Juignet and Drivet’s French Opera Company: Diamants de la couronne

“At the Théâtre Français, West Fourteenth street, will be given during the week Tuesday and Thursday, opera, and Saturday, comedy vaudeville. Tuesday evening, October 16, at eight o’clock, the audience will witness the first performance of Auber’s magnificent comic opera, Les Diamants de la Couronne.”

“Auber’s sparkling opera of ‘Les Diamants de la Couronne’ will be given here to-night for the first time. The caste introduces nearly all the best members of the company. Of the opera it is unnecessary to speak. It has been played repeatedly in an English form, and always with success. It belongs to the best period of the composer’s career – a career, by the way, which is yet uninterrupted by a successful competitor.”

“The Crown Diamonds, one of Auber’s charming works, was presented at the Theatre Francais last evening. The audience was much larger than on the preceding evenings of the opéra comique, but still we noticed many of the subscribers’ boxes and seats unoccupied. Now if the subscribers wish to encourage and assist this excellent and thoroughly enjoyable style of opera, they ought not to be contented with subscription alone. They should also show their appreciation of it by their presence, or if they cannot attend themselves, they ought to suffer those who nightly visit the theatre and who manifest a warm interest in French opera, to occupy their seats. There is nothing more discouraging to artists than empty boxes, and there might not be one at the opéra comique if some rule were adopted by which every subscriber’s box or seat, in case of his absence, would be at the disposal of the management for that night. We were glad, however, to notice an improvement last night in the attendance. The Crown Diamonds proved an irresistible attraction, and those who went to enjoy it were not disappointed in its rendering. Auber’s music is not marked by depth of thought or strength of feeling. His combinations are ingenious but not profound; and his melodies though often sweet and sometimes tender, are very rarely pathetic. But his music is brilliant, sparkling, exhilarating and remarkable for the clearness and simplicity of its dramatic effects, even in scenes of the greatest bustle and confusion. In the Crown Diamonds there are some delightful instances of his dramatic power, especially in the panpan chorus and the duet between Henrique and Catarina in the first act, and the imitation of the noise of carriage wheels in the finale chorus of the second act. As this opera is well known in America, it is unnecessary to give a synopsis of the plot. In every part of it, in the mountains near Coimbra, in the house of Campo Mayor, and in the royal palace at Lisbon, delicious solos, duets, trios and choruses, form a crown of diamonds to the sparkling, never tiresome dialogue, which explains the romantic adventures of the young Queen of Portugal. Mlle. Naddie added new laurels to her previous success in her impersonation of the beautiful and graceful Catarina. She sang the brilliant and trying solo in the second act – ‘Ah! je vouz briser ma chaine’ – in a style that drew down immense applause from the fashionable and critical audience before whom she appeared. Mlle. Laurentis was as successful in the rôle of Diana as she has been in Les Mousquetaires and Le Maitre de Chapelle. Her light, well trained voice and winning, coquettish manner in the duet with Henrique in the second act, ‘Savez vouz mois cousin,’ made her still more a favorite with her hearers. M. Anthelme sang very well and acted better. He did not use the falsetto so frequently and threw a little more breadth of tone in his voice. M. Choi made a very good representative of Campo Mayor in every respect except the vocal part. M. Walter, as the chief of the counterfeiters, was excellent both in voice and acting. The chorus was unexceptionable. This is a very important feature in French opera, and we must congratulate Messrs. Juignet and Drivet on having secured capable artists for it. The orchestra, under the direction of M. Predigam, was not up to its usual standard. The clarionets and bassoons in particular were quite unruly, and destitute of color or expression. Some of the solos and duets were consequently overshadowed by the irrepressible reeds. M. Predigam has excellent materials in his orchestra, to judge from the previous operas, and such vagaries of any instrument ought not be tolerated by him. The tableau at the end of the first act was weakened by the non-appearance of the soldiers and the strange idea that Roboleddo and his comrade had of disguising themselves – namely, by retaining their brigand costume and displaying their firearms. They should be also clad in the monkish disguise of their companions, and the soldiers should have been brought on the stage interspersed among the grim and ungodly crew with the cowls and long robes. These, however, are blemishes on the otherwise satisfactory rendering of the opera which can be easily remedied, and the above suggestions, if attended to, will remove the only defects perceptible in it. When French opera is thus placed on the metropolitan stage, and its merits and beauties become known to all, the Théâtre Francais will, ere the season be half over, be taxed to its utmost capacity to accommodate the numbers who will eagerly seek such a pleasing, enjoyable and intelligible species of musical entertainment.” 

