[Met Performance] CID:132500



Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Metropolitan Opera House, Mon, January 5, 1942




Il Barbiere di Siviglia (176)
Gioachino Rossini | Cesare Sterbini
Figaro
John Brownlee

Rosina
Lily Pons

Count Almaviva
Bruno Landi

Dr. Bartolo
Salvatore Baccaloni

Don Basilio
Ezio Pinza

Berta
Irra Petina

Fiorello
Wilfred Engelman

Sergeant
John Dudley


Conductor
Frank St. Leger





In the Lesson Scene Pons sang Ah vous dirai-je maman from Le Toréador (Adam).

Review 1:

Review signed S. in Musical America

The musical rough-horsing which characterizes the Metropolitan's current "Barber of Seville" production delighted a large audience on the evening of Jan. 5 when the opera had its second performance. The cast was the same as at the first performance, except that Lily Pons and Bruno Landi replaced Bidu Sayao and Nino Martini in the roles of Rosina and Count Almaviva. Miss Pons is a sprightly comedienne, and she sang with verve, if not always with fidelity, to pitch. Mr. Pinza and Mr. Baccaloni are the backbone of the production and they always have a riotously good time trying to steal the stage from each other, to the delectation of the audience. Irra Petina, one of the most expert actresses in the company, as well as a very superior singer, brought down the house with her Berta, as usual, and John Brownlee was in excellent form as Figaro. Mr. Landi was not a convincing Almaviva either dramatically or vocally, but he sang effectively in lyric passages. In the "Lesson Scene" Miss Pons sang the Mozart-La Forge Variations on "Ah te dirai-je Maman." by no means impeccably, but with brilliance and a final alpine note which won the audience. Frank St. Leger conducted rather insecurely, and at one point brought in the orchestra before Miss Pons was ready for her final climb to one of those high tones which opera-goers love so much. There were bows aplenty throughout the evening for all of the principals.?



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