[Met Tour] CID:150360



Lucia di Lammermoor
Cleveland Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio, Mon, April 4, 1949




Lucia di Lammermoor (241)
Gaetano Donizetti | Salvadore Cammarano
Lucia
Lily Pons

Edgardo
Ferruccio Tagliavini

Enrico
Frank Valentino

Raimondo
Nicola Moscona

Normanno
Paul Franke

Alisa
Thelma Votipka

Arturo
Leslie Chabay


Conductor
Pietro Cimara







Review 1:

Elmore Bacon in the Cleveland News

Lily Pons Works Magic Again in ‘Lucia,’ Takes Eight Bows in Met Opera Open*ng

 

Lily Pons did it again. As once before, she worked her “Mad Scene” magic in “Lucia” last night open*ng the Met Opera season at Public Hall, and the capacity audience brought her out eight times to take  bows. Her coloratura warbling once before had the same effect. She took seven bows then.

 

But irrespective of Lily’s personal triumph, the twenty-fourth Met opera season here opened with a grand flourish a remarkably fine performance of the Donizetti Scottish tragedy.

 

Ferruccio Tagliavini, tenor, revealed fine artistry in his first appearance here in opera. He was the Edgardo in this tale of romance, perfidy and death. The one substitution in the cast gave us the opportunity to hear another fine tenor, Leslie Chabay, who took over the role of Arturo in the place of the indisposed Thomas Hayward.

 

For us “Lucia” – speaking solely of the opera – creaks at almost all of her joints. There is a deal aflaiming before the gun is fired. And sometimes the aiming is so prolonged the gun wobbles and the bullet misses the mark.

 

Lily in Top Form

 

The famous Lily was in fine voice. And that means those sparkling strands of vocal diamonds glittered and dazzled in the opera’s lovely airs and in the dramatic third act scene, as only Lily makes them. And in gorgeous costumes, she dominated from beginning to end. Well, not exactly the end. Tenor Tagliavini came in at that time for an artistic display of his voice and his dramatic powers – a fine performance that sent the big crowd home thrilled.

 

Francesco Valentino, the always dependable baritone of opera and radio was a notable Ashton. Nicola Moscona, another Met Opera dependable, was the Raimondo. Thelma Votipka, former Clevelander, was the Alice and Paul Franke the Normando.

 

The famous Sextet in Act II – the one which we expect to hear one of our harmonica experts try some day – was one of the big moments in the opera. And despite one of the men singers slipping off key somewhat, it was a dramatic and colorful performance in which the orchestra and chorus had a share.

 

In this Italian opera as the action unfolds it stops long enough for a lyric display of vocalism and proceeds again to the next stopping place. The whole cast knocks off work of unfolding the ploy long enough to dash off the dazzling sextet. They’re all pretty mad and trouble is feared, but nothing comes of it. The Raimondo previously had waved back the drawn swords and they were sheathed. The Atlantic Pacers could use a chap with that type of magic.

 

Duet Big Success

 

The Lovely Lily was not always too convincing from a histrionic standpoint. She was commendable though in the dramatic scene in which her brother, Lord Ashton, convinced her by means of a forged letter that her sweetheart had deceived her. Most girls nowadays would demand more evidence that that. And they know their handwriting tsk tsk. However, her duet with Tagliavini as he bade her goodbye was even more dramatic. It was one of the vocal gems of the evening. Both responded to several curtain calls.

 

Through the first act there was not so much of inspiration and dramatic tension as in the latter part of the opera. And the audience, too, didn’t warm up so definitely as in the dramatic moments of the second act which led up to Edgardo’s return, his denunciation of the supposedly faithless Lucia and the famous Sextet. And we are still mindful of the great coloratura triumph Miss Pons achieved, when we record that on one or two instances she was one tenth of one percent or so off pitch. One of these was the final note of the “Mad Scene.”

 

Be that as it may, her appearance as she came down the huge staircase in the center of the stage in the Castle hall attired in a white robe over which was thrown loosely a bright red dressing gown, was as effective as her glorious voice in the Donizetti fireworks which followed. She sang “mad,” but she didn’t look or act that way. We recall a soprano in that scene who got “mad” all over the stage, rumpled up her hair, and had the chorus rushing for the exits. But could she toss off those vocal pearls as does Lily? She could not. And there should be a good word for the orchestra flautist who assisted in this scene.

 

Tagliavini Effective

 

Tagliavini sings better in opera that he does in recital. And he received quite a hand from the big audience. He was particularly effective in his duet with Lucia in the castle gardens – a spot of singing that was superb. He used just the right vocal shading and quite matched the Pons perfection in this episode. He was stentorious  and dramatically vivid in the marriage scene and in the finale. His voice is of fine operatic quality as to power and warmth.

 

The Valentino baritone has power and resonance and was warm and of fine quality after some of the [beginning] vibrato and roughness disappeared.

 

Tenor Chabay who is tall and commanding has a clear pliant tenor that is highly pleasing. He used it discretely and with fine artistry as the Arturo who won Lucia as bride.

 

Pietro Cimara directed and the Met Opera Orchestra, with Felix Eyle as concertmaster, a grand symphonic group matched the fine artistry on the stage. The harp interlude in the first act was beautifully played. The chorus had its moments being well trained and in good voice, and there was colorful spot of ballet.

 

Richard Rychtarik, formerly of Cleveland, provided the excellent scenic effects. The costuming, which he also designed, was colorful and appropriate. It does seem to us, however, that those brave, brash Scottish Highlanders were partial to kilts, bagpipes, plaids and tams, a point which Mr. Donizetti and others probably purposely dropped.



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