Grace Bumbry Made Santuzza Role Debut at Met Opera in Zeffirelli’s Cav Pag

Summary: Grace Bumbry made her Santuzza role debut at Met Opera in Zeffirelli’s Cav Pag, the Italian designer, director and producer’s third Met Opera staging.

American mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry’s appearances in the 1969-1970 Met Opera season as Santuzza in Franco Zeffirelli’s new staging of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana added the fifth of 14 career roles to her Met Opera portfolio: Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli, via Facebook Dec. 24, 2018

Grace Bumbry made her Santuzza role debut at Met Opera in Zeffirelli’s Cav Pag, the Italian designer, director and producer’s third production at the opera house.

American mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry (born Jan. 4, 1937) added her fifth role debut to her Met Opera portfolio with her appearance as seduced Santuzza in the opening night performance of the 1969-1970 season’s new production of Cavalleria Rusticana by Italian opera composer Pietro Mascagni (Dec. 7, 1863-Aug. 2, 1945). The rustic Sicilian opera’s new staging by Franco Zeffirelli (Feb. 12, 1923-June 15, 2019) debuted Jan. 8, 1970, as a double header with Zeffirelli’s new production of Pagliacci by Italian opera composer and librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo (April 23, 1857-Aug. 9, 1919). Each opera received 19 performances in the 1969-1970 season.

Grace Bumbry sang Santuzza in the new production’s first five performances. Italian tenor Franco Corelli (April 8, 1921-Oct. 29, 2003) joined her as Santuzza’s seducer, Turiddu, in the first five performances.

The Metropolitan Opera staged 16 revivals of Zeffirelli’s Cav Pag production. Grace Bumbry reprised Santuzza in four revivals.

In the 1971-1972 season, she returned for two of the second revival’s 14 performances. She sang opposite American operatic tenor Barry Morell (March 30, 1927-Dec. 4, 2003) in the fifth performance, Oct. 16, 1971. For the sixth performance, Oct. 23, she sang opposite American operatic tenor Enrico Di Giuseppe (Oct. 14, 1932-Dec. 31, 2005) for the next performance, Oct. 23.

Bumbry reprised Santuzza in the 1974-1975 season for the production’s fourth revival. She appeared in eight of the fourth revival’s 22 performances.

She sang in the revival’s first four performances. Italian operatic tenor Franco Tagliavini (Oc. 29, 1934-Aug. 15, 2010) was Bumbry’s Turiddu in the first three performances. American operatic tenor Harry Theyard (born Sept. 28, 1929) sang Turiddu for the fourth performance.

Bumbry also appeared in the fourth revival’s ninth, 10th, 11th and 14th performances. American operatic tenor William Lewis (born Nov. 23, 1935) sang opposite her for the revival’s ninth performance. Harry Treyard returned as Turiddu for the 10th and 14th performances. Franco Corelli returned for the revival’s 11th performance, on Dec. 23, 1974, to sing Turiddu for the last time at the opera house.

The Metropolitan Opera’s fifth revival of Zeffirelli’s Cav Pag took place in the 1977-1978 season. Bumbry reprised Santuzza on Jan. 11, 1978, for the third of the revival’s 20 performances.

The Metropolitan Opera staged the production’s seventh revival in the 1980-1981 season. Bumbry sang Santuzza for the first six of the revival’s 17 performances. Italian tenor Carlo Bini appeared opposite Bumbry’s Santuzza.

Bumbry retired Santuzza from her active Met Opera repertoire during the seventh revival. Her appearance Jan. 10, 1981, in the revival’s sixth performance, marked her 22nd appearance as Santuzza in Zeffirelli’s production.

Grace Bumbry had made her Met Opera debut Oct. 7, 1965, as Princess Eboli in the opera house’s 65th performance of Don Carlo by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). She made her second and third role debuts at Met Opera in the following season, 1966-1967, with performances as Amneris in Verdi’s Aida and as Azucena in Il Trovatore.

