Metropolitan Opera Archives

Review 1:

Review of Thomas B. Sherman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Rise Stevens and Emanuel List Star in "Der Rosenkavalier"

Much of Charm in the Performance of Richard Strauss Opera Due to These Singers - Excellent Work of Orchestra

The Metropolitan Opera Co. opened its St, Louis engagement last night in the Kiel Auditorium Convention Hall by introducing Richard Strauss's "De Rosenkavalier" to the local public. The performance struck a high average. The whole was slightly better than the sum of its parts, but in any case it was good enough to convey the most striking elements of a work that combines in indissoluble parts a penetrating comedy of manners with psychologically opposite music.

When "Der Rosenkavalier" was first produced in 1911 its buxom and lilting romanticism seemed a throwback to a style that was already beginning to pass. Since then, as its universal qualities emerged, it has become a standard piece with a timeless appeal. Familiarity has made clearer the precision with which the composer has pointed up his characters and underlined the emotional significance of small situations as well as critical scenes.

It is, however, a musical play in continuous motion and such a work suffers much more than an "aria opera" though being sung in a language unfamiliar to the audience. Much of the gave-and-take of the dialogue, whose meaning sometimes turned on a word or a phrase, was lost on the public. What was left was the broad outline of the plot which, fortunately, was broad enough to provide a sustained general line of interest.

Performance of Miss Stevens

Rise Stevens, who played the young Octavian, and Emanuel List, as Baron Ochs von Lerchenau, were responsible for much of the charm, vitality and humor that pervaded the important scenes.

Miss Stevens had an ideal appearance and deportment for a role that involved peculiar difficulties since it obliged her to seem convincing as a woman playing a man's part and then as a man pretending to be a woman. Somehow the artificiality of this contrivance was managed without a false step or gesture. The librettist - Hugo von Hofmannsthal -realized the improbability of such a deception being carried off successfully. Hence the Baron's stare when he got a good look at Mariandel's face in the third act. It was a timely sop to the spirit of realism to which the play otherwise conformed.

Miss Stevens also had the voice for the role. Her tonal depth and color had the moving quality of her first years before the public and she phrased the vocal line with a maximum dramatic and musical effectiveness.

Master of Detail

Mr. List, similarly, was a master of every detail of his role. The rough timbre of his voice seemed a perfect reflection of the rough-hewn, pompous but salty vulgarian he was impersonating. He was always in character, his timing was precise, his deportment had breadth and flavor.

The role of the Marschallin was less dominating than it might have been. Irene Jessner showed plainly enough that she understood the psychology of a great lady who realized that her days as a queen of love were passing. Moreover, she brought a clear, well-projected voice to the service of the music. Her singing was intelligent and intelligible. The regal tough and commanding breadth of personality were missing, however. Nadine Conner as Sophie van Faninal was either miscast or fell a victim to the acoustical setup. Her voice didn't carry or at least there was an unevenness of projection, with the result that the listener was reminded but occasionally of the smooth texture, flexibility, and expressive inflection that she ordinarily commands. It was not until the final duet that the whole line was strong enough to be completely intelligible musically. Miss Conner's bearing was also undistinguished. Her lack of size could be attributed both to bad posture and an inability to manage her costume.

Rich Tenor Aria

Kurt Baum scored successfully in his one luscious tenor aria; Hugh Thompson was a vocally successful Faninal but was too youthful in appearance despite his slightly arthritic gait; Thelma Votipka was a comely and vivacious Italian conspirator; Lorenzo Alvary, as usual, made his brief moment on the stage as the police commissary quite memorable. All the small parts, in fact, were deftly rounded and incisively enunciated. And they all fell into place for the staging was consistently deft.

Max Rudolf conducted the orchestra, which is - or should be - the most important member of the cast since it serves as the equivalent of a Greek chorus in its emotional reinforcement of the play and its running commentary on the characters and what they are saying. Without the orchestra the vocal would be frequently insignificant as music.

Mr. Rudolf disclosed a musicianly awareness of the salient character of the score which is a pervading sensuousness spiced with both robust and delicate humor and, on occasion, a high-minded sentimental simplicity. The flow of sound always had plasticity. Unfortunately the orchestra was seated too deep in the pit, which made it sound muffled at all times except in forte and fortissimo passages. This may not have been true in all parts of the hall.

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