Metropolitan Opera Archives

Richard Tucker sang his first Calaf at the Metropolitan at the season's first performance of "Turandot." He has the ringing top voice and stentorian production for the role, but interestingly and gratifyingly enough, his most impressive singing at this performance was in the lyrical passages. The climaxes were a bit dry and pinched in quality, but the voice as a whole had a new richness of color and expressiveness.

Another newcomer to his role was Mr. Flagello, as Timur, and he gave deeply moving performance. Miss Amara's specialty is high, gleaming, faultlessly supported top tones, and therefore she reveled in Liu's exquisite phrases, so wonderfully blended and colored with the orchestral instruments.

Though I did not mention Miss Nilsson first, she was, of course, the overwhelming feature of the evening.

The others were familiar in their roles. Mr. Stokowski seemed tired, and the performance lacked the smashing power and brilliance of last season's performances, although, as always, he elicited lush and beautiful sounds from the orchestra. The stage brass could not apparently see his beat (given without stick) and wavered in several places, though no such catastrophe occurred as did at one performance last season. when they came in fortissimo in the wrong place! Cecil Beaton's decor seemed as lovely as ever.

Search by season: 1961-62

Search by title: Turandot,

Met careers