[Met Performance] CID:259380



Cavalleria Rusticana
Pagliacci
Metropolitan Opera House, Wed, October 31, 1979




Cavalleria Rusticana (538)
Pietro Mascagni | Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, Guido Menasci
Santuzza
Fiorenza Cossotto

Turiddu
Juan Lloveras

Lola
Isola Jones

Alfio
Mario Sereni

Mamma Lucia
Batyah Godfrey Ben-David


Conductor
Michelangelo Veltri


Pagliacci (578)
Ruggero Leoncavallo | Ruggero Leoncavallo
Nedda
Mariana Nicolesco

Canio
Carlo Bergonzi

Tonio
Pablo Elvira

Silvio
Brent Ellis

Beppe
Philip Creech

Villager
Paul De Paola

Villager
William Mellow


Conductor
Michelangelo Veltri







Review 1:

Review of Robert Jacobson in Opera News

October 31 was to mark the house debut of baritone Pablo Elvira, but on a few moments' notice the night of the 15th he bowed as Tonio in "Pagliacci," replacing Cornell MacNeil. Heard the 31st, he made a vivid impression, for he is a singer of the first rank, with a beautifully shaped, evenly emitted sound, his top tones sailing forth with luster and quality. Using the text to speak the music, Elvira never stooped to booming and woofing, but sang with true tone and vibrancy, creating a magnetic character of the malignant clown. Baritonal strength came too from Brent Ellis as Silvio, who had bowed at the previous performance; he too reveled in meaty, focused sound, singing with ardency and sincerity. Carlo Bergonzi was again Canio, while Mariana Niculescu offered a young, beautiful, believable Nedda, marred by vocal unsteadiness and a swallowed middle register, yet lovely and dusky in quality.



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