[Met Performance] CID:168220
Don Giovanni {183} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/10/1955.
(Review)
Metropolitan Opera House
March 10, 1955
DON GIOVANNI {183}
Don Giovanni............Jerome Hines
Donna Anna..............Eleanor Steber
Don Ottavio.............Eugene Conley
Donna Elvira............Lucine Amara
Leporello...............Lorenzo Alvary
Zerlina.................Hilde Güden
Masetto.................Lawrence Davidson
Commendatore............Luben Vichey
Conductor...............Max Rudolf
Review signed R. A. E. in Musical America
In this performance, Jerome Hines tackled the title role for the first time in New York. He had previously sung it with the Cincinnati Summer Opera and in Europe. A mishap occurred at the beginning of the opera, during a duel between Giovanni and the Commendatore (Luben Vichey), in which the latter's sword was broken and a piece struck Mr. Hines on the head. Since he was offstage immediately afterwards for a number of minutes, Mr. Hines had his gash bandaged and sufficiently camouflaged to prevent most of the audience from guessing what had happened.
On the surface, the incident failed to upset the singer's aplomb, and he carried through his part with admirable verve. Only some of his faulty timing in the recitatives suggested that he might have been disturbed. On the whole, Mr. Hines's Don was visually handsome in its height of figure; gay and amused, without any trace of cynicism; vocally satisfactory, although his beautiful voice is heard to better advantage in musically more broadly conceived rôles, such as Philip in "Don Carlo" or Gurnemanz in "Parsifal." Since Mr. Hines has shown his ability to develop in a rôle from year to year, it is safe to say that his version of the Don, already showing commendable insight, will mature and improve with further performances.
Eleanor Steber's excitingly dramatic Donna Anna was a whole act in steadying down vocally, but the "Non mi dir" aria was masterfully sung. Hilde Gueden's coolly charming Zerlina offered lovely, toned, stylish phrasing. Lucine Amara once again provided the most consistently superior vocalism of the evening. Making his first appearance as Leporello at the opera house, Lorenzo Alvary presented a restrained, rather undefined characterization, ably sung. Lawrence Davidson's Masetto, his first of the season, avoided caricature and enlisted sympathy with its rueful manner. Eugene Conley was the Don Ottavio. Max Rudolf conducted.