Povera Rigoletta

In October's issue of OperaNews, Louis T. Guinther asks 9 Divas to share some of the offers they found impossible not to refuse.

Dolora Zajick has been asked to play Rigoletta
(Gilda's mother - huh?)

Reri Grist was asked to sing Salome
("Salome? Salome!! – Yes! Yes, I would! — if only I had been born with a different pair of vocal cords!")

JoyceDiDonato was offered Leonore in Fidelio
("I'm not sure whether heavy drugs were involved or not, but I politely declined and made a mental note to always remember that crazy offer.")

Renée Fleming was asked by sir Georg Solti to record Isolde
("it was wonderful to be asked!" - what a lost chance for mankind!)

Marilyn Horne was also someone else´s ideal Salome
("Besides, I didn't have the thighs for that role anyway")
and a tenor arias album
("Even I have my limits")

Carol Vaness was asked by sir Georg Solti to sing
all 3 female roles in Die Frau Ohne Schatten
("Then he offered me the Färberin, and I said, well, if the other was too big then certainly the bigger one was way big")

Evelyn Lear was one more Salome candidate
("After I sang through it for him, von Karajan said, "Du bist mein Salome!")

Jennifer Larmore & Leonore in Fidelio
would be a perfect match
("Thank God I had the presence of mind and the good counsel to refuse!")

while Martina Arroyo was also offered both Salome and Isolde
("Only if there are forty veils!")