Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-02
TURNTABLE TALK
BY JAMES G. DEANE

This falls crop Of recorded
operas relies. for novelty. chief
ly on the performers rather
than on the operas themselves.
Most Of the latter are third,
fourth or even seventh and
eighth LIP versions.
With respect to the particle
pants, it is interesting to note
that the spotlight seems to
have swung around to con-
ductors. We have a "Traviata"
and "Manon" conducted by
Monteux. and La Boheme"
led by Beecham. There also
is a 'Traviata" under the vet
eran Seraf1n and a 'Falstaff"
under the ubiquitous Austrian,
Won Karajan.
Monteux, whose association
with "Manon" began when he
was a viola player in the pit
at the Opera Comique 10
years after the Massenet opus
premiere in 1884, ought to
know as much as anyone liv-
ing about how it should be
performed. And Victor's new
recording, produced with an
almost all Opera Comique
cast, is no disappointment. If
extra buoyancy was needed,
the Monteux baton has sup
piled it in good measure. and
the singing is individually
practiced and collectively well
migrated. That of Manon
herself, Victoria de los An
geles, If not specifically French,
is certainly lovely to listen to.
If the set has any major
flaw it is a tendency to under
microphone the orchestra.
Conversely, at one point. in
his scene with the count. des
Grieux's (Henri Legay's) voice
virtually disappears into the
distance. But at a substantial
volume setting, these faults are
not really serious.
Some Basic COmpetitiOn
1t would be hard to choose
between the Monteux and the
Serafin "Traviata" were it not
for the fact that some already
existing competition may. at
least for some, make a choice
academic. The MonteuX set
benefits from an especially at
tractive Violetta in Rosanna
Carteri and an outstanding
Germont in Leonard Warren.
Cesare Valletti, as Alfredo.
seems somewhat outpaced by
the Serat1n- Angel sets Di
Stefano. In neither case, and
especially with Angel. is the
orchestral-vocal balance al
ways ideal. AS for star per-
formances, neither violetta
ANGELS is Antoinetta Stella)
comes within yards of Lon
don's Tebaldi, and neither pro-
duction has the irresistible
verve of the aging but unfor-
gettable Albanese-P eerce-NBC
Symphony recorded broad
cast propelled by Toscanini.
1t is also Toscanini. un-
happily for the challengers,
who enforces a reckoning in
the cases of the Puccini ia
vorite and Verdi's greatest. last
opera. Sir Thomas, who can
claim more than 300 "Boheme"
performances, makes a thing
of lyrical delight out Of Puc-
cini's orchestral score. The de
los Angeles soprano is again a
major vocal asset, with Bjoer-
ling-in less than ideal voice
a somewhat less vivid one. But
the surge of emotions is in no
way so overpowering as in the
Toscanini rendering.
Master Of Ensemble
Won Karajan, in last years
Angel "Cosi fan tutte," proved
himself a master of ensemble.
and in "Falstaff," where the
premium is on the same elu-
sive element, he and Angel
have acquitted themselves
admirably. THE articulation
in the comic chattering en-
sembles of Act ! is nothing
less than marvelous.) There
is also more innate sensitivity
in Angels Schwarzkopf, as
Mistress Ford, and Cobb. in
the title role, than in their
Victor counterparts, Nelli and
Valdengo, as well as a pattern
Of at least equality in the va
rious other roles. (Merriman.
the Meg. is in both sets, in
terestingly enoughO But the