[Met Performance] CID:200100



Tosca
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, October 23, 1964




Tosca (437)
Giacomo Puccini | Luigi Illica/Giuseppe Giacosa
Tosca
Leonie Rysanek

Cavaradossi
Flaviano Labò

Scarpia
Robert Merrill

Sacristan
Fernando Corena

Spoletta
Mariano Caruso

Angelotti
Justino Díaz

Sciarrone
Russell Christopher

Shepherd
Stuart Fischer

Jailer
Robert Patterson


Conductor
Nello Santi


Director
Dino Yannopoulos

Designer
Frederick Fox





Tosca received twenty-two performances this season.

Review 1:

Review of Douglas Watt in the Daily News

New Tosca Meets New Scarpia in Met Revival

It was good to find Puccini's "Tosca," pure theatre and thoroughly professional, rejoining the repertory last night at the Met. And a fairly strong company was assembled to put it across. But somehow it rarely caught fire.

Leonie Rysanek, essaying her first Met Tosca, has a big and beautiful voice and she cut an attractive figure on the big stage. But although there was plenty of power in her singing, there wasn't enough in her acting. Unfortunately, too, the soprano has developed a tendency to spread her tones. Nevertheless, her second act "Vissi d'arte" won her a big hand by virtue of its thrust.

A New Scarpia

Robert Merrill offered his first Scarpia in 20 years at the Met. As usual, there was no fault at all to be found with his vocalism. His baritone was rich and sonorous and in full command at all times. His characterization, though was somewhat lacking in the required malevolence, so that Scarpia emerged as a rather petty official whose position alone enabled him to impose the demands that precipitate the tragedy. Future performances should help guide Merrill more deeply into the role.

Flaviano Labe was a serviceable Cavaradossi and Fernando Corena as the Sacristan, Justine Diaz as Angelotti and Russell Christopher as Sciarrone were all assets. Nello Santi led a smoothly-paced orchestral performance,



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