METROPOLITAN OPERA – OTELLO, Live Performance, 12/20/1958, w. Fausto Cleva Cond.

Description: METROPOLITAN OPERA – OTELLO, Live Performance, 12/20/1958, w.Fausto Cleva Cond. Mario del Monaco, RenataTebaldi, Leonard Warren, etc. . (Canada) 2-IMMORTAL PERFORMANCES 1161. Henry Fogel, FANFARE, March / April 2022 - A legendary earlier performance of Verdi’s great opera fromthe Met in 1958 has circulated for years on many labels. That performance wasfrom the final portion of the 1957–58 season, specifically March 8, 1958. TheMet issued it on its own LP label for fundraising purposes, and many labelsreissued it. Most of the cast is identical to this one from nine months later(though the first half of the next season), with one major difference. In thatperformance Victoria de los Angeles sang Desdemona, and in this one the role istaken by Renata Tebaldi. I mean no disrespect to de los Angeles, whoseDesdemona is beautifully sung and delicately portrayed. Her performancecertainly deserved the exposure it got, but I will never understand why itserved to keep this one from the marketplace, considering that Tebaldi is as closeas one can get to being the quintessential Desdemona, vocally, dramatically,and stylistically. Perhaps one reason for the scarcity of this performance wasthat del Monaco and Tebaldi recorded the opera twice for Decca. Both times,however, they were done in by a mediocre Iago. It is this triumvirate of delMonaco, Tebaldi, and Leonard Warren that “owned” the score for a few seasons atthe Met, and Immortal Performances’ superb restoration makes clear why. The first performance of OTELLO in the 1958–59 season wasgiven on November 15. In THE NEW YORK TIMES Harold C. Schonberg, who could be avery picky critic, wrote the following: “OTELLO,given yesterday afternoon at the Metropolitan Opera, is Verdi at his best. Atthis occasion it was also the Metropolitan Opera at its best. The cast did notcontain a single weak member, and it was one of those performances animated bya mysterious surge of electricity that seemed to communicate itself to all themembers. Even the orchestra musicians, normally a pretty blasé group ofcitizens, applauded and cheered the singers after each act.” Schonberg ended his review with this: “If future OTELLOs this season come up to thisone, New Yorkers should break down the doors to get in.” This broadcast was thesecond performance of the season, and everything Schonberg wrote applies heretoo. There are many live OTELLO broadcasts in circulationfeaturing del Monaco in the title role. I own 14 and make no claim that this isall of them. There are two others with the same three principals: a 1954 La Scala performance with AntoninoVotto conducting (on the Myto label) and a 1955 Met performance conducted byFritz Stiedry (released by Walhall). The Scala performance is quite good, butit is limited by Votto’s unimaginative conducting and by the fact that thethree principals were singing the opera together for the first time, as yet todevelop the chemistry that marks the 1958 broadcast. The 1955 Met performanceis leadenly conducted by Stiedry (he did better in a 1952 broadcast with RamónVinay). Fausto Cleva, while lacking the distinctive interpretive profile ofToscanini, Furtwängler, or Levine, here leads an incisive and sensitive performancethat shows a deep feeling for the Verdi idiom. The orchestral playing is wellabove the norm for the Met at this period. Everyone acknowledges the power andbrilliance of del Monaco’s singing, but he is frequently accused of singingeverything at forte and louder. Later in his career, and on some of hiscommercial recordings, that was a justifiable criticism. But in his prime thetenor was, in fact,a sensitive musician who could sing with subtle shadings.The power required by Otello is certainly present. His “Esultate” is arrestingin its force, and his interruption of the fight scene later in the first act,“Abbasso le spade” (Put down your swords), is exactly what was needed to put acomplete halt to the tumult. What is likely to surprise many, however, is the gentlesinging he displays in the love duet that ends the act. At the words “un bacio”del Monaco’s tone is genuinely tender, and while he cannot manage a pianissimoon the final G, neither does he blast it out. In the act III monologue “Dio mipotevi,” his soft singing at “L’anima acqueto” is truly beautiful and movinglyportrays Otello’s inner suffering. This is as complete a performance of therole as I have ever experienced. The role of Desdemona suits Tebaldi perfectly, bothmusically and dramatically. There is a refinement and delicacy to her singing,in addition to her unique tonal beauty. The glow in her voice and the tonalrichness of her soft singing at points like “Amen, risponda” in the love duet makefor moments that remain long in one’s memory. In the big act III confrontationscene with Otello, Tebaldi encompasses the full range of Desdemona’s emotions.She will break your heart when she sings “guarda le prime lagrime,” and later,at her final protestation