Canada Post Cover Stamps

 

CANADA POST cover shown here features a variety of themes:

- Caribou definitive issued in 1956

- LaCrosse issued on 1968

- Census stamp issued on 1 June  1971

- Prairie Street issued in 1974

-  Four of five commemorative domestic  stamps issued in 2006 celebrating Opera performers who contributed to Canada's cultural tapestry and played pivotal roles on the world stage. 

ABOUT THE OPERA STAMPS

 Raoul Jobin and Paris opera house Palais Garnier feature prominently in one of the stamps in this release. Wherever Jobin appeared, the Québec-born tenor received an enthusiastic reception and praise from the critics. Among his most noted attributes was his ability to master the "French" style. The richness of his musical sound enraptured audiences in the Americas, Europe and North Africa.

Saskatchewan native Jon Vickers was acclaimed as the world's leading interpreter of the role Siegmund in Die Walkure. Vicker's talent, energy and intensity set in motion an unexpected operatic career that led him from his responsibilities as a hardware salesman to the grand halls of opera houses around the world. One of the most celebrated houses, La Scala, in Milan, Italy, accompanies Vickers' stamp portrait.

With his robust voice and passionate temperament, Edward Johnson was a leading tenor at New York's Metropolitan Opera Company throughout the early and mid-1900s. He was renowned for his performances as Canio in I Pagliacci, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette and Don José in Carmen. A portrait of Johnson and the Met appear on another of the stamps in this issue.

As a team, Léopold Simoneau and his wife Pierrette Alarie gained celebrity status in both Europe and North America, leaving an indelible mark at France's Opéra-Comique. The duo completes this quartet of stamps. On stage and in concert, Alarie's breathtakingly pure soprano voice delighted critics and music lovers alike. The eminent tenor Simoneau, from St. Flavien, Quebec, has been hailed as "the Mozart tenor of his generation."

The romantic multicoloured designs were created by Paul Haslip of Toronto's HM&E Design Communications using high-contrast photographic images, expressive line drawings and hand-drawn calligraphy framed in soft edging. These stamps were originally released to coincide with the 2006/2007 season premiere performance of the Canadian Opera Company.

Source: Canada Post