Donald Smith 1920 - 1998 Compilation of the EXCELLENT Australian tenor

0:00 Recondita armonia from Puccini's Tosca 2:31 E lucevan le stelle from Puccini's Tosca 5:39 Or son sei mesi from Puccini's La fanciulla del west sung in english 9:22 Ch'ella mi creda from Puccini's La fanciulla del west sung in english 11:36 O mio castel paterno, Nell'argilla maledetta from Verdi's I Masnadieri 21:19 Di ladroni attorniato Verdi's I Masnadieri 27:22 Cujus animam from Rossini's Stabat Mater 32:40 La vita è inferno all'infelice O tu che in seno degli angeli from Verdi's La forza del destino 38:19 Ella in poter barbaro, Cara patria, già madre e reina from Verdi's Attila sung in English 46:20 Non soffrirò l'offesa from Rossini's Armida 50:59 A te o cara, amor talora from Bellini's I Puritani 53:25 Donna non vidi mai from Puccini's Manon Lescaut 55:53 Quando le sere al placido from Verdi's Luisa Miller 59:26 Mercè, diletti amici, Come rugiada al cespite from Verdi's Ernani sung in English 1:06:41 Cielo e mar from Ponchielli's La Gioconda sung in English 1:11:26 Hier soll ich dich denn sehen Konstanze from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail sung in English 1:14:24 Di quella pira from Verdi's Il trovatore 1:16:31 Serenade by Enrico Toselli THE END :) Donald Sydney Smith OBE (27 July 1920 – 1 December 1998) was an Australian operatic tenor, called "the most popular star in the history of the Australian Opera"[1] and "the second Caruso".[2] Smith's early schooling was spasmodic, and at around 10 years old, while in 4th grade primary school, he was removed from school by his parents to help work on his family's milk run and dairy property.[citation needed] At around the age of 12 years old he was convicted of illegal use of a motor vehicle and sent to Westbrook Farm Home for boys[6] It is said that Smith was the only youth in the group who was able to drive a motor vehicle, having learned while helping his father deliver milk. Smith was subsequently released into the care of relatives of his mother, a Mr Leslie Robertson in Toowoomba, and he then went to live with them in Brisbane. Smith's singing career is said to have begun in 1941 when bandleader J. J. Kelly[a] heard him perform at a dance hall, and was so impressed that he trained him for the leading tenor role in Edward German's Merrie England. Mrs J. Greathead was the soprano.[13] He sang under Kelly's direction again two months later.[14] Smith did not immediately leave for the centres of culture in Europe. He may have never left Australia, except he was given a scholarship for the National School of Opera in London, valued at £1,500, by the famous Australian singer Joan Hammond. Leaving his family behind, he boarded the Oceania for Italy from Sydney. He Later toured with an Italian company in 1955, alongside singers Gabriella Tucci and Kenneth Neate. They played La Bohème in Australia for J. C. Williamson's before returning to England. He was back in Bundaberg in November 1957, with pianist Kacrest Jorgensen and baritone Donald Cameron.[30] In 1958 he appeared with the Elizabethan Trust Opera Company;[b] and sang Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville and Tamino in The Magic Flute. In 1960 he sang his first Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly opposite Dame Joan Hammond at Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane.[31] In 1962 Smith returned to England to join the Sadler's Wells Opera Company. Here he performed many Verdi and Puccini operas including Rigoletto, Attila, Ernani, A Masked Ball, Girl of the Golden West, Tosca and Il Trittico. He also made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he sang the role of Calaf in Turandot opposite the English soprano Amy Shuard. After six years in Britain he returned to Australia in 1967 to sing with The Australian Opera, where he appeared as Canio in Pagliacci, Manrico in Il Trovatore, Bob Boles in Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes, the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Radames in Aida, and the King Gustavus in Un Ballo In Maschera. He also appeared in German roles, such as Florestan in Fidelio.[2] In 1968, the first opera telecast in Australia, Tosca, featured Marie Collier in the title role, Smith as Cavaradossi, and Tito Gobbi as Scarpia. Smith resigned from Australian Opera in 1976; he had been unhappy with the management of the company since the appointment of John Winther as general manager in 1973.[35] But Winther resigned, to be replaced in 1977 by Peter Hemmings,[36] and Smith stayed on. Smith's last performance for Australian Opera was in Verdi's I masnadieri in 1980 with Joan Sutherland. While Smith and Sutherland did perform together in a number of concerts at the Sydney Opera House, I masnadieri was the only occasion when these two Australian icons performed a complete staged opera together. Smith died on 1 December 1998 in the Pleasantville Nursing Home in Wynnum, Brisbane, ending an illustrious operatic career. He was survived by his wife Thelma Joyce (who died on 26 November 2009) and their three children.