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[Met Performance] CID:158430



Cavalleria Rusticana
Pagliacci
Metropolitan Opera House, Thu, December 27, 1951









Review 1:

Review of Cecil Smith in the January 15, 1952 issue of Musical America

Astrid Varnay, who a sung Santuzza once before at the Metropolitan, in February, 1951, returned to the role in this performance. While it was apparent that she and Hans Busch, the stage director, had had little traffic, she enacted the part with what might conventionally be called success. Possibly her action would have seemed less prima-donna-like and dry if her singing had carried a stronger theatrical impulse. But her tones were consistently poorly

focused, and the spread, trembly sounds she emitted allowed the climaxes to evaporate and robbed the score as a whole of color and immediacy. Jean Madeira, allowed to graduate from the role of Mamma Lucia to that of Lola, profited from casting that did not go against both her instincts and the physical facts of her youthful body and carried off her brief passages with naturalness and vocal effectiveness. Mario del Monaco repeated his strong and intelligent, if somewhat overacted, Turiddu. Clifford Harvuot and Thelma Votipka completed the cast.

In Pagliacci, Renato Capecchi sang Silvio for the first time here. Abandoning his dangerous and growing practice of forcing his voice, he sang the cantilena of the love scene with taste and attractive inflection. It was apparent, however, that nobody had coached him adequately in the stylized action this production of "Pagliacci" requires. Max Leavitt, displeased by the present appearance of the piece he staged last year, had withdrawn his name from the program credits and the Metropolitan roster and Mr. Capecchi was evidently left largely to his own devices. For the most part he got on well enough, but it was an unhappy notion to try to sit on the petite Chinese bench with Delia Rigal on his knee. Miss Rigal came closer to singing Nedda's music steadily and spontaneously than, ever before, but she ruined her performance by incrusting it with needless gestures and movements. The other old-timers in the cast were Ramon Vinay, Leonard Warren and Thomas Hayward. Alberto Erede conducted both operas.

Search by season: 1951-52

Search by title: Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci,



Met careers

• Alberto Erede [Conductor]
• Astrid Varnay [Santuzza]
• Mario Del Monaco [Turiddu]
• Jean Madeira [Lola]
• Clifford Harvuot [Alfio]
• Thelma Votipka [Mamma Lucia]
• Delia Rigal [Nedda]
• Ramon Vinay [Canio]
• Leonard Warren [Tonio]
• Renato Capecchi [Silvio]
• Thomas Hayward [Beppe]