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The presence in the cast of Set Svanholm in the title role, and of Rose Bampton as Kundry made the second performance of the season of Wagner's "Parsifal" at the Metropolitan Opera last night a far more satisfactory one than the first one in which these roles had been assumed by Mr. Melchior and Mme. Thorborg. The remaining principals were, for the most part, those of the preceding presentation and included Martial Singher as Amfortes, Joel Berglund; as Gurnemanz, and Gerhard Pechner, as Klingsor. Nicola Moscona replaced Deszo Ernster as Titurel.

Mr. Svanholm's delineation of Parsifal is a well-rounded one both from the vocal and dramatic aspects. He invests his music with firm, resonant tones throughout and sings with affecting expressivity. His acting has the graceful agility of youth in the first act and in the [first] scene of the second set, and his sudden transformation from guileless fool into perceptive manhood was accomplished with striking effectiveness.

Miss Bampton renewed the conviction formed last season that she is the finest Kundry of the day. Her vocalism was of a high order throughout, alluringly sensuous in the seductive episodes and imbued with telling intensity in her narrative in which she tells of how she laughed at the Savior. The exacting high-lying passages of the concluding scene of the second act were delivered with assurance and with the essential impact. Her acting was convincing too, in its plasticity of gesture and dramatic cogency. The remaining impersonations were much as they had been at the previous performance two weeks ago and Fritz Stiedry again brought discerning insight to his discourse of the orchestral score.

Search by season: 1947-48

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