Six Pianists Have Appeared as Boleslao Lazinski in Met Opera's Fedora

Summary: Six pianists have appeared as Boleslao Lazinski in Metropolitan Opera's four productions of Giordano's Fedora, staged between 1906-1907 and 2022-2023.

Italian conductor and pianist Tullio Voghera (May 4, 1879-Feb. 19, 1943) created the role of Polish pianist-spy Boleslao Lazinski during Met Opera's presentation of the United States premiere of Giordano's Fedora in opera company's 1906-1907 season; (left to right) English accompanist and pianist Ivor Newton (Dec. 15, 1892-April 21, 1981) with Swedish operatic tenor Jussi Björling (Feb. 5, 1911-Sept. 9, 1960) and Tullio Voghera, who was voice coach to Jussi Björling and Italian operatic tenor Enrico Caruso (Feb. 25, 1873-Aug. 2, 1921), in May 1939: Museum/Museet, via Facebook May 23, 2018

Five pianists have appeared in the role of pianist Boleslao Lazinski in the Metropolitan Opera's four productions of Giordano's Fedora, staged between the 1906-1907 and 2022-2023 seasons.

Fedora, by Italian composer Umberto Giordano (Aug. 28, 1867-Nov. 12, 1948), received its United States premiere Wednesday, Dec. 5, 1906, at the Metropolitan Opera House, then located at 1411 Broadway, between West 39th and West 40th streets, in Midtown Manhattan's Garment District. Giordano's fifth opera received five performances in the 1906-1907 season. The second through fifth, closing performances were held Saturday, Dec. 15; Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24; Thursday, Dec. 27; and Friday, Jan. 4, 1907. The second, third and fifth performances took place at the Metropolitan Opera House. The fourth performance occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the opera company's 1906-1907 tour.

Eugène Dufriche (Oct. 7, 1848-?) directed the United States premiere of Fedora. The French baritone and conductor had made his Met Opera directorial debut Monday, Nov. 21, 1904, in the opera company's 94th performance of Aida by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). He had made his Met Opera singing debut 11 years earlier, on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1893, as Alfio in the opera company's ninth performance of Cavalleria Rusticana by Italian opera composer Pietro Mascagni (Dec. 7, 1863-Aug. 2, 1945).

Tullio Voghera (May 4, 1879-Feb. 19, 1943) created the role of the opera's Polish pianist-spy, Boleslao Lazinski, at the Metropolitan Opera. The Italian accompanist, conductor, pianist and vocal coach made his Met Opera debut as Lazinski in Fedora's United States premiere. He appeared as Lazinski in all five performances in the 1906-1907 season.

He returned the following season, 1907-1908, to reprise Lazinski in the first revival of Dufriche's production. The revival's three performances took place Thursday, Dec. 19, 2007; Monday, Dec. 23; and Saturday, Dec. 28.

Seasons 1908-1909 through 1922-1923 passed without Fedora on Met Opera's performance roster. In the 1923-1924 season Fedora appeared on the roster as a new production with eight performances. The new production opened Saturday, Dec. 8, 1923. The second through eighth, closing performances were held Monday, Dec. 10; Tuesday, Dec. 18; Friday, Dec. 21; Thursday, Jan. 10, 1924; Wednesday, Jan. 23; Tuesday, Feb. 5; and Friday, April 25.

Wilhelm von Wymetal (1862-Nov. 11, 1937) directed the 1923-1924 season's new production of Fedor. The Viennese stage director had made his Met Opera Friday, Nov. 17, 1922, in the opera company's 28th performance.

Georges Sébastian (György Sebestyén; Aug. 17, 1903-April 12, 1989) appeared in the first seven performances as Met Opera's second Boleslao Lazinski. The seventh performance, Tuesday, Feb. 5, marked Sébastian last performance at the Metropolitan Opera. The Budapest, Hungary-born French conductor and pianist made his Met Opera debut on the new production's opening night, Saturday, Dec. 8.

The new production's closing performance, Friday, April 25, occurred at the Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia. The role of Boleslao Lazinski is listed as performed by "Unknown," according to The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database ("MetOpera Database").

The Metropolitan Opera launched the first and second revivals of Wymetal's Fedora production in the two successive seasons after the new staging's debut. In the 1924-1925 season the first revival comprised six performances, which took place Friday, Nov. 14, 1924; Tuesday, Nov. 25; New Year's Day, Thursday, Jan. 1, 1925; Wednesday, Jan. 14; Monday, Jan. 26; and Saturday, Feb. 7. In the 1925-1926 season the second revival featured four performances, which were held Friday, Nov. 6, 1925; Tuesday, Dec. 15; Saturday, Jan. 9, 1926; and Thursday, Feb. 11.

