[Met Performance] CID:128100



Aida
Metropolitan Opera House, Wed, February 21, 1940




Aida (439)
Giuseppe Verdi | Antonio Ghislanzoni
Aida
Zinka Milanov

Radamès
Giovanni Martinelli

Amneris
Bruna Castagna

Amonasro
Leonard Warren

Ramfis
Norman Cordon

King
John Gurney

Messenger
Lodovico Oliviero

Priestess
Thelma Votipka

Dance
Ruthanna Boris

Dance
Grant Mouradoff


Conductor
Ettore Panizza







Review 1:

Review of Irving Kolodin in the Sun

"AIDA" GIVEN

Warren ReplacesThomas in Cast

A pre-holiday audience that stretched the capacity of the Metropolitan Opera House found one of the recurrent white slips in its program at last night's "Aida." This one announced the replacement of John Charles Thomas, who was scheduled to sing Amonasro, by Leonard Warren. Whether an audience of such size would have been attracted to the house without the promise of the popular baritone must remain a debatable issue.

In consideration of this change the focus of attention shifted away from the male side of the cast to the singing of Bruna Castagna as Amneris and Zinka Milanov as Aida. All things considered, Amneris remains the role best suited to Miss Castagna and she sang it last night with characteristic emphasis and richness of voice. There was more steadiness in Miss Milanov's tones than on some previous occasions, and her "Numi Pieta" at the end of the first scene of the second act was uttered with particular vocal quality.

Mr. Warren's Amonasro is still a tentative characterization, which, under the circumstance of this performance, may be exempt from further comment. His associates were Giovanni Martinelli as a well-worn warrior, John Gurney as the King and Norman Cordon as Ramfis. Ettore Panizza was the conductor.



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