of innocence you wonder how it is possible thatOtello doesn’t believe her. The ravishing beauty of tone produced in the WillowSong and Ave Maria can only be described as exquisite. Finally, Tebaldi’sportrayal of panic as Otello is about to murder her is chilling. One of the unfortunate realities of making records throughthe 1980s was the exclusive contract. Record company executives saw music muchmore as a business than as art. As a result it was difficult to assemble idealcasts in the recording studio, because singers were exclusively bound to theirlabels, who often refused to release them. When Decca made its first OTELLOwith del Monaco and Tebaldi in 1953, they couldn’t turn to Warren because hewas exclusively signed with RCA, the other leading Iago, Tito Gobbi, to EMI.Even so, there were certainly better choices than the utterly routine AldoProtti on whom they settled. There were also better conductors available thanAlberto Erede. In 1962 Decca redid the opera with Herbert von Karajanconducting, and the plan was to engage Ettore Bastianini as Iago, but accordingto producer John Culshaw, the baritone never learned the role sufficientlywell, and so it was Protti all over again. Warren never made a commercialrecording of one of his greatest roles. Of the six broadcasts with the greatAmerican baritone that I am familiar with, this one from 1958 is the finest.Part of that may be the result of what Schonberg referred to as the “mysterioussurge of electricity” everyone felt onstage. Warren’s voice had the requisitepower for Iago’s big moments, but he was also a fine musician who was a masterof vocal shading and color. “Era la notte” is sung in a dynamic range entirelybetween pianissimo and mezzo-forte that makes it creepily insinuating. Thefinal phrases of that little arioso are remarkable in their quiet intensity.His singing of the “Credo” is chilling in the specificity of Warren’s depictionof pure evil. Just listen to the hollowness of tone as he utters “La morte ènulla” before opening up the voice for the aria’s commanding conclusion. It is masterful. What may further surprise anyone who didn’t grow up withthese artists is the degree of subtlety in their interactions. The pivotal ActII scenes between Iago and Otello show the result of both artists’ experiencewith their roles and, by 1958, with each other. They inflect their exchanges togive great import to the meaning of the text, creating a feeling of spontaneityand dramatic intensity. For OTELLO to totally work, even the smaller roles mustbe sung at least adequately, because every phrase of Verdi’s score isimportant. Happily, Paul Franke’s Cassio, Martha Lipton’s Emilia, CharlesAnthony’s Roderigo, and Nicola Moscona’s Lodovico are all done about as well asI’ve ever heard. Immortal Performances’ transfer is vastly superior to theYouTube version, and I am not aware of any other alternative. Richard Caniell’ssource is a private off-the-air recording, and it is in good monaural broadcastsound from the 1950s. As usual, the recording is supplemented by a lavish40-page booklet that includes an insightful essay about the performance and asecond essay about the opera, both by William Russell. There is also a detailedsynopsis and recording notes by Caniell, bios of the artists, and some wonderfulhistorical photographs. The atmosphere of listening to a Saturday Met broadcastis enhanced by the inclusion of Milton Cross’ commentary, which is trackedseparately if you want to skip it. I recall attending at least two performances of OTELLO inthe 1958–59 season as a standee, and I have been waiting for over 60 years fora good-sounding release of this broadcast. Now it has finally arrived. I findit very difficult to imagine opera lovers for whom OTELLO is an important worknot wanting to add this set to their library. It is a recording shattering inits musical and dramatic impact.” - Ken Meltzer, FANFARE March / April, 2022 “From Immortal Performances (IP), the second of two performancesof Verdi’s OTELLO that were broadcast from the stage of the Metropolitan Operain 1958. Both broadcasts (March 8 and December 20) are conducted by FaustoCleva, and star the Otello of tenor Mario Del Monaco and Iago of baritoneLeonard Warren. Victoria de los Angeles is the Desdemona in the March broadcast,while Renata Tebaldi assumes the role of the tragic heroine in the December performance.In his extensive, passionate, informative, and thought-provoking liner notesfor the IP release, William Russell states: “In my opinion, this (December)1958 broadcastmay be the last truly great performance of OTELLO from the Met.” Without undulyextending the debate, I’d note that on December 28, 1958, the identical castperformed OTELLO at the Met. And a visit to the Metropolitan archives will stirthe memories of many FANFARE readers who attended subsequent performancesconducted by Georg Solti, Karl Böhm, Zubin Mehta, James Levine, and Carlos Kleiber,starring the Otellos of James McCracken, Jon Vickers, and Plácido Domino, with RenataTebaldi, Montserrat