[Met Performance] CID:259380
Cavalleria Rusticana {538}
Pagliacci {578} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/31/1979.
(Review)
Metropolitan Opera House
October 31, 1979
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA {538}
Santuzza................Fiorenza Cossotto
Turiddu.................Juan Lloveras
Lola....................Isola Jones
Alfio...................Mario Sereni
Mamma Lucia.............Batyah Godfrey Ben-David
Conductor...............Michelangelo Veltri
PAGLIACCI {578}
Nedda...................Mariana Nicolesco
Canio...................Carlo Bergonzi
Tonio...................Pablo Elvira
Silvio..................Brent Ellis
Beppe...................Philip Creech
Villager................Paul De Paola
Villager................William Mellow
Conductor...............Michelangelo Veltri
Review of Robert Jacobson in Opera News
October 31 was to mark the house debut of baritone Pablo Elvira, but on a few moments' notice the night of the 15th he bowed as Tonio in "Pagliacci," replacing Cornell MacNeil. Heard the 31st, he made a vivid impression, for he is a singer of the first rank, with a beautifully shaped, evenly emitted sound, his top tones sailing forth with luster and quality. Using the text to speak the music, Elvira never stooped to booming and woofing, but sang with true tone and vibrancy, creating a magnetic character of the malignant clown. Baritonal strength came too from Brent Ellis as Silvio, who had bowed at the previous performance; he too reveled in meaty, focused sound, singing with ardency and sincerity. Carlo Bergonzi was again Canio, while Mariana Niculescu offered a young, beautiful, believable Nedda, marred by vocal unsteadiness and a swallowed middle register, yet lovely and dusky in quality.