# The Death of Leonard Warren: From the Met Archives



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

He is not for all tastes but Leonard Warren has always been my favorite Verdi baritone. I was rummaging around today and found this, quoted literally from the Met online archives at

http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=184330
*
Begin quotation*
[Met Performance] CID:184330
Cancelled Performance
La Forza del Destino: Acts I, II partial. Metropolitan Opera House: 03/4/1960.

(Death of Leonard Warren
Review and Account)

Metropolitan Opera House
March 4, 1960

LA FORZA DEL DESTINO: Acts I, II partial
Giuseppe Verdi--Francesco Maria Piave

Leonora.................Renata Tebaldi
Don Alvaro..............Richard Tucker
Don Carlo...............Leonard Warren [Last performance]
Padre Guardiano.........Jerome Hines
Fra Melitone............Salvatore Baccaloni
Marquis de Calatrava....Louis Sgarro
Curra...................Carlotta Ordassy
Surgeon.................Roald Reitan

Conductor...............Thomas Schippers

[Verdi's opera was performed in three acts this season;
Acts I and II were performed as Act I with the Inn Scene omitted.

Leonard Warren died in Act II after his aria Urna Fatale del mio destino.
In the first violin part of the Concertmaster, the exact spot is marked:
one measure after the Letter I, following the words Ora egli viva... e di mia man poi muoia...]

Review of performance and account of Leonard Warren's death by Raymond A. Ericson in Musical America

In one of the most dramatic and tragic events to take place on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, Leonard Warren was stricken with a cerebral hemorrhage and died during a performance of "La Forza del Destino" on March 4

The capacity audience that witnessed the occurrence in stunned disbelief had begun the evening in a state of excited anticipation-Renata Tebaldi was returning to the company for the season, and the cast included a triumvirate of leading American singers-Mr. Warren, Richard Tucker, and Jerome Hines. An ovation greeted Miss Tebaldi, the Leonora, when the curtain went up, and the audience's enthusiasm continued to erupt after each of the great Verdian arias and ensembles that followed.

In the middle of Act II (as given at the Metropolitan), the duet for Mr. Warren and Mr. Tucker, "Solenne in quest' ora" brought another crescendo of applause and bravos. Mr. Warren then was left onstage alone to sing the recitative that begins "Morir! Tremenda cosa!" ("To die! Tremendous moment!"). How ominous this phrase was to prove! Mr. Warren continued into the superb aria that follows, "Urna fatale" (0 fatal pages"), and he had never seemed in better form as his remarkable voice rode the long legato phrases and soared excitingly through the cadenzas to the climactic high notes. At the end, he stood quietly until the shouts of approval had died away. Moving to stage left he completed his next few lines of recitative and then fell forward heavily, as if he had tripped.

Roald Reitan, as the Surgeon, entered, singing his single phrase, "Lieta novella, e salvo" ("Good news I bring you, I saved him"). No response came from Mr. Warren, as Thomas Schippers, the conductor, waited with upstretched arms to bring the orchestra in.

Uncertainty and wonder gripped everyone for a few seconds, and the audience stirred uneasily. Mr. Reitan then went quickly over to Mr. Warren, knelt by his side. The audience did not know that Mr. Reitan raised Mr. Warren's head slightly, that the stricken baritone uttered faintly the word "Help!" and then went limp. The audience was only aware of Mr. Reitan's looking anxiously into the wings and at Mr. Schippers, and of a voice in the auditorium saying clearly, "Bring the curtain down!"

The great golden curtains came down. Mr. Schippers waited at his post and the audience waited in their seats for several minutes until Rudolf Bing, general manager of the Metropolitan, appeared before the curtains to announce that the performance would continue. Shortly thereafter, another member of the staff appeared, saying there would be an intermission until the replacement (Mario Sereni) who had been called to substitute for Mr. Warren arrived for the opera.

Backstage, meanwhile, the gravity of the baritone's condition immediately became apparent. Dr. Adrian W. Zorgniotti, the house physician, who was in the audience, ran backstage, examined Mr. Warren and called for oxygen. An ambulance and a police emergency truck carrying oxygen were called. Oxygen supplies kept in the Metropolitan's first-aid room were rushed backstage. Osie Hawkins, Metropolitan bass, and two staff attendants attempted to breathe into Mr. Warren's mouth.

Mr. Warren's wife, Agathe, had attended the performance and was at her husband's side during his final moments. She alone, at one point, had seen a peculiar expression on Mr. Warren's face and realized that all was not well with him. Also present was Mgr. Edwin Broderick, of St. Patrick's Cathedral, who left the audience to come backstage and administer the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church. And at some point after 10 o'clock Mr. Warren died.
About 10:30, warning bells rang in the lobbies, and the audience filed back to their seats. Mr. Bing reappeared before the curtain, his expression grave.
"This is one of the saddest days in the history of opera," he began. "I will ask you please to stand," he continued, as the shaken audience uttered gasps of disbelief, in memory of one of our greatest performers, who died in the middle of one of his greatest performances."After the audience had arisen, some of the members openly sobbing, Mr. Bing concluded: "I am sure you will agree with me mat it would not be possible to continue with the performance." Slowly, a dazed and saddened public departed.

