Time to play nice again, fellas? I really have been enjoying reading this thread and the different opinions. I'd hate to have to leave it if it is going to degenerate into name calling and unpleasant comments.

I love John McCormack, no matter what he does and have bought most of what is avalable. I like some other male operatic singers, but they are a minority of the whole. I dislike virtually all female singers of the genre. Some few are tolerable. A couple that I find enjoyable,both from the long, long ago are Ernestine Schumann-Heink and Florence Easton. I would apologize to my 7th and 8th grade teacher for not liking Madame Ernestine back then if I could.

Rhiannon Giddens is a class unto herself. Unique is an overused word; she wears it like it was made for her.

I have yet to sample the examples in this thread, but I will.

Shakespeare? Mostly tolerant, sometimes enjoyed.

Dale