[Met Performance] CID:161800



Don Giovanni
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, January 30, 1953




Don Giovanni (163)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Lorenzo Da Ponte
Don Giovanni
George London

Donna Anna
Margaret Harshaw

Don Ottavio
Jan Peerce

Donna Elvira
Delia Rigal

Leporello
Salvatore Baccaloni

Zerlina
Roberta Peters

Masetto
Lawrence Davidson

Commendatore
Norman Scott


Conductor
Max Rudolf







Review 1:

Review of Jay S. Harrison in the Herald Tribune
?Don Giovanni?

Davidson and Baccaloni in Cast at the Met

The presence of Lawrence Davidson singing the role of Masetto for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera House, and the return of Salvatore Baccaloni, who substituted for the indisposed Erich Kunz as Leporello, provided last night?s novelties in the Met?s presentation of Mozart?s ?Don Giovanni.? The remainder of the familiar cast conducted by Max Rudolf, included George London as Don Giovanni, Margaret Harshaw as Donna Anna, Delia Rigal as Donna Elvira, Jan Peerce as Don Ottavio, Roberta Peters as Zerlina and Norman Scott as Il Commendatore.

Mr. Davidson took the easy way out and made Masetto a thorough bumpkin all stammers and grimaces. In doing so he followed a long and inaccurate tradition calculated to make the jealous peasant an addle-pated buffoon rather than the distinct character type he was meant to be. Dramatic reservations aside, however, Mr. Davidson proved a lusty and rich-voiced Masetto who sang clearly on pitch and without gargling his words. Indeed, both his short arias ? ?Ho, capito? and ?Presto? ? were notably resonant in their spinning out and warm in their colors.

As for Mr. Baccaloni, his Leporello is, of all his impersonations, the best known and most widely loved. To some, in fact, the bass is, was and will always be the model comic servant. And despite some hoarseness in Mr. Baccaloni?s middle register, it was good to have him back.


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