[Met Tour] CID:150800



Mignon
Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Fri, May 13, 1949




Mignon (109)
Ambroise Thomas | Jules Barbier/Michel Carré
Mignon
Risë Stevens

Wilhelm Meister
James Melton

Philine
Marilyn Cotlow

Lothario
Jerome Hines

Frédéric
Jean Madeira

Laërte
Alessio De Paolis

Jarno
Osie Hawkins

Antonio
Lawrence Davidson

Dance
Alfred Corvino

Dance
William Murrill

Dance
Marina Svetlova

Dance
Leon Varkas


Conductor
Wilfred Pelletier







Review 1:

John Harvey in the St. Paul Pioneer-Press

It is a good thing they had that fire scene in the second act of “Mignon,” for otherwise the second Metropolitan Opera performance in Northrop Memorial Auditorium Friday night was a rather cool affair.

 

Cool, that is, by comparison with Thursday night’s “Otello.” Not that there was anything particularly bad about the performance of “Mignon,” and certainly the full house was highly enthusiastic. But the only thing which raised this reviewer’s temperature to any extent was Ambroise Thomas’ music. It’s terribly familiar, often tinkly, but it’s very pretty, rhythmically vital and has élan. It gets the toe tapping most agreeably.

 

I should say the performance, which starred James Melton, Rise Stevens and Marilyn Cotlow, was a good routine job but nothing more. Mr. Melton was his usual ingratiating self as Wilhem Meister, and he sang dependably and prettily as is his wont. Miss Stevens, in the title role, was attractive and sang rather well but with a certain occasional messiness as to such niceties as precise pitch, accurate attack and tonal focus.

 

Miss Cotlow, the Minneapolis-born coloratura singing her first season with the Metropolitan was disappointing in the role of Philine, especially in her big aria, “Je suis Titania.” She can sing much better (she did in the same role on one of the “Met’s” Saturday afternoon broadcasts) but Friday night “Je suis Titania’ sounded like over-careful student work, with pauses before difficult passages.

 

Alessio de Paolis carried off his role of Laerte with polished comedy, and Jerome Hines’ Lothario was the most on-the-beam vocally of the cast. Jean Browning Madeira, a very decorative Frederic, sang with a fine voice, good expression and fair control.

 

The chorus was in good form, and Wilfred Pelletier’s conducting was workmanlike. The three-day season will end today with the “Barber of Seville” at 2 p.m. and “La Bohème” at 8 p.m.



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