[Met Performance] CID:92610



L'Africaine
Metropolitan Opera House, Mon, March 1, 1926


In Italian



L'Africaine (44)
Giacomo Meyerbeer | Eugène Scribe
Sélika
Rosa Ponselle

Vasco de Gama
Giacomo Lauri-Volpi

Inès
Queena Mario

Nélusko
Giuseppe Danise

Pedro
Adamo Didur

Diégo
Paolo Ananian

Alvar
Angelo Badà

Grand Inquisitor
Léon Rothier

Anna
Henriette Wakefield

Usher
Vincenzo Reschiglian

Officer
Max Altglass


Conductor
Tullio Serafin







Review 1:

Review in the Tribune

Rosa Ponselle Returns In 'L'Africana' Role

Lauri-Volpi Makes First Appearance Here as Vasco de Gama at Metropolitan

Rosa Ponselle, who has been absent from the Metropolitan during a concert tour, reappeared there last night in the title role of "L'Africana," while Giacomo Lauri-Volpi made his first appearance here as Vasco de Gama. Miss Ponselle's effective performance of Selika was marked by singing of her familiar and notable vocal strength, often very good in quality, sometimes less so; she closed her musical death under the manzanilla tree in the best of vocal form; the last high note was one of her best of the evening, clear, strong and unforced. Mr. Lauri-Volpi filled the visual requirement of Vasco's part to a notable degree; his singing was vigorous, but with a certain amount of vibrato compared with the steadiness of his tones in recent appearances.

One of Mr. Lauri-Volpi's hearers in the first act was a mouse, who sat before the prompter's box as the tenor sang, but the rodent tactfully waited until the ladies had left the stage before appearing.

Mr. Danise was Nelusko; Queena Mario, Ines, and Mr. Didur, the nefarious Don Pedro, with Mme. Wakefield and Messrs. Rothier, Ananian, Bada, Reschiglian and Altglass in other parts, Mr. Serafin conducted.



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