Metropolitan Opera Archives

The Metropolitan Opera Company inaugurated its first Philadelphia "Ring" cycle in 30 years at the Academy of Music last night, presenting "Das Rheingold" with an almost exemplary cast. The performance made it quite plain that the vaunted strength of the company's cast does not begin and end with Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior. Neither Mme. Flagstad nor Mr. Melchior was in last night's cast, yet the evening produced more good singing than have any of the so-called "singer's operas" of the French and Italian repertoire presented earlier in the season.

Rene Maison, for instance, made Loge not only the most level-headed of the gods but also the most artistic. Kerstin Thorborg was a Fricka who kept the upper hand of her errant husband without assuming the accents of a fishwife. Karl Laufkötter's Mime suggested vileness without recourse to vile singing. Norman Cordon, a young American basso, who bears watching, made a sinister Fasolt without growling and Emanuel List's Fafner was a becoming companion to Mr. Cordon's Fasolt. The two basses were indeed a most impressive and satisfactory pair of legendary architects and the Metropolitan's Valhalla was a fitting tribute to their handiwork.

The generally high standard of the evening's singing was reflected in the performance of the principal debutante, Hans Hermann Nissen, who made his first local appearance in the role of Wotan. Mr. Nissen joined the company this season and has already been welcomed as an important addition to the German wing. His voice is a splendid bass-baritone, at its best in the middle and lower registers. The upper notes ware thin and sometimes wanting in quality, but Mr. Nissen has the good judgment not to force them.

The performance had, of course, other vocal features. It was dramatically well knit. Mr. Maison's suave and resourceful Loge dominated it histrionically as well as vocally, but among the other principals the best acting was not always done by the best singers. Adolf Vogel's singing was on the rough side, but his Alberich was a masterly characterization in every detail. An uglier or more offensive dwarf could hardly be imagined. Julius Huehn swung his sledge hammer resolutely as Donner and cut a convincing figure, while singing with the spread tones which have marked his work in the past. Erich Witte made some unpleasant sounds in voicing the thoughts of Froh and Dorothee Manski's singing was not entirely becoming to the goddess of love and youth. Enid Szantho made her first operatic appearance here as Erda and sang her brief piece uncertainly. Thelma Votipka, Lucielle Browning and Doris Doe were acceptable Rhine Maidens. Artur Bodanzky directed with admirable authority and received the ovation of the evening at the beginning of the opera's second half. He insisted on sharing the applause with the members of the orchestra who thoroughly deserved the tribute.

Search by season: 1938-39

Search by title: Das Rheingold, Ring Cycle [64],

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