Just in: Italy plans Caruso Museum
OperaThis weekend was the 150th anniversary of the birth of the first world-famous tenor, the (literally) record-breaking Enrico Caruso.
He died in Naples, in August 1921, having refused to sing there for a decade after once getting booed.
Among other commemorations, we hear that Naples intends to open a Caruso Museum in the disused royal palace on July 20 this year.
Caruso was the greatest Italian tenor of all time, and one of the greatest musical artists. His recordings, now well over a hundred years old, attest to this.
I heartily applaud the idea of a Caruso museum.
There was a Caruso museum in Brooklyn, now closed due to the death of its founder, Aldo Mancusi. The museum was located on the second floor of his home, and it was open only on Sundays. Mancusi was hoping that after his death his collection would go to the Met, but so far they have shown no interest. I wonder if all this memorabilia will go to the Caruso museum in Italy?