon reflection, this looks like a costume Tebaldi sported for the Verdi's Falstaff. This will date the photo to be circa 1958 at the Chicago Lyric Opera under Carol Fox. Both Divas looks absolutely terrific.

I love how Tebaldi looks absolutely delighted to be chatting with Swanson. I am sure Swanson thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The cast for this Falstaff is truly mouth watering, along with Tebaldi as Alice, Anna Moffo as Nanetta, Giulietta Simionato as Mistress Quickly, Anna Maria Canali as Meg Page, Tito Gobbi as Falstaff, Cornell MacNeil as Ford, the divine Tulio Serafin conducted. To have been a fly on the wall that evening!

Gloria Swanson, of course, was a long standing opera fan who had a close friendship with one of my other favorite sopranos, the soprano nicknamed "the Caruso in Petticoats," Rosa Ponselle.