Metropolitan Opera Archives

Following close upon its American premiere, Puccini's lyric comedy in three acts, "La Rondine" received its second hearing last evening with a brilliant Monday night audience in attendance. The charming little opera of tender and pleasing sentiments moved along its course under Mr. Bellezza's baton with sparkle and grace and renewed in full measure the pleasing impression it had made at its previous presentation.

The admirable principals were again Miss Bori, delightful as the engaging Magda of "swallow" flitting tendencies, Mr. Gigli as Ruggero, Miss Fleischer as Lisette and Messrs. Tokatyan and Ludikar as Prunier and Rambaldo. Two leading tenor roles in the opera aroused again some special interest, no doubt, but in changing the part of Prunier, originally a barytone, into a tenor part Mr. Gatti-Casazza has fulfilled, it must be remembered, a promise he made to his friend Puccini. And a special work of renewed praise is due Mr. Tokatyan for his successful impersonation of his role, and last night one more successful than before, perhaps, as yesterday he became the happy father of a baby daughter.

The glitter and splendor of the second act's ensemble naturally was occasion for unusual expression of pleasure for the audience, though applause was the order of the evening throughout, with the various principals engaged in the performance appearing many times before the curtain at the close of the three acts. At the end of the second the recalls for the quartet of singers headed by Miss Bori ran into a dozen or more. The house was packed.

Search by season: 1927-28

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