Bumbry made her fourth role debut at Met Opera in the next season, 1967-1968. She sang the title role in Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

After her fifth role debut as Santuzza in the 1969-1970 season, she claimed her sixth and seventh Met Opera roles in the 1970-1971 season. She sang title roles in Orfeo ed Euridice by German classical composer Christoph von Gluck (July 2, 1714-Nov. 15, 1787) and Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

The 1971-1972 season added an eighth role debut to Bumbry’s Met Opera portfolio. She sang the title role in Samson et Dalila by French Romantic Era composer Camille Saint-Saëns (Oct. 9, 1835-Dec. 16, 1921).

In the 1972-1973 season, Grace Bumbry returned to Verdi for her fourth Verdi opera and ninth role debut at the Metropolitan Opera. She appeared as Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s first Shakespearean opera, Macbeth.

Bumbry’s 10th role debut took place in the following season, 1973-1974. She sang the title role in Salome by German late Romantic-early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

The 1977-1978 season marked Bumbry’s 11th role debut. She appeared as Venus in Tannhäuser by German composer and librettist Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Two seasons later, in 1979-1980, Bumbry claimed her 12th role debut. She sang the title role in La Gioconda by 19th-century Italian opera composer Amilcare Ponchielli (Aug. 31, 1834-Jan. 16, 1886).

Bumbry returned to Verdi for her 13th role debut in the 1983-1984 season. She appeared as Leonora in La Forza del Destino, her fifth Verdi opera at the opera house.

Bumbry’s 14th and last role debut occurred in the 1984-1985 season. She sang the title role in Porgy and Bess by American composer and pianist George Gershwin (Sept. 26, 1898-July 11, 1937).

Bumbry reprised her second role debut for her last active season at Met Opera, 1986-1987. Her last performance as Amneris in Verdi’s Aida took place Nov. 3, 1986.

Grace Bumbry returned to the Metropolitan Opera almost nine and one-half years later for her last appearance at the opera house. On April 27, 1996, she sang “Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix” (Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, Act 2) in the 25th Anniversary Gala for the Metropolitan Opera House’s second music director, James Levine.

The takeaways for Grace Bumbry's making her Santuzza role debut at Met Opera in Zeffirelli’s Cav Pag are that Zeffirelli’s new production of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana added Bumbry’s fifth role debut to her Met Opera portfolio and that the American mezzo-soprano reprised the role in four of the production’s 16 revivals.

Italian designer, director and producer Franco Zeffirelli designed costumes and sets for his new productions of Cav Pag (Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci) in the 1969-1970 Met Opera season: Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli, via Facebook Dec. 26, 2018

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

American mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry’s appearances in the 1969-1970 Met Opera season as Santuzza in Franco Zeffirelli’s new staging of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana added the fifth of 14 career roles to her Met Opera portfolio: Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli, via Facebook Dec. 24, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/posts/785068741828606

Italian designer, director and producer Franco Zeffirelli designed costumes and sets for his new productions of Cav Pag (Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci) in the 1969-1970 Met Opera season: Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli, via Facebook Dec. 26, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/posts/786627211672759

For further information:

“Debut: Tito Gobbi (Director).” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 255870 Tosca {621} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/13/1978.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=255870

“Debuts: Grace Bumbry, Margaret Kalil.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 204090 Don Carlo {65} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/7/1965.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=204090

“Debuts: Luigi Alva, Leonard Bernstein, Franco Zeffirelli.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 197440 New Production Falstaff {67} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/6/1964.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=197440

Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli. “Cavalleria Rusticana nel 1969 al Metropolitan di New York fu il primo grande impegno internazionale di Zeffirelli dopo l’incidente automobilistico che lo aveva visto in pericolo di vita: dopo la conferma della presenza di Bernstein come direttore d’Orchestra 1andai da Franco Corelli, che se ne stava in solitario isolamento nella suite di un albergo di New York. Riuscii a convincerlo a uscire dal suo incomprensibile ritiro per cantare la parte di Turiddu.’ FZ #dicembreconzeffirelli 28 dicembre, 'Zeffirelli e Bernstein al MET: Cavalleria Rusticana'" https://bit.ly/2UsQ5Vd.” Facebook. Dec. 19, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/posts/782545145414299

Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli. “Dopo l’intenso lavoro per Cavalleria Rusticana al MET, Franco Zeffirelli ricorda così il suo ritorno alle scene mondiali e all’opera: ‘Le ovazioni dopo la prima furono la migliore medicina di cui avessi bisogno, la dimostrazione che ero ancora in grado di dominare la mia professione. Uscendo alla ribalta per ricevere gli applausi, dissi un addio pieno di sollievo al 1969, a quello strano decennio che si stava chiudendo con tutto il Bene e tutto il Male che aveva portato nella mia vita.’ Venerdì 28, Zeffirelli e Bernstein al MET: Cavalleria Rusticana https://bit.ly/2UsQ5Vd.” Facebook. Dec. 26, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/posts/786627211672759

Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli. “Insieme a Leonard Bernstein come direttore d’orchestra e a Franco Corelli come tenore, Franco Zeffirelli ottenne la partecipazione della grande Grace Bumbry: ‘disse che avrebbe cantato Santuzza lasciando un altro impegno, attratta dal superbo insieme artistico che si stava formando.” FZ #dicembreconzeffirelli 28 dicembre, Zeffirelli e Bernstein al MET: Cavalleria Rusticana > https://bit.ly/2UsQ5Vd.’ Facebook. Dec. 24, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/posts/785068741828606

Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli Onlus @fondazionefrancozeffirelli. “New York, Metropolitan Opera House, 55 anni fa. Va in scena il Falstaff di Verdi. ‘Il compito che avevo di fronte mi era graditissimo: Rudolf Bing aveva scelto Falstaff come ultimo allestimento al vecchio Metropolitan, prima che il teatro si trasferisse al Lincoln Center. A parte l’onore e il significato di questo invito, ero ansioso di poter finalmente lavorare a New York e con un direttore esaltante come Leonard Bernstein.’ FZ Ogni ultimo sabato del mese, visite guidate a cura del personale del museo https://bit.ly/2Rjeqif.” Facebook. March 6, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/fondazionefrancozeffirelli/photos/a.521465231522293/826992214302925/

“Grace Bumbry: Last Appearance.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 324090 James Levine Gala. Metropolitan Opera House: 04/27/1996.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=324090

Marriner, Derdriu. "Antony and Cleopatra Was Franco Zeffirelli’s Second Met Opera Production." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 15, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/antony-and-cleopatra-was-franco.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Cav Pag Was Franco Zeffirelli’s Third Met Opera Production.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 22, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/cav-pag-was-franco-zeffirellis-third.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Cav Pag Is Jan. 13, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Jan. 8, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/01/cavpag-is-jan-13-2018-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Franco Zeffirelli Made His Met Opera Debut in Staging Verdi’s Falstaff." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 1, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/franco-zeffirelli-made-his-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Luigi Alva Made Met Opera Debut in Zeffirelli’s Falstaff Production." Earth and Space News. Monday, June 8, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/luigi-alva-made-met-opera-debut-in.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Only Two of 11 Zeffirelli Productions Are Still Revived at Met Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, May 25, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/05/only-two-of-11-zeffirelli-productions.html

“New Productions: Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: New Productions Cavalleria Rusticana {441} Pagliacci {481} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/8/1970.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=220100

Sherrill Milnes @SherrillMilnes. "In memory of the great Franco Zeffirelli, I wanted to share a few photos and an article from the Milnes archives. This is from our performance of Pagliacci at the The Metropolitan Opera with Teresa Stratas, Richard Tucker with Franco directing. He will be missed. #SVFPagliacci." Facebook. June 24, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/SherrillMilnes/posts/2244764739106315