[Met Performance] CID:176850
Lucia di Lammermoor {289} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/20/1958.
(Review)
Metropolitan Opera House
January 20, 1958
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR {289}
Lucia...................Mattiwilda Dobbs
Edgardo.................Flaviano Laḅ
Enrico..................Mario Sereni
Raimondo................Nicola Moscona
Normanno................Robert Nagy
Alisa...................Thelma Votipka
Arturo..................Charles Anthony
Dance...................Nancy King
Dance...................Bruce Marks
Conductor...............Fausto Cleva
Review signed J. F. S. in Musical America
This was an uninspired, sleepy Monday evening, depending a little too heavily on the "easy listening" of the Donizetti score. There was little fervor, and the small flame of passion and terror remaining threatened several times to smolder out completely.
The point of interest in this performance was Flaviano Labo, who sang the role of Edgardo for the first time at the Metropolitan. Although he was hampered in his dramatic realization by the lethargic atmosphere, his tenor voice was nonetheless - in the first two acts especially - a delight to the ear. Clean and remarkably brilliant in timbre, it was well controlled and had pliancy and warmth. Especially in the farewell of the first act - "Verrano a te sull' aure" - his voice gave us all the lyricism and characteristic coloring of genuine Italian opera singing. In the third act, it did not quite have the same splendor, and, though still an admirable instrument, showed slight signs of fatigue.
The rest of the cast included Mattiwilda Dobbs as Lucia, Mario Sereni, Thelma Votipka, Nicola Moscona, Charles Anthony, and Robert Nagy. Mr. Cleva in the pit had plenty to do the hold the performance together