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[Met Performance] CID:196710
Il Trovatore
Metropolitan Opera House, Thu, December 26, 1963
Debut : Luisa Malagrida
Il Trovatore (336)
Giuseppe Verdi | Salvatore Cammarano
Review 1:
Review of Conrad S. Susa in Musical America
The news in the performance of "Trovatore" at the Metropolitan Opera on December 26 was the debut of Luisa Malagrida as Leonora. According to
The biography provided in the program, Miss Malagrida has sung almost everywhere excepting the United States. The audience gave her a warm welcome and continued its support for at least three acts — as long as she sang well. Perhaps she was nervous; she became increasingly unsteady toward Act IV, completely failing to bring off the florid passages in "D'amor, sull' ali rosee” so the audience withdrew its support. Her voice, while pleasantly rich in the middle register, tends to thinness and paleness in its upper register. She projected a likable personality, however, but not enough of one to make up for her vocal insufficiencies.
It was Rita Gorr, replacing Irene Dalis as Azucena, who walked off with the evening. Perhaps the applause is simply built into this role, but credit must be given to her stunning performance.
Robert Merrill, as Count di Luna, appeared with a cane due to an injury he had sustained during the recent snowstorm. It added a certain dignity to his deviltry. He and Richard Tucker (Manrico) were, like Miss Gorr, in excellent vocal shape. Anton Diakov's Ferrando was not particularly interesting. Janis Martin's Inez was quite good.
Thomas Schippers conducted with a whip, not a baton. One had the impression that the singers were trapped in a runaway carriage with Mr. Schippers lashing the horses. His rapid tempos caused much vocal distress on stage besides creating an atmosphere of uneasiness rather than of tension. On the other hand, he maintained discreet dynamics and good style, making it more the pity that he mistook nervous energy for true excitement.
Search by season: 1963-64
Search by title: Il Trovatore,
Met careers
Il Trovatore
Metropolitan Opera House, Thu, December 26, 1963
Debut : Luisa Malagrida
Il Trovatore (336)
Giuseppe Verdi | Salvatore Cammarano
- Manrico
- Richard Tucker
- Leonora
- Luisa Malagrida [Debut]
- Count Di Luna
- Robert Merrill
- Azucena
- Rita Gorr
- Ferrando
- Anton Diakov [Last performance]
- Ines
- Janis Martin
- Ruiz
- Robert Nagy
- Messenger
- Hal Roberts
- Gypsy
- Carlo Tomanelli
- Conductor
- Thomas Schippers
Review 1:
Review of Conrad S. Susa in Musical America
The news in the performance of "Trovatore" at the Metropolitan Opera on December 26 was the debut of Luisa Malagrida as Leonora. According to
The biography provided in the program, Miss Malagrida has sung almost everywhere excepting the United States. The audience gave her a warm welcome and continued its support for at least three acts — as long as she sang well. Perhaps she was nervous; she became increasingly unsteady toward Act IV, completely failing to bring off the florid passages in "D'amor, sull' ali rosee” so the audience withdrew its support. Her voice, while pleasantly rich in the middle register, tends to thinness and paleness in its upper register. She projected a likable personality, however, but not enough of one to make up for her vocal insufficiencies.
It was Rita Gorr, replacing Irene Dalis as Azucena, who walked off with the evening. Perhaps the applause is simply built into this role, but credit must be given to her stunning performance.
Robert Merrill, as Count di Luna, appeared with a cane due to an injury he had sustained during the recent snowstorm. It added a certain dignity to his deviltry. He and Richard Tucker (Manrico) were, like Miss Gorr, in excellent vocal shape. Anton Diakov's Ferrando was not particularly interesting. Janis Martin's Inez was quite good.
Thomas Schippers conducted with a whip, not a baton. One had the impression that the singers were trapped in a runaway carriage with Mr. Schippers lashing the horses. His rapid tempos caused much vocal distress on stage besides creating an atmosphere of uneasiness rather than of tension. On the other hand, he maintained discreet dynamics and good style, making it more the pity that he mistook nervous energy for true excitement.
Search by season: 1963-64
Search by title: Il Trovatore,
Met careers