[Met Tour] CID:128670



Aida
Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, Mon, April 8, 1940




Aida (441)
Giuseppe Verdi | Antonio Ghislanzoni
Aida
Rose Bampton

Radamès
Giovanni Martinelli

Amneris
Bruna Castagna

Amonasro
Leonard Warren

Ramfis
Ezio Pinza

King
Norman Cordon

Messenger
Giordano Paltrinieri

Priestess
Thelma Votipka

Dance
Ruthanna Boris

Dance
Grant Mouradoff


Conductor
Ettore Panizza







Review 1:

Review of Arthur Loesser in the Cleveland Press

Praises Bampton, Martinelli Work in Opera Opener

Critic Says 'Aida' Fine Choice for First Met Performance

The [first night] of the Metropolitan Opera season last night - as on similar occasions in past years - was an event of considerable éclat.

About 8,000 eager, elaborately dressed people, large numbers of them from out of town, crowded into Public Hall, interested in the show and in each other.

"Aida" was a happy choice for a [first night] performance. Its tragic theme, the high caste of its dramatic personae, its gorgeous exotic scenery and costumes, its opportunities for the proper exhibit of favorite singers, its solid orchestral texture and its substantial length all contribute to creating an atmosphere of dignity, opulence and general importance.

Furthermore, there are many judicious connoisseurs who would plausibly maintain that, judged by a combination of standards, "Aida" is about the best opera ever composed.

Has Tuneful Melody

The theatrical pathos of its dialog scenes gives way before the copious rations of purely tuneful melody; but lest the latter attractive feature lose its freshness, ample relief is provided by pageantry, dancing and appeal to the eye.

The colorful orchestral background, in turn, aids in heightening the emotional temperature, but it is never permitted to protrude into the foreground of the attention.

All in all, the work is a masterpiece of balance, its sturdy popularity richly deserved.

The performance was excellent, quite worthy of the Metropolitan's fame. Rose Bampton added tons of fuel to the fires of admiration that already burn for her here; she infused the music of the title role with a remarkably sonorous warmth and vibrancy.

If she delivered her monolog, "Ritorna Vincitor," in the first act with convincing pathos, she rose to even great heights of vocal delivery in her third act aria, "O Patria Mia."

Martinelli Pleasing

The firm, vigorous true line of Giovanni Martinelli's tones in "Celeste Aida" might well be the envy of a much younger man.

The extraordinary rich quality of Ezio Pinza's bass and his superb artistry made us regret that the part of Ramfis was not larger.

Leonard Warren's Amonasro bids fair to raise him into the rank of truly distinguished singers.

Thelma Votipka's offstage chanting as the priestess was agreeably atmospheric, while Norman Cordon and Bruna Castagna gave adequate representations of the king and Amneris, respectively.

Enthusiastic applause greeted all the singers and the performance's able director and coordinator, Ettore Panizza. An especially vigorous ovation was accorded Miss Bampton.



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