[Met Performance] CID:197560



Faust
Metropolitan Opera House, Tue, March 17, 1964









Review 1:

Review of Conrad S. Susa in Musical America
The last performance of ?Faust? for this season, on St. Patrick?s Day, had John Alexander singing his first Faust of the season, Lucine Amara in her first Marguerite of the season, and Frank Guarrera in his first Valentin at the Met.

Mr. Alexander was in good shape vocally; his acting is another matter. Fortunately he didn?t seem inventive enough to do anything offensive, and since he sang so well, he had a certain passive dignity.

Miss Amara began quite well. Her ?Jewel Song,? if it did not glitter like real diamonds, was not of paste, it was somewhere in the rhinestone class. Her work in the final trio included scooping up to each note with the preparation of a minor third ? an interesting but incorrect effect. Her high notes here were somewhere between a gasp and a scream.

Mr. Guarrera?s Valentin made a great hit with his solid performance and his snappy appearance in the soldier?s costume. He did his Act I aria very well and would have done better had Fausto Cleva been able to involve his orchestra in the proceedings. His death scene was a little silly, but then so was a lot of other business. Mr. Guarrera?s sincerity and concentration helped the show enormously, as did the work of the minor characters, who have been reviewed here in the past months.


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