RIGOLETTO

Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/08/1967
Gardelli; MacNeil, Gedda, Peters, Giaiotti, Amparan
MOD Audio SID.19310425
MacNeil made his Met debut as Rigoletto in 1959, his overwhelming performance an instant sensation. With a silvery, pinpoint voice, Peters had become virtually the Met’s resident lyric soprano and would go on to sing 88 performances of Gilda with the company, more than any other artist. This was one of only five performances Gedda gave as the Duke at the Met. Review of Fred Kirby in Billboard – MacNeil Is Outstanding In the Met’s Rigoletto Cornell MacNeil, cast in the title role of Rigoletto, definitely is the outstanding singer in this season’s performances of the Verdi warhorse at the Metropolitan Opera. MacNeil’s rich baritone made up for some spotty singing by other principals last Saturday (19). An exception was Bonaldi Giaiotti’s Sparafucile, which was a tower of strength. Giaiotti clearly is one of the company’s most dependable artists. Roberta Peters, as sweet a Gilda as ever, sang prettily, but sounded thin in spots, especially the Caro nome ending, while John Alexander, the possessor of a rich lyric tenor voice, seemed more interested in demonstrating it than in portraying the Duke. This was really evident at the ending of La donna e mobile, when he lost Lamberto Gardelli, an experienced operatic conductor leading the opera for the first time at the Met this season. The opera house’s wealth of basses again was apparent in the fine job by Raymond Michalski in the small, but important role of Monterone. Nedda Cassei again was a competent Maddalena. The serviceable production seemed at home in the new house, but, MacNeil, in his two arias and in duets, was the afternoon’s star. What a voice!The Metropolitan Opera recently lost one of its most cherished artists, soprano Roberta Peters, who passed away in January at the age of 86. Peters graced the Met stage for 515 performances over 35 years, specializing in lyric coloratura roles to which her silvery voice brought a special radiance. Met Opera Radio on SiriusXM celebrates her remarkable contribution to the company with a pair of special broadcasts that feature Peters in two of her signature roles. The first, a newly remastered 1967 performance of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte from the Met’s inaugural season at its new home in Lincoln Center, captures her dazzling interpretation of the Queen of the Night. The second, the Sirius premiere of a broadcast recorded just a month later, offers a glimpse of Peters as Gilda in Rigoletto, a role she sang more times at the Met than any other artist in the company’s history.