Barber of Seville Metropolitan Opera 1938

Thomas as Figaro

The Barber of Seville returned to the Met in 1938 for the first time in 6 years with a new Figaro and new Count. American baritone John Charles Thomas (1891-1960) really made his name on the radio, gaining a wide public following before his Met debut in 1934. He continued to sing on the radio throughout his career and to record a wide range of popular songs. The Met's broadcast audience would hear him three times as this Figaro, twice as Amonasro, and once each as Germont and Valentin. 

Bruno Landi (1900-1968) had made his met debut just ten days before this broadcast. His most frequently performed role at the Met was Almaviva, but he also sang the Duke of Mantua, Nemorino and Rodolfo.

French-born Lily Pons (1898-1976) was one of the most famous singers at the Met in the 1930s and 1940s. She was the leading coloratura soprano, noted for her Lucia, Gilda and Rosina. 

The sound is rough in places, but better than other performances from this season.


Metropolitan Opera House
January 22, 1938 Matinee Broadcast


IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
Rossini-Sterbini

Figaro..................John Charles Thomas
Rosina..................Lily Pons
Count Almaviva..........Bruno Landi
Dr. Bartolo.............Pompilio Malatesta
Don Basilio.............Ezio Pinza
Berta...................Irra Petina
Fiorello................Wilfred Engelman
Sergeant................Giordano Paltrinieri

Conductor...............Gennaro Papi

Director................Désiré Defrère
Set designer............Joseph Urban

[In the Lesson Scene Pons sang Villanelle (Dell'Acqua) and Ach ich liebte from Die Entführung aus dem Serail.]
https://rapidshare.com/files/974807896/1938Barber.zip

Der Rosenkavalier Edinburgh 1952

Modl as Octavian

This recording is of a visit by the Hamburg State Opera to the Edinburgh Festival in 1952. About 37 minutes of extracts are preserved, concentrating on the Octavian of Martha Modl. Modl is best known for her Wagnerian roles, particular Brunnhilde, Kundry and Isolde, which she would sing at Bayreuth and elsewhere during the 1950s. The recent issue by Testament of her stereo Walkure and Gotterdammerung from Bayreuth in 1955 are particularly important documents of her art, while her broadcast of Tristan under Karajan at Bayreuth in 1952 (issued by Orfeo) ranks as one of the finest performances of the opera. Her non-Wagnerian discography is more limited, and examples of her singing Richard Strauss are few. The recording is taken from the complete BBC broadcast, but no further extracts seem to survive. The sound is acceptable.

Richard Strauss

DER ROSENKAVALIER

King's Theatre, Edinburgh September 5, 1952

Marschallin - Clara Ebers

Octavian - Martha Mödl

Sophie - Lisa Della Casa

Der Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau - Theo Herrmann

Faninal - Caspar Bröcheler

Valzacchi - Fritz Göllnitz

Annina - Hedy Gura

Ein Sänger - Fritz Lehnert

Marianne Leitmetzerin - Lisa Bischof

Polizeikommissar - Jean Pfendt

Der Wirt - Kurt Marschner

Ein Notar - Karl (Carl) Otto

Der Haushofmeister bei der Feldmarschallin - Horst Wegner

Der Haufhofmeister bei Faninal - Kurt Marschner

Tierhändler - Robert Bodewig

Modistin - Christine Görner

Die drei Waisen - Agathe Bomatsch

- Edith Witteborn

- Kathe Feige

Conductor LEOPOLD LUDWIG

https://rapidshare.com/files/4039914283/1952RosenkavalierEdinburgh.mp3