“The performance of ‘Les Diamants de la Couronne’ attracted a fine audience to this establishment on Tuesday evening, and the representation, although by no means strong, gave general satisfaction. The members of the company, considered individually, are neither first nor second-class, but collectively they present an agreeable ensemble, and are completely up in their work. As a rule, too, they act with spirit. These characteristics are very essential in comic opera, and to them must be ascribed what success the enterprise has as yet achieved. Auber’s sparkling and beautiful opera is well known to the public. The melodies are trenchant and graceful; the concerted pieces ingenious in construction and always effective. We might add that the drama itself is picturesque, but so little attention is paid to scenery and stage effect at the French Theatre, that merit of situation is entirely thrown away. It takes time to stock a new theatre with scenery, even where the will is good.”

“The production of Les Diamant de la Couronne at the Theatre Francaise was a decided success. This opera contains some of Auber’s most charming inspirations. The music is light, sparkling and vivacious; the melodies fresh and spontaneous—a brilliant superstructure raised upon reminiscences of the quaint forms and sentiment of the old troubadour music, the spirit of which may be traced in the Madrigals which are yet retained in our vocal repertoire. With all the seeming frivolity of this music, a veil of tender and exquisite sentiment may be traced underlying the whole. The songs are full of character, and are varied from the simple chanson to the brilliantly ornate aria; the concerted music, without any pretension to largeness, is skillfully treated, so that the ensemble pieces are striking and effective through their rhythmic construction. The music of the second act is the most charming in the opera. The instrumentation is richly varied by subjects of singular grace and beauty, the color being laid in by a master hand. As a whole the music is eminently attractive, rich in beauties of a brilliant character, and as fresh and as welcome as when it was 40 years younger.

     The vocal artists are all excellent without being great. All the voices are small voices, but what there is of them is thoroughly agreeable. They are all well educated singers and what they do is always in the best taste. Mlle. Naddie has a voice of large compass and rare flexibility; her execution, though sometimes faulty in the wide intervals, is generally brilliant and accurate, her manner is delightfully piquant, and as an actress she is entirely charming. The same may be said of Mlle. Laurentis, who sings with grace and expression, and whose execution is at once neat and brilliant. The duet singing of these ladies is marked by a rare union of purpose and is charming from its precision. MM. Anthelme is a thoroughly well-educated artist and sings with unexceptionable taste, save that he uses his falsetto somewhat too freely, and with rare delicacy and expression. He is also an admirable actor, free, graceful and emphatic. The charm of these performances is that all the actors appear as human beings. They are totally free from stickiness, they have the easy grace and manners of society, and they speak and act with natural fluency, which gives a pleasant air of reality to the performance.

     Though we cannot but desire the orchestra larger in numbers, we must express ourselves content with the accuracy and the delicacy of its performance. Mr. Predigam has got it well under his control; and produces all the possible effects from the members at his command. The overture was played with great spirit and delicacy and the whole was rendered with due attention to delicacy and breadth of coloring.

The costumes are rich and beautiful, the appointments in good taste and abundant, and all that relates to the stage department denotes the skill and attention of a competent stage manager. There were no discrepancies or ruse contrasts to offend the eye. So the proprietors are carefully studied and rigidly enforced.

