Metropolitan Opera Archives

Much has been written of the gigantic physical proportions of the Czech tenor, but it is doubtful if anyone expected the colossus that appeared. The audience fairly gasped when Herr Slezak made his entrance. It seemed as if a section of the proscenium arch had suddenly stepped upon the stage. Yet, despite his great size, his was no mountain of flesh, but such a figure as would have delighted the audience that once applauded the heroics of Tommaso Salvini.

With it all, Herr Slezak showed himself a splendid actor, tender in the [first] scenes with Desdemona, depicting admirably his growing suspicions of his wife's fidelity, and superb in his wrath and final broken-hearted despair. It was an impersonation not soon to be forgotten. There was a certain huskiness at times in his voice, due, perhaps, to the nervousness, but it is a voice of fine power and one used with more than ordinary discretion.

Review 2:

Review in The Press:

Following up the advantage gained by a.... performance of unprecedented brilliancy, the Metropolitan Opera Company last night won another round in the season's operatic battle with a production of "Otello" that must be set down as the most complete and artistically rounded representation of Verdi's opera ever heard in New York. One can go still further and assert that Toscanini, greatest of opera conductors, put to his credit an achievement that seldom has been equaled here or anywhere.

So perfect an expression of the great Italian composer's will would have been triumph enough for the managers of our great operatic institution, even without the lustre of a scintillating "stellar" cast. But there was more than a finished ensemble in last night's presentation, more than the superb singing of the chorus and the beautiful playing of the orchestra under Toscanini's masterful baton. Out of the aggregation of singers, his gigantic figure looming high like a giant of mythology, emerged victoriously Leo Slezak, the most impressive dramatic tenor New Yorkers have heard since the days of Tamagno.

There was no question what the audience thought of Slezak. In the intermissions his name was on every lip, and his appearance before the curtain at the close of each act was signal for tumultuous applause. After the third act, indeed, when the great tenor stepped out to the footlights, Toscanini at his side, the crowd broke into vociferous acclamation, such as no singer except Caruso has aroused since the days of Jean de Reszke.

Slezak has enormous advantages over most tenors. His heroic proportions and exceptional skill in acting unquestionably were strong factors in his success. With a man so accomplished in histrionic art as Scotti, who impersonated Iago at his side, a less proficient player would have been at a disadvantage by comparison. Strange to say, however, this big Bohemian so held his own that if anything Scotti's less spontaneous art suffered. There was something immensely impressive in Slezak's downright expression of feeling. Otello's passion had nothing of exaggeration, even when both his feet left the floor as he pounced upon the cowering Iago. It burst out furiously at times, but it carried the conviction of reality.

Yet, after all, it was Slezak's singing, not his appearance and his actions, that brought him immediate success last night. He has a robust tenor of true dramatic fibre, agreeable in quality though not of melting lusciousness, of good range and fairly under control. Probably he was not in his best voice and that may have accounted for a slight huskiness in the middle register and for the reserve he showed in the closing scene of the first act. As the evening went on, however, he seemed to warm to his work, and as Otello's jealous rage grew more tempestuous the singer's vocal powers unfolded themselves fully as did also his fine artistic powers.

Despite the forcefulness of his upper tones, which he emits with remarkable ease, Slezak is not satisfied to court popularity in a way so pleasing to the Italianissimi. His effects are achieved by legitimate artistic means by fine phrasing, by expressive accent, by admirable attention to the meaning of words. Having at his command an excellent mezza voce, he can easily take a high head tone softly without creating a falsetto effect. There is much dynamic flexibility in his organ, which power he utilizes more artistically. Add to this, excellent diction, pronunciation of the Italian language without a faint of foreign accent and perfect familiarity with the Italian style of singing, and it is evident how important an acquisition this new tenor is.

In Frances Alda, who was heard to greater advantage as Desdemona than in any other part she has sung here, Slezak had a most sympathetic partner. There was something strangely appealing in the very appearance of this little woman, whose head barely reached above the waist of the gigantic tenor. She sang charmingly too, and with admirable attention to artistic phrasing and expression. At times her high notes sounded compressed, but here was less of the tremolo noticed last year. In mezza voce Mme. Alda attained her best results. She sang the "Willow, Willow" song of the last act and the "Ave Maria" with much charm and pathos. It may not be saying much, but certainly Alda gave a truer impersonation of Desdemona than either M**** or E****, whom New Yorkers have admired in this part.

Scotti's sinister and forceful portrayal of Iago is not unfamiliar here. In good voice last night, the baritone gave excellent account of himself, acting with subtle refinement and singing with unexpected amplitude of tone. His "Credo" brought him loud applause.

Witherspoon's finely sonorous voice made the brief measures of Lodovico important. Bada was a competent Cassio. Reschiglian and Bergue appeared as Montano and a Herald, respectively. The role of Emilia as in the hands of Florence Wickham, who on this, her first appearance in the Metropolitan Opera House, made an agreeable impression.

It is impossible at this time to go into the details of a performance that was full of exquisite detail. The third act, with its moving scene between Desdemona and Otello, and it's tremendous choral finale, represented the high water mark of the evening. Here Slezak revealed in fullest measure his powers; here the orchestra under Toscanini, gave some of its best offerings; here the singing of the chorus, kept in wonderful tonal balance by the master hand of Toscanini and lifted to an overpowering climax of tone, reached an eloquence that a few years ago New York never dreamed of. This portion of the Verdi score, curtailed in the Manhattan Opera House production last season, but given in full last night, is one of the most difficult choral passages in operatic literature. Its dynamic problems were solved by Toscanini last night with almost incredible success.

Photographs of Otello with Leo Slezak as the title role and Frances Alda as Desdemona by White Studio.

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