[Met Performance] CID:183620



Der Rosenkavalier
Metropolitan Opera House, Sat, December 26, 1959 Matinee Broadcast


Debut : Oskar Czerwenka, Jane Kirwan, Alexandra Jones, Kurt Kessler




Der Rosenkavalier (177)
Richard Strauss | Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Octavian
Christa Ludwig

Princess von Werdenberg (Marschallin)
Lisa Della Casa

Baron Ochs
Oskar Czerwenka [Debut]

Sophie
Elisabeth Söderström

Faninal
Ralph Herbert

Annina
Belén Amparan

Valzacchi
Alessio De Paolis

Italian Singer
Eugenio Fernandi

Marianne
Thelma Votipka

Mahomet
Marsha Warren

Princess' Major-domo
Gabor Carelli

Orphan
Jane Kirwan [Debut]

Orphan
Alexandra Jones [Debut]

Orphan
Dorothy Shawn

Milliner
Mary Fercana

Animal Vendor
Kurt Kessler [Debut]

Hairdresser
Harry Jones

Notary
Osie Hawkins

Leopold
Hubert Farrington

Lackey
Joseph Folmer

Lackey
John Trehy

Lackey
Lou Marcella

Lackey
Edward Ghazal

Faninal's Major-domo
Charles Anthony

Innkeeper
Paul Franke

Police Commissioner
Norman Scott


Conductor
Erich Leinsdorf


Director
Herbert Graf

Designer
Rolf Gérard





Der Rosenkavalier received five performances this season.

Review 1:

Review of Robert Sabin in the Musical America of January 15, 1960

Strauss's marvelous tragicomedy returned to the repertoire after a season's absence in a performance that was inspired both on stage and in the pit. Oskar Czerwenka, the young Austrian bass, made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera company in the role of Baron Ochs. And several of the other artists took their roles for the first time at the Metropolitan: Christa Ludwig, as Octavian; Elisabeth Söderströmtroem, as Sophie; Belen Amparan, as Annina; Norman Scott, as the Police Commissary; Gabor Carelli, as the Princess's Major-domo; Osie Hawkins, as the Notary; and, last but far from least, Eugenio Fernandi, as the Singer. In familiar roles were Lisa Della Casa as the Marschallin; Ralph Herbert as Faninal; Thelma Votipka, as Marianne; Alessio De Paolis, as

Valzacchi; and, in the lesser, but colorful, roles, Paul Franke, Jane Kirwan, Lexi Jones, Dorothy Shawn, Mary Fercana, Harry Jones. Hubert Farrington, Kurt Kessler, Marsha Warren, Joseph Folmer, John Trehy, Lou Marcella, and Edward Ghazal.

One would never have guessed from this harmonious and beautifully coordinated performance that most of the principals were new to their roles at the Metropolitan. Mr. Czerwenka, who was born in Linz in 1924 and is a member of the Vienna Staatsoper was an Hogarthian figure of an Ochs, of Falstaffian proportions and gusto, with vocal vitality to match. He made the character younger than those we usually encounter, which was all to the good, and his emphasis upon Ochs's coarseness was unsparing, but confined mainly to his acting and not his singing, which was as it should be. Aside from the notorious low E at the end of Act II, he sang with ease and flow, to which polish will doubtless be added as he grows older and wiser. The audience took him to its heart.

Miss Ludwig was a superb Octavian. Not since Rise Stevens triumphed in this role when she came to the Metropolitan have we had a singer who so completely filled its requirements: a large, dark, voluptuous voice, the ability to enact an impetuous boy convincingly, and a feeling for Strauss's soaring lines.

It has been plain for some time that Miss Söderström is an actress of extraordinary skill and sensitivity, and her Sophie was not only dewy fresh, but a wonderful portrait of a headstrong but charming girl. She took the silvery arabesques of the presentation scene beautifully in her stride, and she was equally resourceful in other vocal episodes.

Another admirable performance was that of Miss Amparan. Strauss uses this figure to poke fun at Italian opera (notably in Act III), and Miss Amparan made the most of the virtuosic as well as the satirical aspects of her part.

Mr. Fernandi had the formidable voice and breath to make the aria of the Italian tenor thoroughly enjoyable. And all of the other newcomers acquitted themselves very well, as did the rest of the cast.

Although Lisa Della Casa has sung the role of the Marschallin before, she has never, perhaps, sung it so searchingly, so heartbreakingly as at this performance. Especially in the monologue in the first act, she had the audience breathless with concentration. Her face grew old and bitter with anguish before our eyes, and she made the gallantry as well as the clairvoyance of this wonderful woman plain to us. Again in Act III, the suffering veiled by dignity and compassion was beautifully conveyed. The trio was sung by all three artists in a way that left us all limp.

To Erich Leinsdorf we also owe thanks for an untiring, emotionally alive, and musically discerning performance. He even held the attention of the audience with the amazing prelude to Act III with its mixture of fugal dexterities with tarantella insouciance. Altogether a banner achievement, with the Rolf Gerard scenery and costumes as fresh and handsome as ever. Luckily, the performance was broadcast, so that millions instead of thousands could enjoy it.



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