Leonard Warren, who was 48 years old, died at the height of a career in which he was acclaimed as one of the great operatic baritones of our time. Only four days before his death he had received some of the highest praise ever accorded a singer for his performance of the title role in a new production of Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra."

He made a specialty of the Verdi repertoire, and he invariably sang with distinction the many superb baritone roles created by the great Italian operatic composer. He was perhaps, best known for his Rigoletto, a role that he not only sang repeatedly at the Metropolitan but also at La Scala in Milan and at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In addition to the roles already mentioned, he was familiar to Metropolitan audiences as the elder Germont in "La Traviata", di Luna in "Il Trovatore", "Iago in "Otello", Macbeth, Amonasro in "Aida", Renato in "Un Ballo in Maschera", Carlo in "Ernani". He was also much admired for such non-Verdi roles as Scarpia in "Tosca", Gerard in "Andrea Chenier", Barnaba in "La Gioconda", and Tonio in "Pagliacci".
*
End quotation*

This still remains one of the most chilling events in opera that I know of. 48 years old, and such a voice. We are fortunate to have a rich recorded legacy of this great baritone.

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Barelytenor said:


> He is not for all tastes but Leonard Warren has always been my favorite Verdi baritone. I was rummaging around today and found this, quoted literally from the Met online archives at
> 
> http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=184330
> *
> ...


Thank you, George. I've always known about the circumstances of Warren's death, but have never read an account of it till now.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Leonard Warren was the best Rigoletto I ever encountered. A terrific Verdi baritone.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Like Duck I had also known in general the story of Warren dying on stage during an actual La Forza performance at the MET, this adds much more detail.........a MET icon for sure



> The great golden curtains came down. Mr. Schippers waited at his post and the audience waited in their seats for several minutes *until Rudolf Bing, general manager of the Metropolitan, appeared before the curtains to announce that the performance would continue*. Shortly thereafter, another member of the staff appeared, saying there would be an intermission until the replacement (Mario Sereni) who had been called to substitute for Mr. Warren arrived for the opera.


The little blurb of Bing's immediate concern of keeping audience from getting upset or leaving is very telling, after reading the book I do not have high regard for his leadership of the MET during his tenure and his lack of respect and bungled treatment of talented singers, he was not a professional singer himself only a manager all his life and was really quite a shock he was offered the MET position since previously he managed the very small specialized operation at Glyndebourne festival UK.......first thing he did upon arrival in 1950 was to dismantle the legendary wagner wing of the MET 










NY born Maria Callas USA debut and greatest opera performances occurred at Chicago Lyric opera 1954-55 thanks to Mr Bing's mishandling and lack of appreciation of her great singing talent


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I liked to have seen him as Macbeth, for me one of his top roles.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

*Tremenda Cosa*

Having sung the "Morir! Tremenda cosa! ... Urna fatale del mio destino ... E salvo! O gioia" many times, it gives me goosebumps to think of those words in relation to this great baritone's tragic end.

I confess that I have probably oversung most of my life because I cannot get the sound of Leonard Warren out of my head. But mine is a considerably lighter voice, a lyric baritone with good high notes. This man had pipes that I believe will never be heard again. I don't know if the story about him singing "Di quella pira" for his friends, complete with high Cs, is true, but if any baritone could do it, he could.

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

I have a ton of recording with Warren especially since he was heavy into Verdi opera, he goes back to 1950-52 Mexico days with Maria Callas before she was under EMI contract, they got along well unlike a rude Kurt Baum who proclaimed her career was over after being forcefully put in his place during Mexican Aida act two climax.......a crushing unwritten high note not for mortals to attempt!

Check the devastation at 5:00 below.........Kurt who? ha ha :lol:






I think I will have to get the 10CD warren boxset, I love these sets with famous extended segments of very best performances, I must have 15-20 different ones now......very cheap



1950 Trovatore Warren & Callas


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

It sounds like he got a little too Kurt with her.

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Leonard Warren
Richard Tucker
Jan Peerce
Robert Merrill

Was reading more bio info about Warren's childhood growing up in NYC, all four of these future MET stars lived in NYC and knew each other as young men, began their singing careers through various Radio City Music Hall talent programs and singing competitions which caught the attention of sponsors who arranged auditions for them with MET.........

Warren was by nature shy and although sang regularly with his family when young did not seriously consider singing as a career, he recalls always listening to opera records with family for entertainment (he especially liked Caruso), he changed his mind when he finally was able to attend a MET performance of Carmen with Titta Ruffo (the lion) singing and was astonished at what he heard and decided this was something he would seriously pursue.......


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

> I think I will have to get the 10CD warren boxset, I love these sets with famous extended segments of very best performances, I must have 15-20 different ones now......very cheap


I use that phrase also very often in our house, getting a smart remark back.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I wish I could have heard him sing tenor arias ending in High C walking home with his pals after a performance at the Met. Can you imagine. Supposedly it was enormous all the way up.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I did a speech on him years ago. At the beginning of his career he learned 5 or so of the big Verdi parts in a very short space of time one summer. Can't remember the exact details, but it was startling when I read it.


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