Late riser

Paul Henry Lang in the Herald Tribune:

Wagner s “Siegfried,” the third opera in the “Ring” cycle currently presented by the Metropolitan Opera, places the critic in a very difficult position. The work, sung last night, is the weakest link in the tetralogy, turgid, and at times a bit infantile, though it also has some enchanting music. That’s bad enough for the reporter because he is dealing with sacrosanct things and flippant remarks are resented by the faithful.

Then there is the incredible fact that for two acts (i.e., pretty nearly for three hours) no woman is in evidence on the stage, as a consequence of which the debutante, Martha Moedl, especially imported for these performances, was neither seen nor heard by the critics writing for the morning papers. So, ladies and gentlemen, Miss Moedl, whose picture you see at the head of this report, remains a news item to us until we see her in a role that calls for singing in day time.

Birthday anniversaries of conductor and composer Walter Damrosch (1862), bass Georg Hann (1897), bass-baritone Benno Kusche (1916), conductor Jaroslav Krombholc (1918) and composer Mitch Leigh and Broadway producer Hal Prince (both 1928)

Happy 85th birthday to tenor Ernesto Veronelli, 72nd birthday to soprano Mara Zampieri and 69th birthday to countertenor Jochen Kowalski.