Triple Tristan

In all the world there are probably only 15 tenors capable of stepping stage center in the second act of Tristan und Isolde and belting out "Seine eitle Pracht, seinen prahlenden Schein verlacht, wem die Nacht den Blick geweig't." Three of the 15 sing at Manhattan's Metropolitan Opera, a house that rightly prides itself on the size of its singing lineup. But last week, on the eve of a performance of Tristan starring new Soprano Birgit Nilsson (TIME. Dec. 28), the Met's three Heldentenore suddenly found themselves out of voice, the victims of winter colds. (The fact that two of them, Ramon Vinay and Karl Liebl, had been panned by critics after earlier appearances might have also affected their health.) Rather than cancel a sold-out performance, Met General Manager Rudolf Bing resorted to a technique normally used by Casey Stengel and the New York Yankees, sent in each tenor for a single act. "Fortunately," added Bing, "there are only three acts."

Chilean-born Tenor Vinay, 46, had originally been scheduled to sing the role. At noon he called the Met to cancel. German-born Tenor Liebl, 44, who subbed for Vinay at the season's first Tristan, in which Soprano Nilsson scored her dramatic triumph, phoned the Met at 2 to say that he, too, was in no condition to go on. U.S.-born Tenor Albert Da Costa. 33, phoned in at 4 with the same report. With no other Wagnerian tenors available, Bing gave Vinay the first act, Liebl the second and Da Costa the third. Backstage was Throat Specialist Dr. Leo P. Reckford, who treated all three tenors.

Vinay negotiated the hour-long opening act commendably, while Liebl huddled backstage in an overcoat waiting to change costumes with him. Liebl sang the second act in adequate style, and Da Costa turned in some of the best singing of the evening during Tristan's third-act death delirium. All three took separate curtain calls and somewhat reluctantly posed for photographers with Soprano Nilsson, who can outthunder even a perfectly healthy Heldentenore. "I was just afraid to catch the bacillus." said she. "They were all really wonderful, my Tristans." Were the tenors all really ailing? "They said they were," said Dr. Reckford, "and you have to believe people like tenors."

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