Remember back in the spring of 2017, when I launched this site, when it was just a baby website? I put out an appeal for Diva / Mensch ideas and got all kinds of great suggestions. I'm still looking for those, by the way! Diane Schoff sent me quite a few, and this month I'm using two of them and filling out the month with two of my own. Diane will get a fabulous CD, programmed by yours truly.

Her idea was to have characters from operas, a soprano and a mezzo, but cases where it's the mezzo who's the diva and the soprano who's the mensch. This is rather unusual, it's more typical that the soprano is the glamourpuss and the mezzo is her handmaiden, mother, spunky sidekick, or boyfriend.

We're starting with the ultimate mezzo diva, Carmen.

Diva: Carmen - - the Seguidilla, sung by Anna Caterina Antonacci (and Andrew Richards as Don José)

Mensch: Micaëla - - "Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante," sung by Leontyne Price