[Met Performance] CID:159420



Carmen
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, March 28, 1952




Carmen (474)
Georges Bizet | Henri Meilhac/Ludovic Halévy
Carmen
Risë Stevens

Don José
Mario Del Monaco

Micaela
Hilde Güden

Escamillo
Frank Guarrera

Frasquita
Paula Lenchner

Mercédès
Margaret Roggero

Remendado
Alessio De Paolis

Dancaïre
George Cehanovsky

Zuniga
Osie Hawkins

Moralès
Clifford Harvuot

Dance
Janet Collins

Dance
Loren Hightower


Conductor
Kurt Adler







Review 1:

Review of James Hinton Jr. in Musical America

The season's eighth performance of "Carmen" had Rise Stevens again in the title role, with Mario del Monaco as Don José, Hilde Gueden was Micaela, and Frank Guarrera was Escamillo. Osie Hawkins, Clifford Harvuot, George Cehanovsky, Alessio de Paolis, Paula Lenchner, and Margaret Roggero took the other roles, and Kurt Adler conducted.

The chief elements of success were Miss Gueden's charmingly and touchingly sung and acted Micaela and Mr. Del Monaco's Don José. Whatever his faults may have been, Mr. Del Monaco's performance was one of really large format and great dramatic conviction. His acting was perhaps somewhat broad for an American audience, but, taken on his own terms, he was never once out of character and never less than interesting and intelligent in his conception of the role. His voice was free, ringing, and manly, and despite the fact that his French was very Italianate he delivered his lines with great intelligence and dramatic power. It would be shortsighted to fault so strong an impersonation simply because it had rough edges.



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