Metropolitan Opera Archives

Certain operatic roles have a kind of built-in success: They require such specialized talents that if a singer can do one of them at all, he or she is practically fail-proof. Salome is one of those roles. Otello is another, and Peter Grimes is yet another. Last night at the Metropolitan Opera, Robert Nagy was propelled into the title role of Britten's "Peter Grimes" by the sudden illness of Jon Vickers, who has had the part to himself in the Met's new production.

Mr. Nagy had no stage rehearsal and no orchestral rehearsal. He behaved as if he had been given many. The voice is very big and very bright. Maybe too bright, for it does blare a bit in the upper register. But it penetrates the loudest orchestra, the sound has an exciting ping to it, and Mr. Nagy obviously had the music well worked into his voice. Dramatically, Mr. Nagy knows where he is going and most of his performance is effective. He must rid himself of stock operatic gestures - this is not a hands-outstretched-to-the-gallery opera - and stop worrying about being too rough with his colleagues. More rehearsal will take care of the latter; more study should cure the former.

The rest of the production is slipping. As Mrs. Sedley, Jean Madeira camps it up like the Wicked Witch of the West; Lili Chookasian behaves like the Cook in "Alice" and the other character parts resemble a deteriorating road company of "Oliver!" And it's such a good opera too.

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