Donald Smith Profiled on ABC Weekend Magazine Program

In this video, the Australian operatic tenor Dr Donald Smith O.B.E was 53 years old and is profiled and interviewed in 1975 by Bryan Noonan for the ABC 'Weekend Magazine Program'. It's a somewhat intimate look at the life of Donald Smith and the challenges, sacrifices and requirements for maintaining a high profile operatic career. Here Donald is firstly filmed at home 'in the shower' singing the ballad "Your Eyes Have Told Me So". Bryan Noonan interviews Donald and asks how he got started in the singing business, problems that may confront Donald as a performer and how long Donald might consider continuing to perform opera. To which Donald responded "That's up to the big fella upstairs". The video features a number of Donald's operatic performance photos, including, 'Canio' in "I Pagliacci", 'The Duke of Mantua' in "Rigoletto", "King Gustavas' in "Un Bello In Maschera", "Don Jose' in "Carmen', 'Dick Johnson' in "La Fanciulla Del West", and 'Forresto' in"Atilla". The video also records a relaxed Donald Smith rehearsing a segment from the opera "Aida" accompanied by repetiteure Caroline Lill prior to going on stage. Donald was never known to 'mark' the voice whilst rehearsing and that included rehearsing prior to going on stage. Donald was once quoted as saying, "It's just as easy for me to sing the voice 'out' as it is to 'mark' the voice". Donald's son Robin Donald also a tenor, gets a mention when together Donald and Robin made operatic history by being the only father and son tenors to have performed together on stage in the opera "Rigoletto", with the Sadler's Wells Opera Company/English National Opera.