I was fortunate enough to hear and see Renata Tebaldi many times in her mature prime. She came to New Haven and sang a recital that brought a stolid audience to its feet, cheering ecstatically. I heard he sing Manon Lescaut in Hartford with Domingo a week before his debut at the Met. I remember hearing the chorus afterward in the train, arguing that "no matter what the critics say, she is still fantastic."