Madam, - On October 15th, 1970, exactly 100 years ago today, the tenor John McCormack made his debut at Covent Garden in London as the despicable Sicilian lover, Turiddu, in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. Interestingly, his vocal display was described in the press at the time as being that of a miniature Caruso.
The tenor recounted his feelings onstage to a reporter immediately after his performance: "I walked on the stage trembling, and when I glanced round the crowded auditorium I was thrilled. I did not know what was going to happen, so I said to myself, 'John, we will get on as well as we can, and do better next time'. It was really a trying ordeal, and I don't mind confessing I was glad when it was over".
McCormack needn't have worried, as the audience responded very warmly to his performance, obliging him to appear almost a dozen times after the fall of the curtain. Happily, many of his operatic recordings, the first of which appeared in 1908, have been re-released in recent times to ensure that this rich aspect of his varied musical repertoire will be enjoyed for many years to come.
It is also worth mentioning that in 2006 the US Library of Congress decided to honour his remarkable 1916 recording of the aria Il mio tesoro from Mozart's Don Giovanni by adding it the United States National Recording Registry. - Yours, etc,
FRANK BOUCHIER-HAYES, Gortboy, Newcastle West, Co Limerick