Wilfred Pelletier (Joseph Louis Wilfrid Pelletier; June 20, 1896-April 9, 1982) performed as Met Opera's third Lazinski in the first and second revivals of Wymetal's production of Fedora. The Canadian composer, conductor and pianist had made his first Met Opera appearance Sunday, Dec. 16, 1917, as a Met Opera accompanist in the current series' Fifth Sunday Concert.

After the 1925-1926 season's second revival of Wymetal's production, Fedora disappeared from Met Opera's active repertoire for more than seven decades (70 years 7 and three-fourths months). Fedora was absent from seasons 1926-1927 through 1995-1996.

In the 1996-1997 season, Met Opera debuted a new production of Giordano's Fedora by Beppe De Tomasi (March 19, 1934-June 4, 2016). The Milanese director made his Met Opera debut in the new staging, which was co-produced with Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya), according to Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times chief classical music critic, 2000 to 2021, in "70 Years Later, a Melodrama Is Back," published Oct. 7, 1996, by The New York Times.

Beppe De Tomasi's new production received nine performances in the 1996-1997 season. The new production opened Saturday, Oct. 5, 1996. The second through ninth, closing performances took place Tuesday, Oct. 8; Saturday, Oct. 12; Thursday, Oct. 17; Monday, Oct. 21; Friday, Oct. 25; Tuesday, April 22, 1997; Saturday, April 26; and Thursday, May 1.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet (born Sep. 7, 1961) made his Met Opera debut in the new production's opening night as Met Opera's fourth Lazinski. The French pianist played Fedora's Polish pianist-spy in the new production's first six and last three performances.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet shared the piano-playing role with William Hicks, whose appearance in the seventh performance, Friday, Oct. 25, qualified the American conductor, pianist and voice coach as Met Opera's fifth Lazinski. Hicks was associated with Met Opera as assistant conductor and assistant chorus master from August 1995 to June 2001, according to his Facebook page.

After the 1996-1997 season's new Fedora production by Beppe De Tomasi, Met Opera absented the sophisticatedly set tragedy from its active repertoire for almost 25 and two-thirds years (25 year 7 months 30 days). Seasons 1997-1998 through 2021-2022 were Fedora-free.

The 2022-2023 season, however, yielded Met Opera's fourth new Fedora staging and sixth Lazinski. David McVicar debuted Fedora as his 13th Met Opera production New Year's Eve, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. The Scottish opera and theatre director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, in the opera company's 600th performance of Verdi's Il Trovatore.

The 2022-2023 season included eight performances of Fedora. The second through eighth, closing performances were offered Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023; Saturday, Jan. 7; Wednesday, Jan. 11; Saturday, Jan. 14; Thursday, Jan. 19; Sunday, Jan. 22; and Saturday, Jan. 28.

Bryan Wagorn appeared in all performances as Met Opera's sixth Lazinski. The Canadian pianist and vocal coach has been an assistant conductor with Met Opera since the 2013-2014 season. His onstage piano playing numbered as the first of two onstage roles in the 2022-2023 season. Wagorn played the glockenspiel in the 2022-2023 season's new production of Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

(left to right) English accompanist and pianist Ivor Newton (Dec. 15, 1892-April 21, 1981) with Swedish operatic tenor Jussi Björling (Feb. 5, 1911-Sept. 9, 1960) and Italian conductor and pianist Tullio Voghera (May 4, 1879-Feb. 19, 1943), voice coach to Jussi Björling and Italian operatic tenor Enrico Caruso (Feb. 25, 1873-Aug. 2, 1921), in May 1939: Museum/Museet, via Facebook May 23, 2018

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Italian conductor and pianist Tullio Voghera (May 4, 1879-Feb. 19, 1943) created the role of Polish pianist-spy Boleslao Lazinski during Met Opera's presentation of the United States premiere of Giordano's Fedora in opera company's 1906-1907 season; (left to right) English accompanist and pianist Ivor Newton (Dec. 15, 1892-April 21, 1981) with Swedish operatic tenor Jussi Björling (Feb. 5, 1911-Sept. 9, 1960) and Tullio Voghera, who was voice coach to Jussi Björling and Italian operatic tenor Enrico Caruso (Feb. 25, 1873-Aug. 2, 1921), in May 1939: Museum/Museet, via Facebook May 23, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/jussi.bjorlingmuseet/posts/pfbid02Fyc5GrjYSbbgJFS3NvdQxSRe1PB6yQSK3w4SVgdTJhPZEZubUfzzhsUVQYSZj1aSl

(left to right) Met Opera's sixth Boleslao Lazinski, Bryan Wagorn, with Met Opera's ninth Count Loris Ipanov, Piotr Beczała, nine days after the 2022-2023 season's eighth, closing performance, Saturday, Jan. 28, of David McVicar's new production of Giordano's Fedora: Piotr Beczała, via Facebook Feb. 6, 2023, @ https://www.facebook.com/PiotrBeczala/posts/5897067493712941/

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