Arthur Bloomfield asks: “Has anyone noticed that Lotfi died on the same day of the year as (Gaetano) Merola? What is the statistical probability here? But then, as you know, Merola died as the soprano sang the word ‘morire.’”
Merola died on Aug. 30, 1953, while conducting a performance of Madama Butterfly in Stern Grove; Mansouri’s death was reported on Aug. 30, 2013. Mansouri was one of the most prominent and effective supporters of the San Francisco Opera training program named for Merola (by Kurt Herbert Adler, who succeeded Merola in 1953, to 1981).
Lisa Hirsch comments:
- Leonard Warren sang the words “Morir, tremenda causa” (“To die, a momentous thing”) in a Met La Forza del Destino, then dropped dead (at age 48, and scheduled to appear in major roles for years ahead).
- Richard Versalle sang “Too bad you can only live so long,” then fell off a ladder and died at a Met Makropoulos Case performance in 1996.
- Felix Mottl and Joseph Keilberth both died while conducting Tristan und Isolde in Munich.