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No victorious Caesar returning to Rome could have produced a greater ovation than that which greeted Jussi Bjoerling when he made his entrance as Turiddu in "Cavalleria Rusticana." The opera came to a standstill, and the audience gave forth an explosive bravo that even now continues to linger as a reminder of a performance which was transcendent and electrifying.

Mr. Bjoerling, who has been absent for two years, is one of the great tenors of our time. His clear and beautifully focused voice, even when heard in the Prologue behind the thick curtain, could ecstatically project a refined expressiveness, all-embracing in its warmth. His dramatic sense is unerring, and his ability to portray the nuances of a character equally acute. One will not forget the pathos in Mr. Bjoerling's voice, when, foreseeing that he will die in his duel with Alfio, he suddenly becomes a trembling child and asks his mother to bless him and protect Santuzza. It will be a long time before we hear another duet like the one Mr. Bjoerling sang with Giulietta Simionato - a duet which steadily grew in its elemental passions until, at the end, it left the audience mesmerized.

The whole performance, with Miss Simionato as Santuzza, Rosalind Elias as Lola, Walter Cassel as Alfio, Thelma Votipka as Mamma Lucia and the beautiful conducting of Nino Verchi, set off Mr. Bjoerling's homecoming in a manner befitting an historic occasion.

The remainder of the evening was devoted to a performance of "Pagliacci", with Gloria Davy as Nedda, Dimiter Uzunov as Canio, Cornell MacNeil as Tonio, and Mario Sereni as Silvio, in familiar roles.

Search by season: 1959-60

Search by title: Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci,

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