"Milanov always said, "Well, you see, Mr. Bing needed me." She told frequent colleague, Robert Merrill, "When I returned to the Met during the 1950-1951 season, I felt like a queen." Indeed, Milanov had no rivals in the Italian wing - Rigal and Nelli, although competent and adequate, didn't come close either in voice or temperament to the Croatian diva, who chalked up over 130 performances between 01/17/51 and 01/29/55, evidence that Mr. Bing did, in fact, need her. Then, on 01/31/55 the first serious "rival" to Milanov's regal status debuted: Renata Tebaldi. On 10/29/56 a second "challenger" arrived at the Met, Maria Callas. In actuality, though, the only role all three had in common at the Met was Tosca.
According to Wikipedia's Tebaldi bio: "The alleged rivalry aside, Callas made remarks appreciative of Tebaldi, and vice versa ... Francis Robinson of the Met wrote of an incident in which Tebaldi asked him to recommend a recording of La Gioconda in order to help her learn the role. Being fully aware of the alleged [Callas-Tebaldi] rivalry, he recommended Zinka Milanov's version. A few days later, he went to visit Tebaldi, only to find her sitting by the speakers, listening intently to Callas's recording. She then looked up at him and asked, "Why didn't you tell me Maria's was the best?" Although candid in the interview, remarkably, Zinka is highly respectful of Tebaldi and Callas. Tebaldi, by the way, sent a beautiful bouquet of lovely red roses to the first Milanov Memorial Service, expressing condolences and noting Zinka's exceptional career.
Comparative career stats:
Milanov - 1,049 appearances in opera; 260 verified concerts
Tebaldi - Tebaldi, 1,048 appearances in opera; 214 concerts.
Callas - according to the website, 4,000 performances"
