[Met Performance] CID:45520



Tosca
Metropolitan Opera House, Sat, December 11, 1909




Tosca (63)
Giacomo Puccini | Luigi Illica/Giuseppe Giacosa
Tosca
Olive Fremstad

Cavaradossi
Enrico Caruso

Scarpia
Pasquale Amato

Sacristan
Fernando Gianoli-Galletti

Spoletta
Angelo Badà

Angelotti
Paolo Ananian

Sciarrone
Vincenzo Reschiglian

Shepherd
Lillia Snelling

Jailer
Edoardo Missiano


Conductor
Egisto Tango







Review 1:

Review in The New York Times

OLIVE FREMSTAD AS "TOSCA" HEROINE

Makes Her First Appearance in Role Cherished by the Metropolitan's Sopranos.

INTELLIGENT PERFORMANCE

Sings Beautifully the Little Prayer in Second Act-Mr. Amato's Scarpia Excellent--Caruso as Cavaradossi.

For some unexplained reason there seems to be an eager demand on the part of sopranos at the Metropolitan Opera House this season for an opportunity to sing the heroine's part in Puccini's "Tosca," Mme. Olive Fremstad is the latest to claim this inestimable privilege and it was hers last evening. There were associated with her in the cast Mr. Caruso and Mr. Amato, the latter appearing for the first time here as Scarpia, a part that has hitherto been entirety appropriated to Mr. Scotti in the performances of this opera at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Mme. Fremstad likes to experiment for herself in the new parts that she tales up. Her conception of the part differs, in certain respects from those that have been heard here: it is more contained and reserved the first act; it is abundantly ferocious in the second, but less demonstratively so. It is intelligent in many respects, but it is evidently not wrought out in all the detail that she will bestow upon it when she has made herself more at home in it.

There is not much opportunity for real singing of the fine and artistic quality that Mme. Fremstad can give; but certain passages, as the little prayer in her agonizing situation in the second act, she sang beautifully. But after all, it seems a pity that Mme. Fremstad should spend the time and trouble to go so far out of her way as " Tosca" takes her.

Mr. Amato's Scarpia is an excellent piece of work, as such an accomplished artist would be expected to give. Mr. Caruso's Cavaradossi had many of its familiar characteristics; in the first act it was more than usually restrained as to voice and seemed rather indifferent in its action. In the last act he let loose some of his reserved powers in both directions.

The performance, as a whole, under the direction of Mr. Tango, was a garishly colored and overemphatic one, so far as the playing of the orchestra was concerned. He let none of Puccini's melodramatic effects escape a most strenuous utterance. The audience was large and displayed enthusiasm.

Photograph of Olive Fremstad as Tosca by Herman Mishkin.



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