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[Met Performance] CID:149640
La Bohème
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, January 28, 1949 Matinee
La Bohème (421)
Giacomo Puccini | Luigi Illica/Giuseppe Giacosa
Turning from Donizetti to Puccini, the Metropolitan Opera Guild sponsored a performance of "La Bohème" as the second in its series of six special matinees for young people. Seventy-seven schools-in New York City, Brooklyn, Westchester, New Jersey, and Connecticut-were represented in the youthful audience, whose members applauded with enthusiasm whenever one of the arias they had heard in school came along.
Eleanor Steber's first appearance at the Metropolitan as Mimi gave a touch of novelty to an otherwise familiar and capable representation. Miss Steber delivered the music with patrician phrasing and a long emotional line, achieving her most compelling results in the "Addio," in the third act. In the first two acts her projection would have been unproved by a more frontal formation of the words, for Puccini's music requires an almost parlando inflection in many passages, if it is to attain its full volatility and resilience. On the whole, Mimi does not seem one of the roles best suited to Miss Steber's essentially serious temperament.
In addition to Frances Greer, who sang her admirable and too little praised Musetta for the second time this season, the experienced cast included Richard Tucker, Giuseppe Valdengo, Hugh Thompson, Melchiorre Luise, Nicola Moscona, and Lawrence Davidson. Giuseppe Antonicelli conducted.
Search by season: 1948-49
Search by title: La Bohème,
Met careers
La Bohème
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, January 28, 1949 Matinee
La Bohème (421)
Giacomo Puccini | Luigi Illica/Giuseppe Giacosa
- Mimì
- Eleanor Steber
- Rodolfo
- Richard Tucker
- Musetta
- Frances Greer
- Marcello
- Giuseppe Valdengo
- Schaunard
- Hugh Thompson
- Colline
- Nicola Moscona
- Alcindoro/Benoit
- Melchiorre Luise
- Parpignol
- Anthony Marlowe
- Sergeant
- Lawrence Davidson
- Conductor
- Giuseppe Antonicelli
Turning from Donizetti to Puccini, the Metropolitan Opera Guild sponsored a performance of "La Bohème" as the second in its series of six special matinees for young people. Seventy-seven schools-in New York City, Brooklyn, Westchester, New Jersey, and Connecticut-were represented in the youthful audience, whose members applauded with enthusiasm whenever one of the arias they had heard in school came along.
Eleanor Steber's first appearance at the Metropolitan as Mimi gave a touch of novelty to an otherwise familiar and capable representation. Miss Steber delivered the music with patrician phrasing and a long emotional line, achieving her most compelling results in the "Addio," in the third act. In the first two acts her projection would have been unproved by a more frontal formation of the words, for Puccini's music requires an almost parlando inflection in many passages, if it is to attain its full volatility and resilience. On the whole, Mimi does not seem one of the roles best suited to Miss Steber's essentially serious temperament.
In addition to Frances Greer, who sang her admirable and too little praised Musetta for the second time this season, the experienced cast included Richard Tucker, Giuseppe Valdengo, Hugh Thompson, Melchiorre Luise, Nicola Moscona, and Lawrence Davidson. Giuseppe Antonicelli conducted.
Search by season: 1948-49
Search by title: La Bohème,
Met careers