[Met Performance] CID:138130
Don Giovanni {118} Matinee Broadcast ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 12/9/1944., Broadcast
(Broadcast
Review)
Metropolitan Opera House
December 9, 1944 Matinee Broadcast
DON GIOVANNI {118}
Don Giovanni............Ezio Pinza
Donna Anna..............Florence Kirk
Don Ottavio.............Charles Kullman
Donna Elvira............Eleanor Steber
Leporello...............Salvatore Baccaloni
Zerlina.................Bidú Sayao
Masetto.................Mack Harrell
Commendatore............Nicola Moscona
Conductor...............George Szell
Review of Robert A. Simon in the New Yorker
"Don Giovanni," which is some seventy years older than "Faust," was the next bill at the Metropolitan, and it worked up great enthusiasm among its listeners. The singing, as such, was uneven, ranging from well intentioned to good, but there was a fine musical and dramatic unity in the production. Most of "Don Giovanni" is fashioned for comedy, and the cast tried hard for the laughs, although not as hard as some local casts have. If the serious moments didn't seem quite as convincing as the lighter stretches, it may have been because some of them present violent vocal problems. When singers have to battle with some of the most difficult music Mozart composed (and Mozart can be tough going), the interest is in the contest between the voice and the score rather than in any conflict of emotions. George Szell conducting his first Metropolitan "Don Giovanni," turned in a delightful performance. He directed not only the music, but also the audience, holding back one bit of premature applause with a wave of his left arm. Mr. Szell, in addition, sat in at the piano to accompany the recitatives, and his playing of these passages was a subtle and engaging demonstration of music taste and efficiency.