Word: contraltos
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Telephone Hour (Mon. 9 p.m., NBC). With Contralto Marian Anderson...
...Republic of Haiti, the second Western Hemisphere nation (after the U.S.) to gain freedom, last week jubilantly marked the 150th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence from France. U.S. Negro Contralto Marian Anderson was there to sing for the celebrations, which included a dinner for 700 local and foreign notables at the ruined palace of the fabulous Black Emperor Henri Christophe. There were speeches, dances, pageants. But the eye-popping main event was a sham battle near Cap Haitien, watched intently by President Paul E. Magloire, U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield, the U.N.'s Dr. Ralph J. Bunche...
Only the soloists performed expertly. Edward Munro, tenor dispatched the florid Every valley with accuracy and pleasant sound; although bass Irvin Nordquist lacked truly dark vocal color, his part remained dramatically exciting. Eunice Alberts, a little too restrained at first, improved after intermission, displaying her rich contralto tone and careful diction. Soprano Marguerite Willauer distinguished herself in both the intricate coloratura of Rejoice greatly and the more restrained line of the recitatives...
...evenings. Basso Rossi-Lemeni's commanding presence made it possible to schedule Mefistofele, Boris Godunov and Don Giovanni. Wagnerian Soprano Gertrude Grob-Prandl and Tenor Ludwig Suthaus were imported from Germany to do Tristan and Isolde and Die Walküre. At week's end, Italian Coloratura Contralto Giulietta Simionato and Tenor Cesare Valletti drew ovations in Massenet's rarely heard Werther. German Soprano Inge Borkh is on tap for Strauss's Elektra and Puccini's Turandot...
Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet (Chorus and soloists with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Munch; Victor, 2 LPs). Musical sweet talk in its sweetest, if not most stimulating, performance on records. Included are some meltingly graceful choruses (sung by Harvard and Radcliffe groups) and solos by Contralto Margaret Roggero, Tenor Leslie Chabay and Basso Yi-Kwei...