was all tenderness
but lit, as if from within
with lively spirit

This has been the glory of the Met: the love, care, craft and experience that go into works as different as these two — starkly contrasting titles, both presented at the highest level.

In “Elisir,” the tenor Javier Camarena and the soprano Golda Schultz were all tenderness, but were lit, as if from within, with a lively spirit by the conductor Michele Gamba, making his company debut.

From the article,

Is It the End of an Era at the Metropolitan Opera? As the 2022-23 season ends, the country’s largest performing arts institution looks ahead to a future of fewer titles. by Zachary Woolfe

Zachary Woolfe, according to the blurb, became The Times’s classical music critic in 2022, after serving as classical music editor since 2015. Prior to joining The Times, he was the opera critic of the New York Observer.

I don’t do much opera though I grew up in house where opera played a loud role.

My Dad loved opera.

In his war letters from Europe he tells my future Mom that he was able to attend several opera performances while in London and on the continent.

Then he asked, “Do you like opera?”

Not sure that Mom ever liked it as much as Dad but she did appreciate it.

I can still hear her describing how she felt when she first heard Bizet’s Votre toast, je peux vous le rendreml, better known as the Toreador Song from Carmen.

She told how she got out the record and played it for her cousin who listened and then said, ‘meh’ and my mother couldn’t understand how she could not be thrilled.

I call also her my Mom describe who some awe on hearing the voice of Leontyne Price in person.

My Dad lived in the era before online music.

All I can say about that is had my Dad had access to music the may I have access to music, we may never have seen my Dad.

As it was, Saturday’s at my house were known by several sounds.

First was the sound of Bugs Bunny cartoons, which seemed to be on all morning.

Then, in the fall, there was the sound and voice of Tom Hemingway of radio station WUOM calling the play by play of Michigan football games on the radio.

My Dad had wired our house with speakers so the game was one in everyone room.

Then there was the sound of opera through the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts with Milton Cross, a regular series of weekly broadcasts on network radio of full-length opera performances, transmitted live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

I can close my eyes and hear the sound of Warner Brothers cartoons with the opening guitar chord.

I can close my eyes and hear the sound of the opening, “The Wolverines are on the air!”

I can close my eyes and hear the sound of Milton Cross welcoming listeners to other broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera.

My Dad had large closet called “The Sound Room” located off the living room.

In his sound room he had an assortment of radios, turntables and reel to reel tape records and lots and lots of cables.

If the opera was one of my Dad’s favorites, all he had to do was flip a switch or two and broadcast the show throughout the house AND record it at the same time.

There several shelves along the wall and they were filled with recordings of Michigan Football games and opera.

It was a library of sound built with love, care, craft and experience.

I have a distinct memory of needing something important from my Dad on Saturday.

Something like an air pump needle to blow up a football or something really important like that and I found him in his sound room.

No knocking or waiting or regard, I barged in to question my Dad.

He was cueing up a tape and turned and looked at me and said, “NOW JUST HOLD IT. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR 20 YEARS TO RECORD THIS!”

So I waited and we listened to the music together.

It was the overture to Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser.

It wasn’t long but it was a short moment with my Dad that was tenderness, and lit, as if from within, with a lively spirit.

Every once in a while I will search out the Tannhäuser Overture on You Tube.

The search takes a split second.

It took my Dad 20 years.

I will listen to the annhäuser Overture on You Tube.

I will think of my Dad.

And Saturday afternoons at home.