Metropolitan Opera Archives

Thomas's "Mignon," which received its first presentation of the season at the Metropolitan Opera House last night, is an opera which demands first-rate singing throughout to make it palatable to present-day audiences. There was some good vocalism in evidence from time to time, but the general level of excellence reached was never sufficiently high to make the evening an exhilarating one.

Miss Stevens' Mignon continues to suffer from the blight of Hollywood. Her almost constant mugging of the role divests it of much of the touching sincerity which formerly characterized her assumption thereof, and while she delivered some of her music expressively, notable that of the second scene of Act 2, she never makes the most of her vocal potentialities because of her mouthy production.

The Philine of Miss Benzell, her second important role here, was prettily sung and her florid work in the difficult Polonaise, "Je suis Titania," was clearly articulated and true to pitch, but her voice wants the body and brilliancy essential to a really telling revelation of this frothy music. Her characterization of the worldly coquette had considerable assurance and charm.

Mr. Melton is never very happy with Wilhelm Meister's music and last night his singing, aside from its customary "whiteness," was taut and thin in the upper reaches. Mr. Pinza, too, is not particularly well cast as Lothario, the music of the role demanding greater tonal suavity than he is able to bring to it, and a few of his highest tones were uncertain in intonation. Mr. Dame's Laerte was an amusingly acted but only tolerably well sung impersonation. Some of the best singing was contributed by Miss Browning as Frederic. Mr. Pelletier conducted in pedestrian fashion.

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