The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 70

j-y u.s'a, A 3 i i wr llHl)ll minuMmiuviiimmmmmmmimmmttmmimmmmmm'mmKm mmmrmmmmmmmmmmm i. m. I iiiinii tmmmmmmmmmm- mmfmK 1 SOUyPIXG BOARD L.A. Opera Starts Its 3rd Year BY ALBERT GOLDBERG Persistence brings its own rewards, even In so stubbornly resistant a field as Bisseii- .1 A II 1 (l V' Tr wiinilwiiiiinrrr' tonii' No mess, no stooping, no soaking, no wiping up, no rinsing, no odor! opera. The reorganized Los Angeles Opera Company began its career on a shoestring with a season of three per formances.

Last year it expanded to four, and Saturday night in Wilshire Ebell Theater it opened a third 6easbn of six performances with "La Traviata." A dressy and social audience filled the hall to capacity. All signs indicate further sellouts, and an impressive list of contributing patrons testifies to the company's increasing support. Strides Shown All this seems justified by the continued improvement in quality. "La Traviata" as i a whole was measurably better than it was during the first season. It.

had an appealing air of youth but it was still professional. The voices were good, their owners were well typed to their pants, the costumes and scenery were adequate, the or chestra was competent, and JLloyd Harris staging avoid ed the stiltedness which is usually the bane of second line opera production. Francesco Pace, the general director, seems to have an instinct for casting. For Violetta he selected Marie Gibson, and it proved to be a wise choice. Miss Gibson is so pretty that she looks more like a soubrette than a trage dienne, and her soprano is so bright and cheerful that at first one wondered what it could possibly make of the more serious matters to come.

These qualities were appropriate to the first act, of course; Miss Gibson was gay and uninhibited and she negotiated "Ah, fors lui" and "Sempre libera" with confidence and vocal security. Then Things Happen With the second act un expected things started to happen. Miss Gibson began to reveal a deepening sense of characterization that con tinued consistently and con-' vmcmgly to the end: 6he acted the role better than some much more famous exponents. The voice changed. too; it took on color and va riety.

It rose to the drama of the duets with Alfredo and Germont, it accomplished some exquisite singing in the third act finale, and it caught the pathos of "Addio, del I passato." If this was a first I try and it probably was it was certainly a most prom-f ising one. John Guarnieri was also well cast for type as Alfredo. He was young, good looking and ardent, and if his tenor voice bore the burden variably at best it was agreeable" in quality and well sup plied with a fire that made up for some technical short comings. Never a Sag There were times when Hernan Pelavo's baritone sounded as good as the best in the role of Germont richly resonant, smooth, and vehemently dramatic. If he had not waxed quite so lacn rymose over "Di Provenza" his final score would have 6tood higher.

No one else has mucn to do in "La Traviata," there were good voices and attractive looking people in the minor parts sung by Kathleen de Spain. Lois Var- ga, Raymond Gagan, Robert Mesrobian, Lawrence Pack and Mario Farrar. The chorus was also young and sang spiritedly, and no apoi- ogies were required for the ballet. Dick Marzollo conducted with authority; sometimes he was more concerned with keeping things moving than I with conveying subtleties, tbut at least he never let the show sag. 'l Spanish Troops Seen in 'El Cid' Seventeen hundred troops bof the Spanish Army, 500 I mounted riders of Madrid's Municipal Honor Guard and all the available manpower I of the provinces were re-j- cruited by director Anthony Mann for the battle scenes in "El Cid," adventure film work it in without soaking.

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