[Met Performance] CID:247060
Il Trittico {29}
Il Tabarro {33}
Suor Angelica {29}
Gianni Schicchi {93} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/15/1976.
(Debuts: Hildegard Behrens, Gianfranco Cecchele, Josella Ligi, Neil Shicoff
Review)
Metropolitan Opera House
October 15, 1976
IL TRITTICO {29}
IL TABARRO {33}
Puccini-Adami
Giorgetta...............Hildegard Behrens [Debut]
Luigi...................Gianfranco Cecchele [Debut]
Michele.................Cornell MacNeil
Frugola.................Jean Kraft
Talpa...................Italo Tajo
Tinca...................Charles Anthony
Song Seller.............Jon Garrison
Lover...................Betsy Norden
Lover...................John Carpenter
Conductor...............James Levine
Production..............Fabrizio Melano
Designer................David Reppa
SUOR ANGELICA {29}
Puccini-Forzano
Angelica................Teresa Zylis-Gara
Princess................Fedora Barbieri
Genovieffa..............Betsy Norden
Osmina..................Linore Aronson
Dolcina.................Ann Florio
Monitor.................Shirley Love
Abbess..................Jean Kraft
Head Mistress...........Batyah Godfrey Ben-David
Nurse...................Cynthia Munzer
Lay Sister..............Maureen Smith
Lay Sister..............Dina De Salvo
Novice..................Linda Mays
Novice..................Barbara Bystrom
Alms Collector..........Alma Jean Smith
Alms Collector..........Elena Doria
Conductor...............James Levine
Production..............Fabrizio Melano
Designer................David Reppa
GIANNI SCHICCHI {93}
Puccini-Forzano
Gianni Schicchi.........Cornell MacNeil
Lauretta................Josella Ligi [Debut]
Rinuccio................Neil Shicoff [Debut]
Nella...................Betsy Norden
Ciesca..................Shirley Love
Zita....................Fedora Barbieri
Gherardo................Charles Anthony
Betto...................Russell Christopher
Marco...................Gene Boucher
Simone..................Italo Tajo
Gherardino..............Lawrence Klein
Spinelloccio............Edmond Karlsrud
Amantio.................Andrij Dobriansky
Pinellino...............Herman Marcus
Guccio..................Peter Sliker
Buoso Donati............Terry Allen
Conductor...............James Levine
Production..............Fabrizio Melano
Designer................David Reppa
Il Trittico received ten performances this season.
Review of Bill Zakariasen in the Daily News
A triple slice of life
Puccini's triple slice of life life, "Il Trittico," returned to the Met Opera Friday with a new conductor and no less than ten changes of cast, four of which were debuts.
James Levine's conducting was good average for him these days - meaning there was plenty of energy (sometimes too much so), a nagging tendency to drown out the singers, but a constant awareness of the drama in the three contrasting one-act operas "Il Tabarro," "Suor Angelica" and "Gianni Schicchi." He was at his best in the final score, savoring its scintillating humor with some pointed orchestral accents.
The debuting singers did best in "Schicchi" as well. Josella Ligi, known in Europe as a dramatic soprano, unaccountably was assigned the ingénue Lauretta, but her creamy voice rejoiced in that deceptively simple arietta "O mio babbino caro." Neil Shicoff, a most photogenic young tenor, showed as Rinuccio a prodigiously equipped voice with a ringing top and even scale.
In "Tabarro," German soprano Hildegard Behrens got off to a rocky start as Giorgetta, but later on managed to smooth out much of her singing. Proper assessment of her talents will have to wait, but she has physical beauty, good stage presence and the sheer size of her voice commands attention. Gianfranco Cecchele (Luigi) conversely didn't sound nearly large enough, despite his tonal resemblance to Mario del Monaco.
Veterans Italo Tajo and Fedora Barbieri were superbly cast - in character parts, particularly Barbieri as the princess in "Suor Angelica" - an interpretation of immense authority and presence. Tajo, once the greatest of all Schicchis, is now fully as great as the doddering Simone.
'Teresa Zylis-Gara sang Suor Angelica beautifully, but regrettably did little else - it takes more than lovely vocalism to make the treacle in this score palatable. Cornell MacNeil has vastly improved as Schicchi and "Tabarro's" Michele - he was a tower of menacing strength 'in the latter and of hilarity in the former. He was, moreover, in prime vocal condition, which means he outsang any other living baritone.
Photograph of Hildegard Behrens as Giorgetta in Il Tabarro by James Heffernan/Metropolitan Opera.