Luciano and I in Boheme selections
This was the summer my mother learned she had cancer. We were in the Hotel Quirinale in Rome. She was only able to come to the Gala that Luciano had asked me to sing with him. A fund raiser for his daughter’s illness and they were very successful in curing her thank God. My mother would return to Los Angeles and face surgery and would be successful in her battle against this cancer until it returned 16 years later claiming her precious life. She so loved Rome and it’s beautiful Teatro dell’ Opera. I was so proud she could see me sing there, a place that had been so much a part of her life, and would become a huge part of mine. This night Luciano sick as a dog sang like a God. We enjoyed a huge success. Here is an excerpt made by a dear friend in the audience sitting next to Momma. The tape begins with “Mi chiamano Mimi” and follows with a glowing “O soave fanciulla”. I loved how our voices blended. La Cossotto had said that to us, and so did Fernando, Luciano’s wonderful dad. I miss Luciano. His greatness. His beauty of tone, his friendship and the standard he set. A video that I did with huge emotion and watch with even more emotion.
