IL TROVATORE

IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/18/1967
Molinari-Pradelli; Tucker, Arroyo, Cvejic, Merrill, Michalski
SID.19340212
This is a pretty standard Met Trovatore cast, though Juntwait in her introduction indicates it was the only time Arroyo, Tucker, and Merrill were on the airwaves together; Cvejic did not make much of an impression as Azucena. Paul Jackson is pretty hard this performance, primarily because of Molinari-Pradelli, and I don’t disagree. Mediocre conducting and a faceless Azucena adds up to less than zero Trovatore. Tucker and Merrill are very much up to the music after more than two decades before the footlights. Arroyo was a solid Leonora, but for me this is the great Verdi soprano role. In terms of music, possibly even more interesting than Violetta (both written so closely together).