Beyond reasonable limits
On this day in 1953 soprano Herva Nelli made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Aida.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYm3Aa5NrDU
John Briggs in The New York Times:
As at other hearings in this city, Miss Nelli revealed herself to be an extremely inconsistent performer. At her best she is superlative. Her voice is of fine quality, wide range and ample power. The trouble is that Miss Nelli hardly sings two phrases in succession the same way. Although she is capable of great suavity, her tone, when pushed beyond reasonable limits, becomes hard and strident. She does not have sure control of so basic a vocal feat as the crescendo-diminuendo called “messa di voce.” Though her Aida yesterday had its share of fine moments, the performance was on the whole an uneven one.
On this day in 1964 the the Metropolitan Opera presented the American premiere of Menotti’s The Last Savage.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzDD7lktEVI
Birthday anniversaries of tenor Vladimir Rosing (1890), soprano Teresa Zylis-Gara and bass Manfred Schenk (both in 1930).
Happy birthday to soprano Angelina Réaux.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX6IMcIduN8
WindyCityOperaman
Dan Soda (Windy City Operaman) is a Chicago native whose first visit to opera was at age 17 and Massenet’s Werther with Troyanos and Kraus. Nothing was ever the same. Opera and concert performances, recordings and video are an obsession. He prepares Parterre Box’s daily birthday and anniversary tributes. He also enjoys concerts, live theater and movies.
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Topics: On This Day
