[Met Performance] CID:121260



Mignon
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, March 26, 1937




Mignon (72)
Ambroise Thomas | Jules Barbier/Michel Carré
Mignon
Gladys Swarthout

Wilhelm Meister
Charles Hackett

Philine
Stella Andreva

Lothario
Ezio Pinza

Frédéric
Helen Olheim

Laërte
Angelo Badà

Jarno
Norman Cordon

Dance
Helen Leitch

Dance
William Dollar


Conductor
Wilfred Pelletier







Review 1:

Review of Oscar Thompson in the Evening Sun

Stumble Brings New Notes in 'Mignon'

With a sound like the popping of firecrackers, three pennies, a nickel and two keys injected a new percussive motive into last night's performance of "Mignon" at the Metropolitan. An astonished audience that could see nothing out of the ordinary stared at the orchestra pit. Wilfred Pelletier cast hasty glances in the direction of the drums, but went on conducting, while Gladys Swarthout and Ezio Pinza rounded out the duet between Mignon and Lothario in the early part of the second act. Among many startled persons, probably the most perplexed was the tympanist, whose instruments had yielded the unwritten and unplayed notes that had directed hundreds of pairs of eyes toward his corner. Inquiring ushers presently solved the mystery. A man in the dress circle had stumbled in attempting to take his seat in the dark after the act had begun, and the contents of an overcoat pocket had showered down on the tympani, bouncing a time or two to augment the effect.

The performance, otherwise, was not an exciting one, though well attended and heartily applauded. Miss Swarthout's Mignon, Charles Hackett's Wilhelm Meister, Mr. Pinza's Lothario, Angelo Bada's Laertes and Helen Oelheim's Frederick were precisely what they were at the earlier representation of Thomas's opera. There was one change of cast, Stella Andreva taking over the coquetries and the colorature of Philine. Her voice was of ample power and of sufficient agility for a fairly clean achievement of "Titania" air, though the quality was hard at the top and not very dulcet below. Mr. Pinza's were the vocal honors of the evening.



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