Metropolitan Opera Archives

With present limitations of rehearsal time, repetitions of operas at the Metropolitan are likely to be considerably smoother, than the first representations of the season. In its fourth performance "La Gioconda" was set forth with such complete assurance and freedom on the part of principals, conductor, chorus and orchestra that it provided one of the most brilliant evenings of the season. Daniza Ilitsch, now completely at home in the title role, sang almost flawlessly, and with a power, control, and breadth of style which established her importance to the company more incontrovertibly than ever. From the "Suicidio" aria to her final phrases with Barnaba her singing in the fourth act distinguished her as a dramatic soprano of the first rank. She has never before reached such heights at the Metropolitan; one felt that she would have had no trouble holding her own in competition with most of the leading sopranos of 20 years ago.

Nicola Moscona, joining this year's cast for the first time, sang fervently as Alvise. In one of those remarkable performances which engenders electricity from the very first measure, almost the entire cast surpassed its previous achievements. Richard Tucker found a new vocal freedom in the tenor music; Rise Stevens abandoned the cloudy production she had affected before, and delivered Laura's dramatic passages with clear, telling tone; Margaret Harshaw, though still listless in her accentuation, sang the contralto part with a lovely sustained line. Emil Cooper conducted, and the others in the cast were Francesco Valentino, Osie Hawkins, Lawrence Davidson, Leslie Chabay, Lodovico Oliviero, Philip Kinsman and John Baker.

Search by season: 1947-48

Search by title: La Gioconda,

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