CDA x 4: Alva, Baker, Benton & Strouse

Wow, what a haul we have today...

Luigi Alva (age 98) was a Peruvian tenor who specialized in Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and other composers who suited his light, tangy voice. He's best known to me for playing Almaviva in the Maria Callas La Scala production of Barber of Seville. This is how I remember John Ardoin writing about that ill-fated production in his book about Callas's years at La Scala: "There's nothing a Scala audience enjoys more than a fiasco."

Callas was the problem in that show, light comedy was not where it was at for her. It was exactly where you could find Luigi Alva. Here he is being cute and ardent in his entrance aria from Barber. Those quick little notes are super nimble.

Joe Don Baker (89) was an actor best known for Walking Tall. I'm sure I must have seen that back in the day but I know him from his appearances in three different Bond movies, with two different Bonds - - Dalton and Brosnan. Here he is with Brosnan in GoldenEye.

Robert Benton (92) co-wrote Bonnie and Clyde and wrote and directed Kramer vs Kramer and Places in the Heart. Hard to believe that a tough drama like Kramer vs Kramer was top of the box office that year. Times have change. Here's Benton being interviewed by Charlie Rose when he was promoting The Human Stain.

And Charles Strouse (96) wrote the music for Bye Bye Birdie, Annie, and other shows. Am I wrong choosing Applause as my favorite of his shows? Here's the one and only Lypsinka doing her thing to the best song in that show, "But Alive." She also does a number of other hilarious things.