The immense repertoire at the command of the French Opera Troupe enables the management to offer constant variety in performance. This evening for instance three musical pieces will be performed, namely La Torreador, by Adolph Adam, Le Maitre de Chapelle, by Paer and Le Caid, by Ambroise Thomas. Thus, in the course of the season, the public will become acquainted with a large number of delightful musical works, which cannot be presented at any other establishment. The public is beginning to take an interest in the French Opera, and we are satisfied that the interest will increase rapidly, for all who visit it depart with a pleasant remembrance of an equal and charming performance.”

“This delightful work of M. Auber was performed Tuesday evening at the Théâtre Français with the most excellent success. We don’t have to either analyze the work, which is one of those amusing and improbable perplexities that Scribe knows how to invent, nor to speak of the music, which long ago took its place among the best of the master’s pages. Very few of our compatriots don’t know the Diamants de la Couronne, and anything we could say about the piece itself would be of little interest.

The execution was one of the most satisfying. Mlle Naddie, in the role of the Catarina, was gracious and as prepossessing as possible: it’s she who carries almost all the weight of the performance, and that weight is light for her abilities. She sang the air C’est moi qui suis Catarina quite well, as well as the roundelay of Beau Pédrille, and above all the delightful duet Adieu, seigneur, il faut partir. In the second act, the duet between Catarina and Diana, Dans les defiles des montagnes, was sung to perfection. As for the song Je veux briser ma châine, bristling with vocalises and difficulties, Mlle Naddie surpassed herself in security, vivacity, and expressiveness. Her success was as large as it was deserved.

We also have nothing but praise for Mlle Laurentis, charged with the role of Diana. Her acting is always excellent and she is the rival of Mlle Naddie as a singer. Nothing was sung more graciously and more wittily than her duet with her cousin, who was played by M. Anthelme.

We don’t have to go back on the first opinion that we’ve expressed about him. His organ is a bit stretched, but pleasant, and he knows how to govern it. We think that he’s right, in view of the taste of the New York public, not to sacrifice it so much for head voice. Rightly or wrongly, the falsetto is not pleasing to the dilettantes of this part of the country. M. Anthelme wouldn’t believe us if we told him that he plays everything as well as Coudere. One couldn’t say he’s a bad actor; he’s adequate; one sometimes wishes for more soul and warmth in his delivery.

The second tenor, M. Surmont, is in his turn a very good comedian, and he obtains general satisfaction from the somewhat ungrateful role of Don Sebastien.

The new basse chantante, M. Walter, possesses a voice of a good quality. Suitable singer, suitable actor, he won’t be counted among the least good acquisitions of the management. In the difficult enough scene in the third act, where Rebolledo having become a lord braves the looks of those who know him for a rascal, he knew how to get himself applauded.

We expected better of M. Chol in the role of the count of Campo Mayor, if not as a singer, at least as an actor. He didn’t do enough to bring out the conceited and cheerful stupidity of this type of Prud’homme who considers himself a great statesman.

The chorus was a little sticky in the first act, but much better in the second. The chorus in the first act finale was sung, it seems to us, a bit too fast. The orchestra was still too noisy; perhaps that impression owed itself to the arrangement of the hall, but we believe it was shared by the majority of the audience. The result of the sonority--which was too strong for M. Auber’s orchestration, which glitters above all by virtue of the delicacy of its design and the finesse of its meaning--is almost entirely annoying, and the voices of the singers are sometimes drowned out by the instruments.

We saw with great pleasure Tuesday evening that the hall was perfectly full, and that the bravos were warmer than perhaps they had ever been. It’s necessary, it’s indispensable that the French theatre be handsomely supported and suitably appreciated. The current company assuredly merits all the sympathies of the public, and when we bid our readers go hear the Diamants or another masterpiece of the French repertoire, we invite them to a most charming evening. We are sure that none will become disappointed in our theatre, and it’s in all sincerity that we declare that, according to us, the French theatre, next to Italian opera when it exists, and Mme. Ristori, who must be considered, and sometimes Wallack, is the only place of its genre where a man of good taste and good company could pass an agreeable evening.”

Goes on to talk about possible future productions.