Randolph Magri-Overend

DEATH @ THE METROPOLITAN

It was the evening of March 4, 1960. The time was 9.55pm.  At the Metropolitan Opera House in New York baritone Leonard Warren had just finished singing his Don Carlo aria in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino which begins ‘Morir, tremenda cosa’ (to die is a momentous thing).  Rudolf Bing, the Met’s general manager recalls that Warren fell face forward without saying a word, but others dispute that, saying that he started coughing and gasping and crying ‘Help me! Help me!’   Someone in the audience called out: “For God’s sake, bring down the curtain.”

Warren was 48 years old.  In the cast was soprano Renata Tebaldi and tenor Richard Tucker. Within 25 minutes of his fall the cause of death was determined to be a massive cerebral haemorrhage.  

Bing appeared on stage a while later.  He began his statement and the audience gasped.  “This is one of the saddest nights in the history of the Metropolitan,” he said. “I ask you all to rise in tribute to one of the greatest performers.  He died as I am sure he would have wanted to die. He died in the middle of a performance. I am sure you will agree with me that it would not be possible to continue with the performance.”

And so began one of the tightest deadlines in newspaper history – one for the New York Herald Tribune’s Sanche de Gramont (under his pen name of Ted Morgan) and Howard Taubman of the New York Times.  

When the call about the death came, Morgan was editing a column for the following day’s paper. “This was half an hour before deadline” recalls one of Morgan’s colleagues.  “All was confusion at the Met. Our opera critic was sitting helplessly, crying….he didn’t even phone the desk.”

Taubman, the NY Times critic (and not the feared Harold Schonberg) had left the opera early to begin writing the review.  Mr Taubman’s son recalls the night very clearly. “My mother, Nora, remained behind to enjoy the rest of the performance,” he wrote 44 years later. “When Warren died, she realised the news value, took careful notes on what had happened and then called Howard at the Times and gave him a first-hand account…..my mother was an English teacher…and knew the drill.”  

Mr Morgan returned from the Met – then on Broadway between 39th and 40th Streets – by 10.40pm.  Further details were supplied by another reporter, Dave Miller.  The article was cleared by 11.30 and made the late city edition. For his coverage Mr Morgan received a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting.  

Some people still believe that Verdi’s opera is cursed and what happened in New York re-enforces that belief.  Based on a 19th century Spanish melodrama (Don Alvaro o la fuenza sino), which was already confusing, the opera was stitched together by Verdi and his librettist Francesco Maria Piave and presented to the Theatre of St Petersburg as the commissioned opera for their 1861-62 season.  But the leading soprano fell ill and the premiere had to be postponed to November 10th 1862.  That postponement can be regarded, if one is so inclined, as the first application of the curse.

The plot itself is as improbable as they come and includes curses being thrown around as profusely as confetti at a wedding.  Leonora loves Alvaro who accidentally kills Leonora’s father who immediately curses their union.  Leonora flees to a monastery and the leading monk, Padre Guardiano, exhorts a curse on anyone who violates the new hermit’s sanctuary.  Meanwhile Alvaro becomes the blood brother of Leonora’s brother, Don Carlo.  When they find out their true identities, Alvaro kills Carlo, Carlo kills Leonora and Alvaro flings himself over a cliff cursing all and sundry. 

Of course the death of Warren in New York made the curse seem plausible.  In addition, in the late 80s, in the middle of the tenor aria ‘Oh, tu che in seno’ (You who are in my heart) from La Forza the lights went out.  But the power failure was later tracked to an electrical problem at a nearby cemetery.   

Famous singers were also wary of the curse.  Luciano Pavarotti refused to sing the role of Alvaro.  In fact, there is no mention of La Forza in William Wright’s biography of him, nor is there any mention by Tito Gobbi in his autobiography.  Another great Italian tenor, Franco Corelli was rumoured to have shielded his crotch as ‘protection’ during some of his performances of the opera. 

Warren must have known about the curse, though obviously he didn’t give it much credence.  As proof, he recorded the opera. Maybe his conversion to Catholicism had something to do with it.

He now rests in peace at St Mary’s Cemetery in Greenwich, Connecticut.

 

 

 

Published by Randolph Magri-Overend

One of the questions Randolph hates to answer is “Where do you come from?” Why? Because the answer can be so time-consuming and, in a way, also gives away how old he is!! Plus the questioner has to wrestle with the wish he hadn’t asked the question!! He was born in Cairo, Egypt, many moons ago of British parents although he can trace Maltese and Croatian ancestry in his lineage. Educated in a Jesuit college in London his wander lust for things unorthodox drove him to embark on a seafaring career with both Canadian Pacific Steamships and Shaw Savill. That in itself dates him because both lines have been redundant for many a year. One of his boasts is that he was the Purser on the “Gothic” which ten years previously had been Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Yacht soon after her coronation in 1953. One of the objects imported on the ship by HM and left behind was a tape player which Randolph utilised on many a memorable Sunday evening with a classical concert for his passengers. Thus began a journey that not only awakened Randolph’s love for good music but also eventually led to his extensive knowledge of music in all forms. That he loves the era of Sinatra, Crosby, Armstrong, Dorsey (both) and many many more exponents of the post-war music scene is also part and parcel of his appreciation of the music of many an era. These days Randolph is retired but still reviews CDs and DVDs and has written articles on such diverse personalities as Yvonne Kenny, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Alexander Briger, the late Sir John Tavener, Sir James Galway, Dawn Upshaw and countless probes into the music of Gustav Mahler, Elizabeth Shwarzkopf and her husband Walter Legge, Glenn Gould, Leonard Bernstein and many many more he regrets to admit he has lost track of! Before emigrating to Australia, Randolph spent a number of years as a Flight Dispatcher in Canada. Since arriving in Australia, Randolph has written for The Weekend Australian (especially in their travel pages), The Sydney Morning Herald, Opera Opera and Fine Music magazine as well as some jazz magazines. If you require an extensive coverage of your music to a public that, at last count, reaches the best part of 818,000 please contact David Kary on editor.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com or email me directly on ibmar@bigpond.com. This also includes advertising any forthcoming shows by promoting featured artists. Cheers and thank you.