Yasuko Hayashi as Anna Bolena

Ms. Hayashi, a soprano of some fire and quality, had trouble getting out of the "little woman" fach. As this clip (Tokyo, 9/7/82) indicates, she had considerable aptitude for bel canto, although opera-house managements had the blinkered tendency to envision her as Nedda or (you guessed it) Cio-Cio-San. Her other notable accomplishments included a fine performance of the title role in "La Juive," in a London concert performance made famous by the presence of Richard Tucker in the role of Eleazar.