[Met Tour] CID:152270



La Bohème
American Academy of Music, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tue, December 20, 1949




La Bohème (435)
Giacomo Puccini | Luigi Illica/Giuseppe Giacosa
Mimì
Bidú Sayão

Rodolfo
Ferruccio Tagliavini

Musetta
Lois Hunt

Marcello
John Brownlee

Schaunard
Hugh Thompson

Colline
Nicola Moscona

Alcindoro/Benoit
Melchiorre Luise

Parpignol
Paul Franke

Sergeant
John Baker


Conductor
Giuseppe Antonicelli







Review 1:

Max de Schauensee in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin

Met Presents “La Bohème” For Capacity Audience

 

A capacity audience heard a run-of-the-mill performance of Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème” presented by the Metropolitan Opera Company at the Academy of Music last night.

 

A well-known cast went through the motions of the Murger-Puccini opus without ever really striking at the emotional core of what can be a most touching experience.

 

New Setting

 

A new setting for the first and last acts was disturbing, as it displayed the staircase and landing outside the artist’s garret. By this device the charm of Mini’s first entrance and the sudden turn in the opera’s mood at Musetta’s unexpected entrance in the final act, were seriously impaired. The audience should be just as surprised and charmed as Rodolfo is when the door opens and Mimi’s frail form is seen framed in the doorway.

 

Bidu Sayão and Ferruccio Tagliavini were Mimi and Rodolfo. Miss Sayão is a very efficient and stage-wise actress; she is also an artistic, sensitive vocalist. Last night her Mimi seemed calculated and superficial, and her slight tones sounded frayed and worn. True, she got her audience with a fine-spun pianissimo tone at the close of the “Addio,” but these moments were the exception. Her “Mi chiamano Mimi was completely mediocre.

 

Mr. Tagliavini forced his tones unmercifully, except in rare instances of well-considered pianissimo phrases. As a result of this forcing beyond natural limits, the tenor’s tones became hard and coarse. The famous first act Narrative won only a chilly ripple of applause, which is all it deserved, for it was an uninspired moment indeed. Mr. Tagliavini did well in the scenes of comedy and youthful exuberance, but his eyes were too often riveted on the conductor.

 

City Girl Heard

 

Lois Hunt, young Philadelphia soprano, made her first appearance with the Metropolitan here, following a New York debut. Miss Hunt was a perfectly plausible Musetta and well in the picture. Her Waltz was clearly projected, though more brilliant performances of this tuneful aria have been heard. The young singer was convincing in the alternate comedy and pathos of the last two acts.

 

Excellent were Hugh Thompson and Nicola Moscona as Schaunard and Colline, and the latter sang his song to the coat effectively. Admirable also was the mellowed Marcello of John Brownlee, who created a likeable and believable character of Rodolfo’s devoted friend.

 

Fourth Act Best

 

The last act was the best of the four, for here Miss Sayão and Mr. Tagliavini both took a turn for the better. Melchiorre Luise contributed a couple of neat operatic portraits as Benoit and Alcindoro.

 

Giuseppe Antonicelli didn’t equal his achievement of the season’s open*ing “Manon Lescaut” and he seemed to have trouble sticking to the tempo established by the singers. A little more rehearsal might possibly have helped his situation.



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