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Metropolitan Opera Premiere, New Production, American Opera
Amelia Goes to the Ball
Elektra
Metropolitan Opera House, Thu, March 3, 1938
In English
Amelia Goes to the Ball (1)
Gian Carlo Menotti | Gian Carlo Menotti
- Amelia
- Muriel Dickson
- Lover
- Mario Chamlee
- Husband
- John Brownlee
- Friend
- Helen Olheim
- Chief of Police
- Norman Cordon
- Cook
- Lucielle Browning
- Maid
- Charlotte Symons
- Conductor
- Ettore Panizza
- Director
- Leopold Sachse
- Set Designer
- Donald Oenslager
- Composer
- Gian Carlo Menotti
Elektra (11)
Richard Strauss | Hugo von Hofmannsthal
- Elektra
- Rose Pauly
- Chrysothemis
- Irene Jessner
- Klyt?mnestra
- Enid Sz?nth?
- Orest
- Friedrich Schorr
- Aegisth
- Paul Althouse
- Overseer
- Dorothee Manski
- Serving Woman
- Lucielle Browning
- Serving Woman
- Doris Doe
- Serving Woman
- Marita Farell
- Serving Woman
- Helen Olheim
- Serving Woman
- Thelma Votipka
- Confidant
- Anna Kaskas
- Trainbearer
- Irra Petina
- Young Servant
- Karl Laufk?tter
- Old Servant
- Arnold Gabor
- Guardian
- Norman Cordon
- Conductor
- Erich Leinsdorf
Translation by George Mead
Original title: Amelia al Ballo.
Amelia Goes to the Ball received four performances this season.
ELEKTRA {11}
Review 1:
Review by Pitts Sanborn in the New York World-Telegram
It has taken "Amelia al Ballo" less than a year to bring its merry self to the august stage of the Metropolitan Opera House. The world premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's one-act opera buffa occurred in English at the Philadelphia Academy of Music on April 1, 1937, sponsored by the Curtis Institute of Music. Now, by all the signs "Amelia", which last night served "Elektra" as curtain-raiser, is in for a prosperous Metropolitan career.
[The] plot, slight as it is, supplies enough of lively incident to keep something always brewing on the stage. And it also furnishes the reason-for-being of a rather delightful opera score. But to label "Amelia" in pride and thanksgiving an American opera seems to be unjustifiable. True, Mr. Menotti studied at the Curtis Institute and wrote the work-he is his own librettist-in this country. Yet he composed the voice parts to Italian words (which are not always easily and aptly rendered in George Mead's English version) and the score is distinctly in the Italian tradition, in spite of the composer's undissembled acquaintance with Richard Strauss, "Auld Lang Syne", and other non-Italian matters.
It is a score conceived in the great comic line of "Le Nozze di Figaro", "Il Matrimonio Segreto", "Il Barbiere di Siviglia", "Don Pasquale", and "Falstaff", as is the case of these masterpieces the orchestra maintains a constant and relishing commentary on the action. The living composer with whose work "Amelia" has the closest affinity is obviously Wolf-Ferrari. Mr. Menotti, however, is less assimilative than Wolf-Ferrari became in "L'Amore Medico", though he too can boast of a serviceable memory, and now and then the effervescent Menotti vintage is momentarily tinctured with lukewarm vanilla soda. To make an end of it all, "Amelia" is an agreeable example of modern Italian opera, vivacious and tuneful, sung in English. American it is not, except through geographical accident.
Aside from the unimportrant and now shabby set lent by the Curtis Institute, the production at the Metropolitan calls for little but praise. Muriel Dickson makes a wholly charming Amelia. John Brownlee portrays the husband with fine skill. Mario Chamlee, embodying the lover, is an expert rope-slider and a doughty fellow with his fists, as well as the possessor of a voice. As the Chief of Police Norman Cordon is quite superb. Ettore Panizza kept the orchestra fizzling like champagne. A capacity audience acclaimed the work , and the youthful composer came before the curtain with the principal artists to bow.
[The production of Amelia Goes to the Ball was borrowed from the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia.]
Search by season: 1937-38
Search by title: Amelia Goes to the Ball, Elektra,
Met careers
- Ettore Panizza [Conductor]
- Muriel Dickson [Amelia]
- Mario Chamlee [Lover]
- John Brownlee [Husband]
- Helen Olheim [Friend]
- Norman Cordon [Chief of Police]
- Lucielle Browning [Cook]
- Charlotte Symons [Maid]
- Leopold Sachse [Director]
- Donald Oenslager [Set Designer]
- Erich Leinsdorf [Conductor]
- Rose Pauly [Elektra]
- Irene Jessner [Chrysothemis]
- Enid Sz?nth? [Klyt?mnestra]
- Friedrich Schorr [Orest]
- Paul Althouse [Aegisth]
- Dorothee Manski [Overseer]
- Lucielle Browning [Serving Woman]
- Doris Doe [Serving Woman]
- Marita Farell [Serving Woman]
- Helen Olheim [Serving Woman]
- Thelma Votipka [Serving Woman]
- Anna Kaskas [Confidant]
- Irra Petina [Trainbearer]
- Karl Laufk?tter [Young Servant]
- Arnold Gabor [Old Servant]
- Norman Cordon [Guardian]
- Gian Carlo Menotti [Composer]