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As Eileen Farrell is a big girl, she doesn't float on and off stage as dancers or petite prima donnas do, but her voice floats. At least it did last night at the Metropolitan Opera when she returned for the first time since 1964, singing Maddalena in Giordano's "Andrea Chenier."

Miss Farrell handled her luscious soprano with a caressing technique that interpreted the role vocally more effectively than visually. By the third act, however, her acting was less self conscious. She conveyed Maddalena's personal tragedy from the Revolution most convincingly while her voice in the aria, "La mamma morta" was ravishing. Only in the extreme upper register was there some restraint but this seemed more because of its being a "first" night for her, than from a more serious problem.

Baritone Robert Merrill as Gerard was in magnificent voice and sang with a lightness of texture which illustrated technical expansion in the right vocal direction. By his acting he also made a powerful figure of the rebel. In her poignant aria, Mignon Dunn, as Madelon, the old blind woman, sounded sumptuous. Gladys Kriese and Marcia Baldwin as, respectively, the Countess, and La Bersi, were excellent. Carlo Bergonzi in the title role sang beautifully but his voice is too lyric to do the role full justice.

As Mathieu, Elfego Esparza, demonstrated what he has previously, that he should learn how to sing before he continues his career at the Met. Francesco Molinari-Pradelli conducted.

Search by season: 1965-66

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