Santi di Tito

PUERTORRICAN BARITONE PABLO ELVIRA SINGS "COME PARIDE VEZZOSO" FROM DONIZETTI'S "L'ELISIR D'AMORE". HIGH G NATURAL IN THE CADENZA BY MR. ELVIRA, JUST TO PUT THE CHERRY ON THE PIE! NEMORINO-CARLO BERGONZI ADINA-ROBERTA PETERS BELCORE-PABLO ELVIRA DRESS REHEARSAL, NEWARK 1989. Pablo Elvira, 1937-2000 Born on Sept. 24, 1937. A gifted musician, native of San Juan, Puerto Rico and the son of a dance orchestra leader, Elvira began his musical career playing jazz trumpet (after playing piano, alto sax and bass fiddle!) with his father's group and later formed his own orchestra. A meeting with the famous cellist, composer and conductor Pablo Casals led to his pursuing a career as an opera singer. In 1960 Casals finished work on a biblical oratorio for world peace, ''El Pesebre,'' one of the cellist's small body of compositions. Needing five soloists for a recording and tour of the work, Casals heard Mr. Elvira audition and asked him to sing the baritone part. One of Mr. Elvira's most memorable performances of ''El Pesebre'' came in 1969, when Casals, by then 92, conducted it in Jerusalem before an audience of 3000. In 1966, he participated in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in New York and was selected by the Dean of the Indiana University School of Music to join their voice faculty. He remained there for eight years and performed leading baritone roles in the opera school's productions. Elvíra maintained his primary residence in Bozeman, Montana, and he became known as a strong <b>...</b>