Caballé, Kiri te Kanawa, and Renata Scotto as Desdemona,and Robert Merrill, Tito Gobbi, Gabriel Bacquier, and Sherrill Milnesperforming the role of Iago. But there is no question that the December 20, 1958Met OTELLO is a great performance, and an historic one for many reasons. TheDecember 28, 1958 OTELLO (not broadcast) was Del Monaco’s final Met appearancein the title role (on January 3, 1959, Del Monaco sang his last Met performance,as Canio in PAGLIACCI). And so, the December 20 broadcast is the lastrecorded document of Del Monaco’s Met performances in his greatest role. MarioDel Monaco sang his first Met Otello on February 15, 1952. Cecil Smith, writingfor Musical America, praised Del Monaco’s vocal power and stamina, but added: “Many moments in his singing, however, were merelycrude and others seemed thoughtless, as though he had not taken time todiscover the musical inflections implied by the score and the drama. When heturned his attention to expressive coloration he employed it very effectively,but too often he was content to plough through considerable passages withrather undistinguished loud singing.” Bythe time of a February 27, 1958 Met Otello, Ronald Eyer was able to report forMusical America: “Mario Del Monaco hasgrown astonishingly in the role of the Moor. From the moment of his appallinglydifficult ‘cold’ entrance on the “Esultate!,” with its high A, he is thealternatingly regal, brooding, tender, sickly jealous, ferocious Moor ofShakespeare’s creation. And he has brought an added dignity to hisperformance—a restraint in the frenetic moments and a vocal refinement andnuance which are highly commendable.” The trajectory of these reviews accords withmy own exploration of Del Monaco’s Otello. In addition to the 1954 and 1961Decca studio recordings, I have heard the following Del Monaco liveperformances of OTELLO: Teatro Colón,Buenos Aires, July 21, 1950: Antonio Votto, Cond. Delia Rigal (Desdemona), CarlosGuichandut (Iago) – MYTO. (Del Monaco’s debut in the role) Mexico City, June20, 1950: Oliviero de Fabritiis, Cond. Clara Petrella (Desdemona), GiuseppeTaddei (Iago) – Private Issue. La Scala,Milan, January 7, 1954: Antonio Votto, Cond.Renata Tebaldi Desdemona), LeonardWarren (Iago) - MYTO Torino, September 6, 1954: Tullio Serafin Cond. Onelia Fineschi(Desdemona), Renato Capecchi (Iago) – MYTO. Metropolitan Opera, NY, March 12, 1955: FritzStiedry Cond. Tebaldi (Desdemona), Warren (Iago). Walhall Metropolitan Opera,NY, March 8, 1958: Fausto Cleva, Cond. Victoria de los Angeles (Desdemona),Warren (Iago) – MYTO. Metropolitan Opera, NY, December 20, 1958: Cleva Cond.,Tebaldi(Desdemona), Warren (Iago) - PrivateIssue. Milan, 1958: Serafin Cond. Rosanna Carteri (Desdemona), Capecchi (Iago)- GALA Tokyo, April 20, 1959: AlbertoErede Cond., Gabriella Tucci (Desdemona), Tito Gobbi (Iago) - OPERA D’ORO Teatrodell’Opera di Roma, Rome, December 26, 1960: Franco Capuana, Cond. Floriana Cavalli(Desdemona), Gobbi (Iago) - MYTO. Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London,June 30, 1962: Raina Kabaivanska (Desdemona),Gobbi (Iago) – PANTHEON. Dallas CivicOpera, Dallas, November 30, 1962: Nicola Rescigno, cond., Ilva Ligabue (Desdemona),Ramón Vinay (Iago) - LIVING STAGE. I’vealso heard a 2-disc Bongiovanni release, with excerpts of Del Monaco singingOtello in Cremona (February 27, 1971), Mantova (January 21, 1971), and Budapest(April 1, 1971). These demonstrate that even toward the close of his career,Del Monaco’s Otello was a force to be reckoned with. It is clear from DelMonaco’s very first Otello that his vocal gifts surpassed almost any Otello whopreceded or followed him. Del Monaco’s rich middle register ascended with easeto upper notes remarkable for their power, and laser intensity and focus. In arole viewed by many as the most punishing in the entire Italian repertoire, DelMonaco was able to maintain his full vocal resources from the punishing“Esultate!” entrance, all the way to the heartbreaking final death scene. Inmany ways, Mario Del Monaco’s voice comes closest to matching the individual qualitiesand splendor of Verdi’s very first Otello, Francesco Tamagno (while Tamagnomade his recordings of excerpts from OTELLO after his retirement from thestage, and while in precarious health, the authority of his vocalism anddramatic commitment shine through). But Del Monaco’s early attempts at Otello,for all their vocal magnificence, hardly do justice to the subtleties ofVerdi’s score. As I wrote for another publication when reviewing the 1950Buenos Aires OTELLO: “it also soon becomes clear that Del Monaco is intent uponplaying to the gallery by repeatedly straying from Verdi’s prescribed rhythmsand pitches, as well as the expressive and dynamic markings. Occasionally, asin the Act I love duet, Del Monaco offers some attempt at dynamic shading. Butfor the most part, Del Monaco’s approach in this Buenos Aires OTELLO is unremittinglyforceful. That the performance is still a qualified success is testament to DelMonaco’s amazing vocal gifts and unflagging