Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-11-09

" cioSed-circurt televiSion at the
Pagiiacci, Leoncavalio: sung 81 Leon
Act one. Rodolfo. Richard Tucker;
Marcello, Frank Guarrera; Schaunard.
Scott; Mimi. Victoria V De los Angeles;
6iere d s sieisIia Rossin Act Ts s
Almaviya. cesare vslletti: Bartolo.
Peters: Figaro, Robert Merrill; Basillo.
jerome Hines; Berta, Jean Madeira;
q sergeant, Alessio de Paolis; Am
hrogio, Rudolf Mayreder. Aida. Verdi,
The King, Luben 'Vichey: Amneris,
Blanche Thebom; Aida, Zinka Milanov;
Radanes, Mario del Monaco; Amonas-
70, Leonard Warren; Ramt1s. Jerome
Hines. messenger. Paul FRANKIE.
The show put on by the Metro
politan Opera last night at the
Capitol Theater by closed-circuit
television was similar in some
respects to opera and in some to
the kind of television you turn
on or of in your living room.
The program was broadcast from
the Metropolitan Opera House in
New York, where scenes from
four of the best liked operas
made up the opening night fare.
The impression one gets of
the image. on the screen is infe-
rior to that on a home set. prob
ably because details are greatly
magnified. Everything except ex-
treme closeups are blurred. Tech
nically, the camera work was
inferior to the best one can ex-
pect, with the perspective chang
ing continually and aimleSsly.
The lighting was especially
poor in La Boheme";; this and
the angular and nervous move
ments of the garnet of friends
gave the scene a Surrealistic at
mosphere not unlike the old
movie, "The Cabinet of DR.. Cali
gari."
Voices Fuzzy.
The sound was throughout un-
f1attering to both singers and
orchestra. The voices were
shrouded in a harsh metallic
fuzz, and the balance between
singers and orchestra favored
the former to an extent that
would satisfy the most naive and
vain prima donna of provincial
troupe.
The first commercial of the
program, after Leonard Warren's
singing of the prologue to PA
gliacci." was first stated by a Mr..
Sloan, and then Immediately re-
peated, after the best television
tradition, by Rudolph Bing, man.
ager Of the Metropolitan. It was
to the effect that the reason for
the unusual potpourri of excerpts
from four different operas on
opening night at the Met was
to give the out-of town audiences
q chance to see the scope and
variety of grand opera and of
productions at the Metropolitan.
Mr. Bing is too experienced an
impreSsario to be guilty of such
nonsense. These four Italian
operas, three from the same gen.
eral school, no more show the
scope of opera than four novels
by Scott, Thackeray, Dickens and
Richardson indicate the scope of
prose fiction. Each of the opera
excerpts contained one of. the
most popular arias in all music.
A person, might object to turn
ing the Met into a variety show,
but no one could have any good
reason for finding fault with a
program clearly designed to give
the greatest number of listeners
a good time.
Voices Overly Strong.
ala Boheme," as indeed all the
operas, sounded as though sung
for the benefit of a hard-of-
hearing audience. This effect
cannot necessarily be blamed
on the singers, who had their
studio audience in the Metro
politan to consider, and whose
voices were being picked up by
microphones doubtless only a
few feet away. The singing of
the men, nevertheless, was not
notable, with the exception of
fuckers. The Mimi of de los
Angeles was something so beau
tiful, so effortless and lyric, that
one can remember it and forget
all the sweat and strain and
operate heroics of the rest of
the evening.
At intermission, Edward John
son, one-time manager of the
Met and a master of ceremonies
whose services could well be i'm
plored by any show on the air,
introduced the celebrities in the
club room with grace. charm and
infectious easy familiarity
Among the many who said some
thing or nothing were Gene Tun-
ney, Margaret Truman and
James c. Petrillo. Mildred Miller
the Metropolitan soprano who is
now a resident of Washington
was on hand. as were also Lucre-
zia Bori and Giovanni Martinelli
Next was a heavy-handed and
pedestrian second act of "The
Barber of Seville" in which mug
ging and stodgy by-play did lit
tie to hold together a perform
ance that had not much of the
sparkle, gaiety and rapid move.
ment that should go with Ros-
SIM. Roberta Peters is an attrac.
tive actress and skilled singer
but somehow her coloraturs
lacks the mischevous lure anc
excitement that marks the sing.
ing OF the best soupretteS.
Valiant Attempt.
After intermission came thu
first act of Aida" in which
Blanche Thebom and Zinka Mi.
lanov seemed a little tired q,
m Ww - O