[Met Tour] CID:165770



La Forza del Destino
Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, Wed, May 5, 1954




La Forza del Destino (79)
Giuseppe Verdi | Francesco Maria Piave
Leonora
Zinka Milanov

Don Alvaro
Richard Tucker

Don Carlo
Leonard Warren

Padre Guardiano
Cesare Siepi

Preziosilla
Margaret Roggero

Fra Melitone
Gerhard Pechner

Marquis de Calatrava
Luben Vichey

Curra
Thelma Votipka

Trabuco
Alessio De Paolis

Surgeon
George Cehanovsky


Conductor
Fritz Stiedry







Review 1:

Alex Jones Jr. in the Atlanta Constitution
‘Forza’ Splendid Ending to Met Season Here

Atlanta’s loss was another Southern city’s gain as the Metropolitan Opera moved on after the final curtain of a powerful performance of Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.”


Undertaking the principal roles in a beautifully virile performance of “Forza,” last of four operas that made it a memorable 1954 season here, were Zinka Milanov, Richard Tucker, Leonard Warren and Cesare Siepi.


Together with other members of the company, they were scheduled to leave by train a 3 a m. for Birmingham where “La Traviata” and “La Bohème” will be offed Thursday.


LAST, IMPESSIVELY

But not before a last and impressive performance here.


“Forza,” created by Verdi in his middle period, as offered by the Met Wednesday night typifies all that is bet in the hybrid art of opera. It was a masterful blending of the vocal, the visual and the histrionic.


The great Miss Milanov’s tones were perfectly placed and under beautiful control and her last-act aria, “Pace Pace,” as she sang it Wednesday night, was proof enough of why she has become the undisputed queen of the Italian wing of the Met.


Tenor Tucker and Baritone Warren were singing no less beautifully and their second act duet would be had to match. Cesare Siepi, singing the part of the good Padre Guardiano, is a magnificent bass and Gerhard Pechner, as the verbose Fra Melitone, is a comic of the first rank.


ALL THEATER

Acting of all was theater at its best.


And the décor and costumes of Eugene Berman – with a lot of the crumbling architecture and broken columns he has become known for – were beautiful.


Fritz Stiedry gave a fluent and dramatic reading of the score, which bound together perfectly the voices of the singers and the instruments.


A capacity last night audience, after paying tribute to a great performance with appropriate applause, went away happily awaiting the next visit of this nation’s outstanding interpreters of the opera.



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