Janice Taylor & Robert Allman - "Tutte le feste al tempio" RIGOLETTO (Verdi) 1972

In the early 1970s, the operatic stages in Australia boasted a handful of excellent baritones in the title role of Rigoletto. These included John Shaw, Raymond Myers, the Hungarian-born Alexander Major and the Australian baritone who holds the prize for the most Rigoletto's in the country - Robert Allman. Australia was also fortunate to experience the British baritone, Peter Glossop, during this period but it was the lion's roar of Allman that aurally impressed for more than two decades. We hear Robert Allman with Janice Taylor as Gilda in a performance by Opera Australia on October 6th 1972 - before the company moved to the Sydney Opera House - in the scene which completes Act III of Verdi's opera. The conductor is Mark Elder.

[@johnturner613]

Both singers are excellent here. Among many Australian Opera performances I attended in the 70s, I regret never hearing Janice Taylor at all, nor Robert Allman in this role, though I did see him excel in many other parts. Verdi is rather clunky here. That orchestral accompaniment in the final section is pretty unsophisticated stuff I think, but still quite thrilling!