La Bohème Acts I and II Aired Jan. 1, 1932, as Third Matinee Broadcast

Summary: La Bohème Acts I and II aired Jan. 1, 1932, as the third matinee broadcast of an opera in Met Opera's first season of matinee broadcasts, 1931-1932.

Lucrezia Bori sang Mimì in Met Opera's third matinee broadcast, Friday, Jan. 1, 1932; she had added the role to her Met Opera portfolio Thursday, Nov. 28, 1912; according to MetOpera Database, she sang her 72nd, last Met Opera Mimì in her last Met Opera performance Thursday, April 2, 1936: CamilleMarie @Camille_Jeann, via Twitter June 28, 2020

La Bohème Acts I and II aired Jan. 1, 1932, as the third matinee broadcast of an opera, albeit abbreviated, in Met Opera's first season of matinee broadcasts, 1931-1932.

The opera house's first season of matinee broadcasts opened with the Friday, Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 1931, full airing of Hänsel und Gretel by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (Sep. 1, 1854-Sep. 27, 1921). Acts III and IV of Norma by 19th-century Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sep. 23, 1835) aired the following day, Saturday, Dec. 26, as Met Opera's second matinee broadcast and as the opera house's first Saturday matinee broadcast.

The Friday, New Year's Day, Jan. 1, 1932, airing of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) marked the 1931-1932 season's third matinee broadcast. La Bohème's airing, which occurred one week after the season's inaugural matinee broadcast of Hänsel und Gretel, qualified as the season's second Friday matinee broadcast.

La Bohème received six performances in the 1931-1932 season. The opera's Jan. 1 performance numbered as the season's third performance of the opera. The season's first three performances were held at the opera house. The first and second performances occurred Thursday, Nov. 5, and Wednesday, Nov. 25. The fourth and fifth, on-tour performances took place Tuesday, Feb. 2, Philadelphia's Academy of Music and Tuesday, Feb. 9, at New York City's Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

The Friday, Jan. 1, 1932, matinee numbered as the opera house's 285th performance of La Bohème. Puccini's bohemian opera had received its Metropolitan Opera premiere Friday, Nov. 9, 1900. Met Opera had offered 15 performances of La Bohème in the opera's premiere season.

Vincenzo Bellezza (Feb. 17, 1888-Feb. 8, 1964) was the third matinee broadcast's conductor. The Italian opera and symphony conductor had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 4, 1926, in the opera house's ninth performance of I Gioielli della Madonna by Italian composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (Jan. 12, 1876-Jan. 21, 1948).

Lucrezia Bori stage name of Lucrecia Borja y González de Riancho (Dec. 24, 1887-May 14, 1960), sang the third matinee broadcast's Mimì. The Spanish lyric soprano had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, June 9, 1910, in the title role in the opera house's 12th performance of Puccini's Manon Lescaut.

Beniamino Gigli (March 20, 1890-Nov. 30, 1957) sang the third matinee broadcast's Rodolfo. The Italian operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 26, 1920, as Faust in the opera house's 23rd performance of Mefistofele by Italian composer and librettist Arrigo Boito (Feb. 24, 1842-June 10, 1918).

Nannette Guilford, stage name of Nanette Gutman (Aug. 17, 1903-March 17, 1990), sang the third matinee broadcast's Musetta. The American operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 10, 1923, as Countess Ceprano in the opera house's 131st performance of Rigoletto by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Giuseppe De Luca (Dec. 25, 1876-Aug. 26, 1950) sang the third matinee broadcast's Marcello. The Italian baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 25, 1915, in the title role of Figaro in the opera house's 84th performance of Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

Claudio Frigerio (1903-1980) sang the third matinee broadcast's Schaunard. The American operatic baritone had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 15, 1930, as Count Di Luna in the opera house's 176th performance of Verdi's Il Trovatore.

Ezio Pinza (May 18, 1892-May 9, 1957) sang the third matinee broadcast's Colline. The Italian operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 1, 1926, as Pontifex Maximus in the opera house's sixth performance of La Vestale by Italian Classical period composer Gaspare Spontini (Nov. 14, 1774-Jan. 24, 1851).

Paolo Ananian sang the third matinee broadcast's Benoit. The Italian bass had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 14, 1908, as Wagner in the opera house's 256th performance of Faust by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

Pompilio Malatesta (1879-1960) sang the third matinee broadcast's Alcindor. The Italian operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 25, 1915, as Dr. Bartolo in the opera house's 84th performance of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Max Altglass (Feb. 16, 1890-Feb. 13, 1952) sang the third matinee broadcast's Parpignol. The Polish lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 6, 1924, as Missail in the opera house's 67th performance of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881).

Carlo Coscia sang the opera's Sergeant, a role appearing in the opera's unbroadcasted Act III. Friday, Dec. 27, 1929, as the Major-domo in the opera house's 49th performance of Andrea Chénier by Italian verismo (“realism”) composer Umberto Giordano (Aug. 28, 1867-Nov. 12, 1948).

Armando Agnini (July 11, 1884-March 27, 1960) was La Bohème's production director. The Italian stage director had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, April 26, 1919, in the opera house's eighth performance of I Puritani by 19th-century Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sep. 23, 1835).

Blaschke & Cie designed the production's costumes. Blaschke & Cie's Met Opera debut had occurred Thursday, Dec. 24, 1903, in the opera house's United States premiere of Parsifal by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Wagner's Lohengrin succeeded Puccini's La Bohème as the 1931-1932 season's fourth matinee broadcast. The Wagnerian opera, which aired Saturday, Jan. 9, numbered as the opera house's second Saturday matinee broadcast.

The takeaways for La Bohème Acts I and II airing Friday, Jan. 1, 1932, as the third matinee broadcast in Met Opera's 1931-1932 season are that the opera's airing one week after the season's first matinee broadcast, the Friday, Christmas Day entire performance of Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel, qualified Puccini's opera as the season's second Friday matinee broadcast; that La Bohème was preceded by the season's second matinee broadcast, which aired Norma Acts III and IV on Saturday, Dec. 26; that Lucrezia Bori sang Mimì to Giovanni Martinelli's Rodolfo in the third matinee broadcast; and that Wagner's Lohengrin, which followed La Bohème, aired Saturday, Jan. 9, as the season's fourth matinee broadcast and second Saturday matinee broadcast.

Beniamino Gigli's singing the third matinee broadcast's Rodolfo marked his 43rd, last appearance in the role at Met Opera; according to MetOpera Database, he had added the role Saturday, Dec. 4, 1920, to his Met Opera portfolio; ca. 1920-1925 photo of Beniamino Gigli by Bain News Service, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress (LOC) Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC: No known restrictions on publication, via LOC Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC)

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Lucrezia Bori sang Mimì in Met Opera's third matinee broadcast, Friday, Jan. 1, 1932; she had added the role to her Met Opera portfolio Thursday, Nov. 28, 1912; she sang her 72nd, last Met Opera Mimì in her last Met Opera performance Thursday, April 2, 1936: CamilleMarie @Camille_Jeann, via Twitter June 28, 2020, @ https://twitter.com/Camille_Jeann/status/1277235907939176448

Beniamino Gigli's singing the third matinee broadcast's Rodolfo marked his 43rd, last appearance in the role at Met Opera; according to MetOpera Database, he had added the role Saturday, Dec. 4, 1920, to his Met Opera portfolio; ca. 1920-1925 photo of Beniamino Gigli by Bain News Service, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress (LOC) Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC: No known restrictions on publication, via LOC Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) @ https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2014714030/

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