Metropolitan Opera Archives

There has been a more or less conspicuous début every night thus far in the Metropolitan season, and the fourth performance of that season was not an exception to this rule, for it introduced to the public of this city yesterday evening Mr. Johnson's new coloratura soprano. Miss Vina Bovy, who appeared as Violetta in "Traviata." Miss Bovy is a graduate of the Belgian Royal Conservatory. She made her début in opera at Ghent. She went from Ghent to the Monnaie and the Paris Opera Comique and she has sung at Barcelona, Nice, Monte Carlo.

Miss Bovy is a well-schooled singer and a good musician to boot. She has facility and accuracy in bravura, but she is more than a mechanician. Her "Sempre libera" had sparkle and zest. The preceding "Fors' e lui" was distinguished by genuine sentiment. The voice is well employed in passages of lyricism as well as bravura. Passing insecurities last night could well be laid to the nervousness of a first performance in a formidable theatre, but the sum of impression Miss Bovy made was excellent. The vocal organ is not one of phenomenal richness or color. The singer is neither a Bori nor a Tetrazzini, but if all rôles at the Metropolitan were taken as competently and intelligently as her Violetta of last night we would have an extremely high level of performance there.

Fireworks at Minimum

In the performance of the famous virtuoso air of the first act Miss Bovy elected to sink to the final chord from a high A-flat, genuinely attained, though not of the best tone quality. This of course made for more applause, but there was for more than this sort of thing to command approval. As a matter of fact, there were fewer fireworks than is usual with this part. Miss Bovy, on the whole, stuck to her text; she showed that she had been carefully trained to act as well as sing, and that she was familiar with the living traditions of the character.

The rest of the cast is well known from earlier performances. It goes without saying that Mr. Tibbett's sonorous delivery of the "fat" air of Germont the elder delighted the audience and that the sure-fire spots of "Traviata" made their mark. This is almost a foolproof opera, but nonetheless the work of a genius. It was done in an intimate rather than a grandiose or breath-taking manner, and that is best suited to the character of the work. Mr. Martini sang prettily the music of Alfredo and was given his meed of applause. The choruses went well. Mr. Jorgelesco's scenery for the first set in particular gave the audience pleasure. It is one of his best sets. Mr. Panizza conducted the performance. Wilfred Engelman and Norman Cordon made first appearances in small parts

Search by season: 1936-37

Search by title: La Traviata,

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