[Met Performance] CID:192820



Aida
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, January 4, 1963




Aida (679)
Giuseppe Verdi | Antonio Ghislanzoni
Aida
Leontyne Price

Radamès
Jess Thomas

Amneris
Rita Gorr

Amonasro
Mario Sereni

Ramfis
Jerome Hines

King
Louis Sgarro

Messenger
Robert Nagy

Priestess
Janis Martin

Dance
Suzanne Ames

Dance
Judith Chazin

Dance
Hubert Farrington

Dance
Nancy King

Dance
Donald Mahler


Conductor
Nello Santi





Note: Jess Thomas sang most of the role of Radamès in German

Review 1:

Review of Everett Helm in the 1/11/63 issue of Musical America:

Jess Thomas sang his first Radames at the Metropolitan Opera Jan. 4. He was a last-minute replacement for Franco Corelli, whose plane flight from Europe had been delayed. Mr. Thomas made his debut earlier in the season as Walther in "Die Meistersinger," and had appeared as Bacchus in the Met's new "Ariadne auf Naxos." He had sung Bacchus the night before this "Aida," and that he agreed to sing Radames the next evening, and on very short notice, is commendable; that he sang the role so well is remarkable.

It was announced that, except for "Celeste Aida," Mr. Thomas would sing in German, the language in which he is most familiar with the part. (Most of his opera experience has been in Germany, and he had apparently not sung "Aida" in Italian in several years. He had been scheduled for his first Met Radames later in the season, by which time he would undoubtedly have completely relearned the role in the original language). In addition to "Celeste Aida," he sang the opera's [first] lines, some of the ensembles, and the final duet in Italian.

Mr. Thomas' interpretation was youthful and enthusiastic, and may in time fill out enough to give the character adequate substance. Mr. Thomas has a strong voice, less Italianate in style than some of the Met's other Radameses, which is in some ways a boon: he was probably the only tenor this season not to sing "Ai-da" and "divi-ina," with unseemly glissandos joining the double i's, in the first scene aria. In all, an exciting Met first, albeit with some reservations.

Leontyne Price was once again a heavenly Aida; Rita Gorr was a show-stopping Amneris; and Jerome Hines was typically fine in his first Ramfis of the season. Mario Sereni, as Amonasro, looked fine but sang pitches that were often wide of the mark; and Louis Sgarro, as the King, lacked authority. But, with Mr. Thomas' auspicious first Radames, the superlative work of Misses Price and Gorr, and Mr. Hines' rocklike dependability, this was the most electric "Aida" at the Met in many moons.



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