Risë Stevens, Indisposed Singers, and Blog Trends (a Stream-of-Consciousness Post)

My first Risë Stevens album

Unless you've been out cold or under a rock for the past few days, you probably already know that the great American diva Risë Stevens died earlier this week at the age of 99. She was one of the first opera figures on my personal opera horizon. I had many of her recordings—she was my first Carmen, and first Orfeo—and I eagerly followed her career when she retired from singing and took on the leadership of the Mannes College of Music.