[Met Performance] CID:140120
Un Ballo in Maschera {37} Matinee Broadcast ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 12/8/1945., Broadcast
(Debuts: Pierrette Alarie, Anne Barlow, William Sarazen, James Nygren
Broadcast
Review)
Metropolitan Opera House
December 8, 1945 Matinee Broadcast
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA {37}
Giuseppe Verdi--Antonio Somma
Amelia..................Zinka Milanov
Riccardo................Jan Peerce
Renato..................Leonard Warren
Ulrica..................Margaret Harshaw
Oscar...................Pierrette Alarie [Debut]
Samuel..................Norman Cordon
Tom.....................Lorenzo Alvary
Silvano.................John Baker
Judge...................Richard Manning
Servant.................Lodovico Oliviero
Dance...................Peggy Smithers
Dance...................Anne Barlow [Debut]
Dance...................Natasha Tzvetcova
Dance...................Elissa Minet
Dance...................William Sarazen [Debut]
Dance...................Robert Armstrong
Dance...................James Nygren [Debut]
Dance...................Josef Carmassi
Conductor...............Bruno Walter
Director................Herbert Graf
Set designer............Mstislav Dobujinsky
Costume designer........Ladislas Czettel
Choreographer...........Boris Romanoff
Un Ballo in Maschera received nine performances this season.
Review of Jerome D. Bohm in the Herald Tribune
"Ballo in Maschera"
Zinka Milanov and Jan Peerce Heard in Verdi's Opera
The first presentation in two seasons of Verdi's "Ballo in Maschera" at the Metropolitan Opera House yesterday afternoon was the occasion for some effective singing and of a good deal that was neither effective nor even acceptable. The most consistently telling vocalism of the performance was contributed by Mr. Peerce, who projected his warm tenor voice to good purpose, judiciously refraining from forcing so that his tones were always steady, pointed and round in texture. Dramatically, too, his delineation of Riccardo was easily the most distinguished one of the occasion, being genuinely aristocratic in demeanor.
Miss Milanov, making her first appearance here of the season, was not in her best vocal estate. Noticeably slenderer than when she was last heard, this listener feared that the decrease in avoirdupois had brought with it a disturbing lessening of her powers of endurance. Her highest tones were emitted with obvious effort, often barely encompassed and with a definite thinning out of their natively glowing quality. Occasional measures, especially those softly sung, emerged with the floating transparency of old. But these were too few to atone for the generally brittle, laborious character of her work.
As Renato, Mr. Warren poured forth his huge voice lavishly but with little regard for the musical requirements of his role. As is always the case, when he attempted to sing with anything less than full strength, his tones were mouthy and fuzzy in quality because not sufficiently focused.
Making her debut as the page, Oscar, Miss Alarie revealed a diminutive coloratura soprano voice, which, on the few occasion when it could be heard, such as in the unaccompanied passages of the first-act quintet, sounded agreeable, But for the most part it proved too light in caliber to cope with the music of such an important role, one which is frequently given the predominant melodic line in numerous ensembles which dot this opera.
Singing the role of the witch Ulrica for the first time, Miss Harshaw, after some unsteady phrases, invested her part with steadier, voluminous tones; but the contralto voice is still too openly produced, and her portrayal wanted in dramatic conviction, and musical intensity. Competent bits were provided by Messrs. Baker, Cordon and Alvary in their respective parts of Silvano, Samuel and Tom.