Metropolitan Opera Archives

Nineteen hundred and forty-nine dissolved into 1786 last night at the Lyric Theater, where the Metropolitan Opera Company gave “The Marriage of Figaro,” by Mozart.

With all respect to some fine singing, beautiful staging and apt characterization, the chief factor in the pleasure afforded by the production was the conducting of Fritz Reiner.

Mr. Reiner’s direction was alive and sensitive, and – praise be to the gods of balance! – he kept the instruments on a plane that supported the vocal portion of the score without supplanting it.

Brasses Light and Buoyant

Even in the martial close of “Non piu andrai” the brasses were light and buoyant. Mr. Reiner did not attempt to have the orchestra imitate a brass band.

With the exception of a few moments in the concerted scenes of Act II, precision was admirable.

Italo Tajo, a big fellow, handsome in an earthy way, made a convincing Figaro – a different person in his native sphere, opera from the inept figure who appeared on the Peabody recital stage earlier this season.

Vivid Projection

Mr. Tajo sang with excellent style and excellent tone. His [first] aria, “Se vol bellare,” served mostly as a warm-up, but his voice was fully responsive by the time he reached “non pui andrai,” Without shouting or forcing, he gave a vivid projection of this thrilling aria.

Rise Stevens was an impetuous Cherubino – good-looking, sparkling, impulsive – the ardent page to the life. She presented “Non so piu” with smooth, flutelike tones. It was suave and lively. She was excellent again in “Voi che sapete.”

Eleanor Steber, as Countess Almaviva, offered some of the most polished vocal pianissimo this listener has ever heard. In “Porgi amor, and particularly in the return of the [beginning] theme in “Dove sono,” the pianissimo phrases were spun without a break, the tone following a smooth curve. Moreover, the sounds always had good carrying power.

Admiration Merited

In full voice, her tones were not altogether pure, and she has made a better impression on other occasions. Perhaps she was singing over a cold. At any rate, however, her style always merited admiration.

Playing Susanna, Bidu Sayao was everything one might imagine this character to be – pretty, saucy, pert, quick with a laugh or a kiss. Vocally, she was less convincing. She sang brightly throughout, but the tones did not have as much suavity, especially in the upper range, as might have been desirable. Unfortunately, a deadline prevented this reviewer from hearing her aria, “Deh vieni non tardar,” in Act IV, which she sang superbly in New York.

Figure Out Of Cruickshank

Salvatore Baccaloni, Bartolo, was right out of Cruickshank, a burly figure from the Eighteenth Century. He made a fine impression vocally and for once he did not turn his role into that of a burlesque comedian – possibly because he was not long enough on the stage.

Lorenzo Alvary made a wonderful character of Antonio, the gardener. His voice was rich and clear, and he gave the role the right note of lumbering stupidity.

The weakest member of the cast was Francesco Valentino, Count Almaviva. Neither his singing nor his acting had much projection or definition.

A Charming Barbarina

Ann Bollinger was a charming Barbarina, and Herta Glaz an incisive Marcellina. Alessio de Paolis and Lesley Chabay did well with comic roles – Basilio and Don Curzio respectively.

Costumes in rich colors and flamboyant settings created sumptuous stage pictures.

Aside from considerations of the particular production, however, what really made this a great occasion – as on the previous night with “Otello” – was the opera itself.

Writing of a rehearsal for the first performance of “The Marriage of Figaro,” one member of the cast recalled that the musicians broke into applause and cheers for the composer.

Sunbeams In Sound

Mozart’s face, according to the narrator, “lighted up with glowing rays of genius…as impossible to describe as…to paint sunbeams.”

The music of “The Marriage of Figaro” makes splendid a plot that is, in essence, a bedroom farce. Mozart, a sophisticate, approached the Da Ponte libretto with full relish for its tangled intrigues. But if his attitude is knowing, his human sympathies are deep. His score reveals humor as the attribute of a noble mind.

Solving puzzles you can improve your dexterity and problem solving skills.

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