dramatic intensity. I doubt youwill ever hear greater vocal gifts applied to the role of Otello. But moresubtlety can yield so much greater musical and dramatic satisfaction, as delMonaco himself would soon demonstrate.” And throughout the 1950s, Del Monacoapplied himself with the utmost devotion to making his interpretation worthy ofVerdi’s, Boito’s and Shakespeare’s conception. Over time, Del Monaco’s Otelloassumed an arresting three-dimensional quality. Del Monaco achieved this by a willingnessto explore a variety of dynamics and vocal colors, and to wed them to apointed, meaningful articulation of the text. During his prime, all of thistranspired without any loss of vocal beauty or authority (from the early 1960son, Del Monaco’s voice lost some of its warmth and beauty in the middleregister). At its zenith, Del Monaco’s Otello was not just a display of brilliantvocalism, it was masterful operatic acting. And that zenith is precisely whatwe encounter in the two 1958 Met broadcasts. Both are essential to any OTELLOcollection, but my preference is for the December 20 performance. I wouldcertainly not want to be without Victoria de los Ángeles’ radiant Desdemona.But as I will discuss, Tebaldi’s performance is equally splendid. And DelMonaco is in marginally better voice for the latter performance. Indeed, thereis not a blemish on his part to be found. The “Esultate!” rings out withoverwhelming confidence and power. Any time vocal forcefulness is required, DelMonaco supplies it in an abundance you are unlikely to hear from any otherOtello (again, Tamagno excepted). But alongside the clarion tones are momentsof aching tenderness, as in the Act I love duet, and the final “Niun mi tema”.And Del Monaco shapes the great Act III soliloquy “Dio! mi potevi scagliar”with the utmost attention and care, masterfully depicting Otello’s transitionfrom self-pity to vengeful rage. There have been many great Otellos. But this isone of the performances to make a very strong case that among tenors whosecomplete interpretations are preserved on recordings, no one brought a greaterand more impressive array of gifts to Verdi’s Otello than did Mario Del Monaco. The remaining principals are on an equally exalted plane.Renata Tebaldi is in her glorious prime as Desdemona. Throughout her career,Tebaldi possessed one of the most beautiful soprano voices. Tebaldi’s floatingpianissimos in the Act I love duet and the final act’s “Ave Maria” would melt astone (if not, in this tragedy, Otello’s heart). But Tebaldi, a marvelous actress,could also summon impressive vocal reserves, as in the third act confrontationwith Otello. At a later stage of her career, Tebaldi’s upper register becamemore problematic, but not on this occasion. Both Tebaldi’s radiant vocalism andcomplete involvement in the role are never in doubt. There was always awonderful chemistry between Tebaldi and Del Monaco that is abundantly evidentin this performance. Leonard Warren, also in superb voice (including a unisonhigh A with Del Monaco at the conclusion of the Act II duet, “Si, pel ciel”),is a first-rate Iago. In addition to his rich and secure vocalism, Warrenbrings a lightness of touch that, while so essential to a depiction of thenefarious Iago, was not always a part of the great American baritone’s arsenal.Warren is absolutely convincing in his portrayal of a scheming villain who is ableto convince others of his generosity and sincerity. All of the secondary rolesare sung and acted with distinction. The excellent supporting cast includesMartha Lipton’s Emilia, Paul Franke’s Cassio, and Nicola Moscona’s Lodovico.Conductor Fausto Cleva is an experienced, sure, and authoritative presence. Theperformance has admirable precision, momentum, and, where needed, repose andflexibility. Both William Russell and productor Richard Caniell (the latter, inhis Recording Notes) are highly complementary of Cleva’s pacing of the greatAct III concertato that precedes Otello’s outburst and collapse. I agree thatCleva leads this episode in a highly satisfying manner. If Cleva lacks thefinal degree of restless tension and power conductors such as Ettore Panizza,Arturo Toscanini, Wilhelm Furtwängler, and Carlos Kleiber have found in thescore, his contribution is quite fine, and worthy of this special occasion.The recorded sound is excellent, with admirabledynamic range, definition, and a fine representation of both vocal andinstrumental timbres. If not quite the equal of studio recordings of the time,it is a realistic and compelling document of a broadcast of its time. A generousportion of Milton Cross’s radio commentary is included. In addition to Russelland Caniell’s essays, there is a full plot synopsis, and artist bios andphotos. This is most certainly one of the great performances of OTELLO,deserving of a place in any opera collection. Recommended with the greatestenthusiasm. 5 Stars: One of Mario Del Monaco’s greatestperformances of Verdi’s Otello, preserved in excellent sound.”

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