Metropolitan Opera Archives

Tuesday at the Metropolitan Opera House brought the season's farewell for Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" and two American singers' first impersonation here of two of its leading roles. With Lucine Amara as the Countess and Margaret Roggero as Cherubino, Roberta Peters was to have sung Susanna for the first time in this season, but a cold removed her from the cast and Dolores Wilson, who had first represented Figaro's fiancée in a last-minute substitution in December, sang in her stead.

The three young artists gave effective and individual characterizations with very pleasant, while not impeccable, singing. Miss Amara's voice was displayed often with considerable distinction and musicianship of phrasing. The quality was generally clear and very appealing, particularly in softer notes, but the timbre sometimes was slightly harder and the prevalent steadiness of tone had a few exceptions. Her singing conveyed the expressive atmosphere of the music, and this could also be said of Miss Wilson's persuasive Susanna. Her voice sometimes had a slight edge and was not consistently firm of surface in the first act. Later, while not beyond cavil, it gained in warmth and fluency. Miss Roggero, with an unruffled vocal surface, let a hint of a metallic timbre invade her likeable tones in "Voi che sapete"; the difference of style in her two arias needed a rather greater realization.

Cesare Siepi again gave a convincing interpretation as Figaro. Frank Guarrera sang very commendably as the Count, but the characterization was not positive enough here and there. Jean Madeira as Marcellina, Fernando Corena as Bartolo, Alessio De Paolis, Vilma Georgiou, Gabor Carelli, Lawrence Davidson, Heidi Krall and Sandra Warfield completed the cast. Under the conductorship of Fritz Stiedry, who had dealt admirably with Verdi's exacting "Otello" the night before, the general, music interpretation occasionally let the necessary momentum of "Le Nozze di Figaro" slacken a little, although the musical proportion was good.

Review 2:

Review signed J. S. in Musical America

At the fifth and final performance of Mozart's opera this season, Dolores Wilson substituted for Roberta Peters in the part of Susanna. She was lively and ingratiating. Lucine Amara, singing the role of the Countess for the first time, was serene and lovely in the arias "Porgi armor" and "Dove sono." Margaret Roggero as Cherubino, and Heidi Krall, as a Peasant Girl, were the other new additions to the cast. Miss Roggero was a sprightly and convincing Cherubino, although she did not attack the vocal fireworks of "Non so più" with enough velocity. Miss Krall seemed at home in the small part of the Peasant Girl.

The rest of the cast was as before, with Frank Guarrera (Count Almaviva), Cesare Siepi (Figaro), Jean Madeira (Marcellina), Alesso De Paolis (Don Basilio), Fernando Corena (Don Bartolo), Gabor Carelli (Don Curzio), Lawrence Davidson (Antonio), Vilma Georgiou (Barbarina), and Sandra Warfield (Peasant Girl). Fritz Stiedry's conducting was deft and precise, but at times lacked intensity and movement.

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