Richard Tucker - Nessun dorma (Brooklyn, 1974)

Richard Tucker (1913-1975) is widely considered to have been the greatest American tenor of his generation. Born Rubin Ticker in Brooklyn, he was the last child of Romanian Jewish immigrants. His father Sam carved out a living as a fur merchant, a trade young Ruby (Tucker’s lifelong nickname) would eventually follow. It was Sam who recognized his son’s vocal talents and took him to the local Temple for an audition. At age six, Ruby was accepted into the Tifereth Israel synagogue choir, where he spent the next seven years. He also began studies with celebrated cantor Samuel Weisser, who helped develop the youngster’s singing technique and coached him in cantorial art. After his voice changed from alto to tenor, Ruby assisted in bar mitzvahs and weddings while supporting himself in the garment industry. He wed Sara Perelmuth, sister of tenor Jan Peece, in 1936. Sadly, a rift eventually formed between the tenors, and they remained distant.

By now, Ruby was using the name “Tucker” professionally and was studying with tenor Paul Althouse. Tucker developed aspirations to operatic stardom, and, despite Althouse’s misgivings, sang in the Metropolitan Auditions of the Air in 1942. He was crushed when he didn’t win, but his luck would soon improve. On March 14, 1943, the tenor (billed as “Rubin Tucker”) made his stage debut with the Salmaggi Opera as Alfredo in La Traviata. That summer, he also received an offer from the Brooklyn Jewish Center. Although Tucker had been happily employed as an assisting cantor at Temple Adath Israel since 1938, he couldn’t turn down this opportunity. Tucker accepted his new post as chief cantor and, later that year, sold his fur business. In February 1944, he joined the WGN radio show Chicago Theatre of the Air, singing condensed, English language versions of such works as La Bohème, Tosca, Mignon, Carmen, Otello, Cavalleria Rusticana, The Gypsy Princess, and Maytime.

An audition for Metropolitan Opera director Edward Johnson led to a contract with the company. Tucker’s January 25, 1945 Met debut as Enzo in La Gioconda was a tremendous success. The ovation following “Cielo e mar” nearly stopped the performance and, although one critic opined that “given time, he will undoubtedly learn to act”, reviews were glowing. Tucker would remain a mainstay of the company for the remainder of his life. In his 30 seasons with the company, the tenor sang over 700 performances of Rigoletto, Ballo in Maschera, Forza del Destino, Aïda, Il Trovatore, Madama Butterfly, Fanciulla del West, Pagliacci, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Faust, Così fan Tutte, Die Zauberflöte, and other works.

A heart attack briefly sidelined Tucker in May of 1962, with the media reporting that he was suffering from “exhaustion”. Refusing to admit the severity of his condition, Tucker was in Rome just six weeks later for RCA’s recording of Madama Butterfly, resuming his performances at the Met in December. Although he occasionally appeared with other major theatres, Tucker was, like Caruso a generation before, essentially a “Met tenor”. His last new role with the company, Samson, was assumed at the end of 1971, when the tenor was 58 years old. Concert, TV and recording work kept Tucker busy during the off season and he showed no signs of slowing down.

Tucker accepted an offer to sing La Juive in Barcelona in December 1974. Unfortunately, this conflicted with his scheduled appearances in New York, and he was fired by the new Met manager, Schuyler Chapin. This did not sit well with the public and Schuyler quickly reversed this decision. Apologies were made and the Met offered Tucker a production of La Juive, and preparations were being made to celebrate his 30th anniversary with the company. Sadly, it was not to be. After a December 3, 1974 Pagliacci, Tucker never again sang at the Met.

Shortly into the New Year, Tucker embarked on a concert tour with his friend and colleague, Robert Merrill. On January 8, 1975, Merrill found the tenor in his Kalamazoo hotel room, the victim of a fatal heart attack. He was 61. Two days later, Richard Tucker’s funeral was held on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. He was the only artist in the history of the company to ever receive this honor.

Richard Tucker was an extraordinary tenor. His repertoire of 33 roles ran the gamut from Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte to Don Alvaro in Forza del Destino. His career took him to the major theatres of Verona, Florence, Milan, Rome, Parma, Budapest, Tel Aviv, Buenos Aires, Caracas, London, Chicago, and other cities. Some five decades after his untimely death, Tucker remains an inspiration to many a young artist. Since 1975, The Richard Tucker Music Foundation has awarded career grants to promising young singers, a fitting legacy for the legendary tenor. Here, Tucker sings “Nessun dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot. This was recorded during a performance in Marine Park, Brooklyn, on July 2, 1974. Martin Rich conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.