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[Met Performance] CID:146210
La Traviata
Metropolitan Opera House, Sat, November 29, 1947
La Traviata (296)
Giuseppe Verdi | Francesco Maria Piave
La Traviata received fourteen performances this season.
Novak designed another setting for Act II, Scene 1.
Review 1:
Noel Straus in The New York Times
VERDI'S ?TRAVIATA? AT METROPOLITAN
Albanese and Peerce Appear in the Principal Roles, With Antonicelli Conducting Verdi's "La Traviata" received its first performance of the season last night at the Metropolitan Opera House. The popular work moved along smoothly under the leadership of Giuseppe Antonicelli, who conducted with spirit and adapted tempi that were always well chosen. A familiar cast appeared, headed by Licia Albanese as Violetta, Jan Peerce as Alfredo and Francesco Valentino as the elder Germont.
Miss Albanese was as dramatically forceful as usual in her impersonation of Dumas' heroine. Her voice, which faded out in the lower reaches of the scale, but acquired increasing resonance and brilliancy as it moved upward in its range, was always used with skill and deep expressiveness. There was pronounced flexibility in her singing of the florid music at the close of the first act, the "Sempre libera" being accurately and scintillatingly encompassed, while elsewhere she was invariably the sympathetic and sensitive vocalist.
Mr. Peerce, in top form, brought firm, ample tones to his manly singing, and managed to make Alfredo a less spineless character than often proves the case in this opera. He sang with warmth and intensity, and nowhere with more effectiveness than in the aria, "Die miei bollenti spiriti," which was admirable in its fluency and its roundness of sound.
The weakest of the principals was Mr. Valentino, who occasionally sang acceptable phrases, but for the most part permitted the music allotted Giorgio Germont to degenerate into pitchless, thick, unfocused tones, as in the "Di Provenza," which was a most undistinguished piece of vocalism.
Others in the personnel included Thelma Votipka as Flora, Thelma Altman as Annina, George Cehanovsky as Baron Douphol, Leslie Chabay as Gastone, John Baker as Marquis D'Obigny and Lorenzo Alvary as Doctor Grenvil,
Search by season: 1947-48
Search by title: La Traviata,
Met careers
La Traviata
Metropolitan Opera House, Sat, November 29, 1947
La Traviata (296)
Giuseppe Verdi | Francesco Maria Piave
- Violetta
- Licia Albanese
- Alfredo
- Jan Peerce
- Germont
- Frank Valentino
- Flora
- Thelma Votipka
- Gastone
- Leslie Chabay
- Baron Douphol
- George Cehanovsky
- Marquis D'Obigny
- John Baker
- Dr. Grenvil
- Lorenzo Alvary
- Annina
- Thelma Altman
- Dance
- Peggy Smithers
- Dance
- Marina Svetlova
- Conductor
- Giuseppe Antonicelli
- Director
- D?sir? Defr?re
- Designer
- Jonel Jorgulesco
- Set Designer
- Joseph Novak
- Choreographer
- Boris Romanoff
La Traviata received fourteen performances this season.
Novak designed another setting for Act II, Scene 1.
Review 1:
Noel Straus in The New York Times
VERDI'S ?TRAVIATA? AT METROPOLITAN
Albanese and Peerce Appear in the Principal Roles, With Antonicelli Conducting Verdi's "La Traviata" received its first performance of the season last night at the Metropolitan Opera House. The popular work moved along smoothly under the leadership of Giuseppe Antonicelli, who conducted with spirit and adapted tempi that were always well chosen. A familiar cast appeared, headed by Licia Albanese as Violetta, Jan Peerce as Alfredo and Francesco Valentino as the elder Germont.
Miss Albanese was as dramatically forceful as usual in her impersonation of Dumas' heroine. Her voice, which faded out in the lower reaches of the scale, but acquired increasing resonance and brilliancy as it moved upward in its range, was always used with skill and deep expressiveness. There was pronounced flexibility in her singing of the florid music at the close of the first act, the "Sempre libera" being accurately and scintillatingly encompassed, while elsewhere she was invariably the sympathetic and sensitive vocalist.
Mr. Peerce, in top form, brought firm, ample tones to his manly singing, and managed to make Alfredo a less spineless character than often proves the case in this opera. He sang with warmth and intensity, and nowhere with more effectiveness than in the aria, "Die miei bollenti spiriti," which was admirable in its fluency and its roundness of sound.
The weakest of the principals was Mr. Valentino, who occasionally sang acceptable phrases, but for the most part permitted the music allotted Giorgio Germont to degenerate into pitchless, thick, unfocused tones, as in the "Di Provenza," which was a most undistinguished piece of vocalism.
Others in the personnel included Thelma Votipka as Flora, Thelma Altman as Annina, George Cehanovsky as Baron Douphol, Leslie Chabay as Gastone, John Baker as Marquis D'Obigny and Lorenzo Alvary as Doctor Grenvil,
Search by season: 1947-48
Search by title: La Traviata,
Met careers
- Giuseppe Antonicelli [Conductor]
- Licia Albanese [Violetta]
- Jan Peerce [Alfredo]
- Frank Valentino [Germont]
- Thelma Votipka [Flora]
- Leslie Chabay [Gastone]
- George Cehanovsky [Baron Douphol]
- John Baker [Marquis D'Obigny]
- Lorenzo Alvary [Dr. Grenvil]
- Thelma Altman [Annina]
- Peggy Smithers [Dance]
- Marina Svetlova [Dance]
- D?sir? Defr?re [Director]
- Boris Romanoff [Choreographer]
- Jonel Jorgulesco [Designer]
- Joseph Novak [Set Designer]